Saturday, July 31, 2010

Leaving on a jetplane

So my elective with Trauma has come to an end - I guess I could write a whole essay on my thoughts of this elective, but obviously there's something much more exciting around the corner. It's now 2 days before I jet off to Norway, and this whole week has been a frantic 7 days of meeting up with friends, saying goodbye, calling multiple corporate bodies/institutions, chasing loose ends, running errands and, of course, packing. More accurately, lack thereof.

It's hard to explain my thoughts - perhaps the most accurate word would be restless. I'm slightly nervous and excited about all the adventures I'll have, and I'm so very much looking forward to pushing my boundaries. But I can't deny that little nagging bit of apprehension. I wish I could skip the flight and administration side of things, like getting my student card, finding my accommodation in Sogn, getting my visa (which has thus far caused me much pain), getting a transport card - ie. all the general life-sort of things that I take for granted while I'm at home in Melbourne. It's such a paradox - the one thing I'm most looking forward to on this exchange is change, and yet familiarity is what I think I'll miss most, at least initially.

And so it's now August 1st, the start of a new month and hopefully this time next week, I'll be settled into my room at Sogn and fingers crossed everything goes smoothly. I just need to go now.

(On a side note, how come ticket inspectors never check me for a valid ticket? It's happened twice in 7 days now - inspectors sweeping along the tram like they're on the set of the Matrix, demanding tickets from every passenger - except me?! Maybe it's because I'm clad in professional attire? But then so are many other people... Maybe it's coz of my medical lanyard? Surely doctors don't fare evade, right? Maybe I have an honest-looking face? Whatever it is, they seem to just walk right past me even though I have a ticket in hand. Shame I haven't fare evaded since high school...)

2 comments:

  1. Yeah I know how you feel about being apprehensive about those admin things. I remember the night before our first trip (to Germany) and I was so worried that something would go wrong, from walking in the dark at about 3am to the bus station in Cambridge, to being able to meet up with everyone at the airport, hoping all the hostel bookings were okay, the train trips would work out etc. It all went smoothly in the end, but everytime I travelled there would always be that niggly feeling mixed with the excitement. Don't worry, everything usually works out in the end (just don't forget to change your return ticket! :P)

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  2. Thanks Viv (or should I say, tusen takk...)
    You're exactly right about the lack apprehension I was feeling. And now I've arrived and settled in and feel ridiculously tired after not sleeping for 36 hours straight.

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