I’m leaving for Asheville tomorrow, so it’s time to pack up my laptop. Before I do so, I should probably reflect on what’s going through my mind.
I’m more than a little sad to be leaving my family. Conner still has a couple of weeks of school and the post-season of Little League, and I won’t be around for that. Mike’s got his most stressful time of the year coming up at work, and I won’t be here to support him. I won’t be able to cuddle in bed with Guinness and Stout again until August. There will be all nature of audio and video communications, but it won’t be the same as waking up in the same house every morning.
I’m more than a little nervous about what the summer has in store for me. If what I read on the internet is true (and why wouldn’t it be), the trip down (via Greyhound) will be an adventure in and of itself. Once I get there, I’ll have a ton of new math to learn well enough to do meaningful things with it while I’m at UNC-Asheville. Will I be able to keep up with the other seven students participating in the REU? I’m pretty sure I can, but there’s a lingering doubt or two.
I’m more than a little excited to find myself in new surroundings for the first time in a long time. I love being lost and having to find my way, and it sounds like Asheville will offer me plenty of opportunities to explore my surroundings, meet new people, tackle new concepts, and prove to myself that I can still handle whatever gets thrown at me.
So, the laptop is going in the bag, things will be zipped up and ready to go in the morning, and I will try to get a decent night’s sleep in advance of my journey. Over the next couple of months I’ll take pictures, provide updates, and probably babble a bit about math in the process. Let the adventure begin.
