The Big Move
Prague Blog - post one
October 3, 2023
I remember the process of moving abroad so well. It was August 2021, I had spent the summer disassembling the life I’d created for the past 21 years and, finally, the time I’d been preparing for was upon me. The evening before taking off, I stayed up until 2 a.m. which, for any other night would’ve been a breeze, but that night, sleep taunted me. I had packed what I needed very strategically and realized that if I didn’t sleep in my childhood bed that night, I would be missing out on the last time I could ever sleep in my room again. The room I’d spent countless hours entertaining friends in, where I shared late-night conversations and laughter with my younger brother despite his moving into a different room years prior, the room I found my love of music in, listening to my mini pink boombox on repeat instead of doing homework. This room had been mine my entire life and the realization that it no longer would be consumed my delirious 2-a.m.-mind. With little internal discussion, I flopped into my bed and slept for the last time in this space, my space, easing into the comfort that 21 years of the same position creates.
The next morning was early—5 a.m. early. After only three hours of sleep, I packed my remaining items into the suitcases I’d soon come to find were extremely overweight, said goodbye to my empty room, and made my way to the car. My family and I drove to our local airport with ease, talking about this new journey I was embarking on and how much we’d miss each other’s presence. Those I love met me at the airport; we took pictures and chatted. Perhaps this was part of the reason I was so incredibly late for the first of my many flights that day. Our quick goodbyes left no room for tears as I rushed through security, shaking profusely. I was the last one on the plane, holding the entire crew up, and as I boarded, the passengers glared at me palpably; my feeling of embarrassment was silenced by the smile plastered on my face. The second I found my seat in that tiny local plane, the reality of what I was doing set in, and I cried knowing the incredible family and friends I was leaving behind. Once settled I looked ahead, slapped on my headphones, and trusted the path I was on, for I wouldn’t have found my way onto that plane unless I was meant to.
