Instead of packing....

I've been doing about anything I can find to do. I've been shopping. I attempted to re-route Sam's flight home from Tokyo. I've been organizing files on my computer. I watched a Harry Potter movie on HBO (little Harry's gotten pretty hot!). I even put on a bathing suit and laid out on the patio, which was necessary, of course, to remedy some awkward tan lines I got while riding horses with my sister.

I read once, in an online AP psych class in high school, that Type A people are prone to procrastinating because they are afraid of doing something imperfectly. I'm pretty worried about forgetting something important, so maybe that's why I have half of my stuff still sitting in stacks on my bedroom floor?

I've also been keeping running lists of THINGS I'LL MISS and THINGS I WON'T MISS:

THINGS I WON'T MISS

1. Not being able to buy bean sprouts in Lawrenceburg. Come on.
2. Buying gas.
3. Having to drive everywhere. Makes me want to go into urban planning.
4. My AC-less car.
5. Did I mention buying gas?
6. Evangelical channels, radio stations, people. Vomit.
7. Overweight women in cut-off shorts yelling at their children that they'll "knock them out" for accidentally knocking a can of peas off the shelf in the grocery store.
8. Hearing President Bush talk.
9. Privatized health care.
10. Being landlocked.
11. SUVs.
12. The new McDonalds that is disrupting the scenic view from my back porch.
13. McDonalds in general.
14. GUNS. Owning guns is illegal in Vietnam. In Lawrenceburg, people drive around with them displayed in the backs of their trucks. Vomit.
15. The American tendency to knock down buildings and re-build them. Knocking down "old" McDonalds, Taco Bells, Walgreens, and building new ones in the exact same spot. How wasteful.

THINGS I'll MISS

1. My bedroom.
2. Watching FRASIER, my faaavorite show. The way I see it, there are two kinds of men in this world: The Frasiers, and the not-Frasiers.
3. Baked Lays. Perfect for both hang overs and drives to Nashville.
4. Enough hot water in the shower (I have a lot of hair!)
5. My dog (Roxie) and cat (Alistair, named after Alistair Reed), who I think are in love with each other.
6. Finding clothes/shoes that fit me. I might be able to find some XL shirts, but with size 10 feet, shoes are out of the question.
7. Nashville.
8. Calling Sam whenever I want to.
9. Vickie Cristina Barcelona, Woodie Allen's upcoming movie. Looks sexy, and seems to be a nice homage to one of my favorite cities in Espana.
10. Marche, an amazing little restaurant in East Nashville that never fails to satisfy me with the perfect amount of food. And where Sam and I never fail to see someone we know.
11. Sharing a bathroom with Hayley. ("Hey Mal, we're out of shampoo...)
12. Guilty pleasure songs on the radio.
13. Not having to worry about malaria, dengue fever, or fly larvae in my clothes.

The lists continue to grow.... The only thing I really missed in Spain was enough hot water to wash my hair, body, and face, and shave my legs, in the shower. I had to pick among those tasks each time I showered, and turn the water off while I was shampooing, soaping, shaving... I am total spoiled American in this regard and I'll probably miss "sufficient" amounts of hot water in Vietnam, too. And even though I'll miss all those other things on the list, most of them are trivial. I'm assuming that I'll love living in Vietnam as much as I loved living in Spain, which means that I will so completely fall in love with the place that I will be fine living without the small comforts of my American life. Even in Spain I found patatas bravas to replace my hangover dependency on Baked Lays.

I do think I might legitimately miss finding shoes in my size, though. Apparently the biggest size one can find in Vietnam is usually a 7. So I've been stocking up on shoes to last me the year. Yesterday I got FOUR pairs--including a pair of Aerosoles and a pair of Clarks--for 63 dollars. Sometimes my thriftiness pleases me to no end.

My only obstacles now are a few more errands in Lexington, a bit more organization, some bills to pay (would help if Fulbright would pay me already!), and......packing.

I did receive a bit of bad news. My fellow Fulbrighter who was going to be on my flight from Tokyo to Hanoi will no longer be on the flight. Her VISA won't be in on time for her to leave as scheduled, so she won't be arriving to Hanoi with me.

In better news, the hotel I'll be living in for the month of August does have internet. Apparently I just can't read. Also, I found an acupuncture institute in Hanoi that provides treatments for $10 a visit. UNBELIEVABLE. Between acupuncture and massage, I should finally be able to solve this back problem that has mystified two doctors and a chiropractor.

I can't believe I have three and a half days left here. It feels so unreal. I guess finishing my packing would make it seem more realistic.