Goodbyes

They all said "Hallo," and felt awkward and unhappy suddenly, because it was a sort of good-bye they were saying, and they didn't want to think about it. 
-The Tales of Winnie the Pooh

Explanations

"I'm going to Micronesia."

"Where?"

Such is the response I continually find myself receiving as I explain to people that I will not be going to school at Andrews next year, why I need to mail-in-renew my license, and considering the recommendation for a typhoid vaccination.  I don't whether to feel worried by the fact that I am going to a place the average American doesn't know exists, or enjoy the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of geography.  Although I'm not sure how terrible accurate my hands representing Hawaii and the Philippines really are.

The countdown sits at 2 1/2 weeks now, and its effects can be seen in my messy room strewn with suitcases and various items waiting to go in the suitcases.  Soon enough there will be a scale on which I'm sure I will be sighing over the inconvenient weight of 10 months worth of contact solution.