Counting Down

I just got out of my final religion class and conclude all work tomorrow when I take its final at 9 AM sharp. The reality of the conclusion of my trip is raining down pretty hard right now. I've started trying to pack all my possessions back into my duffel bag (with souvenirs, the situation can best be described as "tight") and think about the last few things here in Athens I want to try and accomplish before I leave. I've even started making plans and appointments for when I'm back in the States as I'll have a couple of days in Connecticut before I fly out to California to visit Pepperdine's campus to sort my life out there. Still, there's the mental block I have about imagining myself back in the USA. I know in just a few short days I'll be back on US soil, but envisioning myself there is just hard for me to figure at this point. Sure, if it were another European city I was jetting to for the weekend to meet up with some old friends I would have no trouble accepting what lies ahead. But as ready as I am to head back home, I'm still expecting a culture shock of sorts to occur when I'm paying in the greenback and not speaking in Euro-English to locals to get them to understand me. Of course, most of my college friends will still be at school for about another month, so I'll be able to sink into some quiet anonymity for a bit and relearn what it is to be an American. Hopefully it's like riding a bike.