My Summer Pie

I am leaving the 'burbs for the 'Bo in about an hour. And I am still not completely packed yet, though I'm not sure what I've forgotten to pack. I guess I'll just have to be surprised when I get on campus. Hey, look, my TI-86. I think I need to pack that. But before I put that and Dakota the Computer away, some farewells.

Goodbye hard coffin bed of China, mosquitoes, and being woken up by phone calls from relatives every God-forsaken morning. Goodbye cousins, first, second, and third, aunts and uncles distant and near. Goodbye squatters square and oval, and grounds in the hole- I think I hate you. Goodbye Ningxia lamb, taxi rides, and lima bean porridge- only one of you will be fondly missed. Goodbye Chinese card games, magic tricks, junk food, and the folks I shared them with- you guys got me through the summer. And goodbye receipts- I have no reason to keep you.

Goodbye to my luxurious life at home- sleeping late, showers, and sudoku, feeling lethargic, eating leftovers, being lowkey. Air conditioning, softest bedding, very, very light reading.

Hello to endless hours transcribing, reading, writing, in the lab, on the computer, without sleep but among friends. Band Man, Riles, 104, and bio lab reports- I'm not ready, but here I come.