Next Sunday

Passport and visa = officially in my hands. Suddenly, this is all really happening.

Just got back from a most DELIGHTFUL trip to Charleston, to see the Ginger and spend time with my friends- one last quick hurrah before I leave. It was sour in the beginning but it was wonderful by the time it ended. I even got bumped on my flight and earned a $400 travel voucher through Delta um SCORE?

Everyone kept asking me when I was leaving...and that's when it hit me- NEXT SUNDAY. Holy poops, I'm going to the Czech Republic. CRAZY.

Sean bought me the greatest going away present ever. It's a moleskin book designed especially for documentation of PRAGUE, including detailed maps and itineraries, pages to note restaurants, dreams, people, etc. I can't wait to use it. I might even try and get them for the other cities I'll be going to. Can you say, "best boyfriend ever"? Um I can.

So yea. I pretty much just peed my pants at the thought of traveling. I don't even know what to expect. And I just got paid $400 in my favorite commodity so everything is fucking right in the world again.

ATTENTION, SI'L VOUS PLAIS

Just got my visa approved today. Thought you all might like to know.

Now, just because it's been APPROVED doesn't mean I have it. Step two is OBTAINING the document via overnight ups envelope that I should receive by Wednesday.

Oh, those Czech fuckers. How I will grow to love them so.

I WANT MY FUCKING VISA APPROVED KTHX

I am getting anxious. I am less than two weeks away from leaving America AND MY FUCKING VISA HAS STILL NOT BEEN APPROVED.

True, it's not August 20th yet. But still true, THAT DOESN'T GIVE ME A LOT OF TIME IN BETWEEN.

What if something gets fucked up? What if they accidentally lose my passport in shipping it back via overnight mail? What if they lost my paperwork, or don't contact me to say that I'm missing a copy of my credit card (which they almost denied me about the first time, those consulate bitches)?

You'd think this visa shit would be easier to obtain than it really is. After all, felons can obtain a passport in as little as two weeks.

This is so not cool.

But I do know that sometimes, with proceeding stresses, the trip turns out to be worth a person's wild in the end.

Also, these people will be joining me whilst in Europe (not in Prague, but within visiting distance):
-Dana (England)
-Justin (England)
-Adrianna (Netherlands)
-Pete (Egypt)
-Liz (Italy)

I think there are going to be some other people but those are the coolest, by far.

Europe is totes the new America, yo. Except with a more cultured atmosphere.

So close...TOO close...

24 days and counting. Literally- I have a clock on my facebook wall.

It's so surreal...July flew by and I put everything off until August thinking I'd have enough time to work on shit. Then August comes and it's like "oh shit Kat, you leave in three weeks...two weeks...two days have you tied everything up in New York? Packed everything for Prague and beyond?"

I still technically haven't gotten my visa yet. I should be soon but just not yet. Which sucks but apparently everything is going to be okay? As long as I can go, yea, sure, everything will be okay.

I need to brush up on my Czech. It's hard because when I come home from work I feel terribly lazy and not wanting to do anything and then I realize how truly fucked I am going to be when it comes to wandering the streets and I don't have a clue about where I'll actually be.

At least I know how to say "Do you speak english?" and "I don't understand Czech" as well as the standard informal and formal greetings. I figure these will get me through enough until I get language prep and THEN we'll see how it goes.

But it's actually happening. Of course, I leave every year around this time, but it'll be different because it'll be somewhere where I'll have limited communications (maybe) and I'll be constantly doing things.

And I am hoping to take a lot of pictures. I would have liked a better, newer camera but Sean is right, I should get one when I DON'T have money I need to save. I'm thinking I might even take my tripod so I can really tighten my shit, plus take some kick ass pics to turn into post cards to send to all you folks out there.

Oh yeah, you know what'd be even cooler? If you all sent me a post card as well.

See, I want to start this website, kind of like post secret, except not so secret. I like collecting post cards that people have sent me. I'd like to put those up on a website. Want to start contributing? Send post cards or airmail envelopes VIA:

Katherine Lap
Worldlearning
Jana Zajice 7
170 00 Praha 7
Czech Republic

Send me something QUITE compelling and your card could end up on my site! Hooray?

I should probably get to packing some day. When will that be? Who the fuck really knows.

Na Shledanou!