On my way out

I'm leaving tomorrow for San Francisco and I'm freaking out. I had a slight heart attack yesterday because one of my worst fears came to fruition. On Sunday I sold my car to a man named Cesar and his wife Victoria. My biggest worry was that I would get a call from Cesar the next day or the day after explaining that the vehicle broke down and he wanted to return it. Well, it didn't happen exactly like that. Cesar called on Tuesday to tell me that he brought the RAV4 to see a mechanic and the guy told him that the timing belt needed to be changed and it was going to be $500. Cesar then, and rightfully so, told me that he wouldn't have purchased the car if he knew that he would have to put more money into it. I said that I could not take it back because I was leaving the country in a few days. I did what, I believe, any righteous person would do: I offered to send him a check for $500 to fix the timing belt. I wasn't going to argue with him over the issue. I knew that it needed to be changed around this time anyway and it would be fair of me to hand it over for him to deal with. Some may disagree, but that's how I roll.

I've just about finished my packing, but I have this strange feeling that I have forgotten something huge. I picked up my visa from the Vietnamese consulate in New York on Monday, so it's not that. I have enough clothes, toiletries and little extras to bring with me. I still have to send out the documents for my work permit to the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington to be translated and certified. How unlike me to leave something to the very last minute.

One thing I have to make sure of is that I bring some personal items with me such as photos, letters and just little things that remind me of home. The one thing I really regretted in India was that I only brought 3 or 4 pictures of friends and family and it made me feel very homesick to not have more. I know I will be feeling especially homesick since I'm going out on this trip all by myself. I have to figure everything out on my own, so I'm really hoping that someone from Language Link will hold my hand at least for the first month or so.