Pre-departure

A new world is about to open before me in just a few hours.

In the final hours in the Netherlands, I went to the beach, the same beach I have strolled down when I was sad, when I was tense, when I was feeling inspired. The seagulls called out and sailed on the rough seas. A strong wind blew, and I clung onto my clothes. The sea and its saltiness on my lips.

I was not alone. Next to me was a dear friend, guide, and support. Someone who has given me many valuable lessons, someone who has been there when I was lonely and down. The skies flashed, and it began to rain.

Drizzle at first, but then it stormed. On the final night in the Netherlands, I sat in my friends apartment, and listened to the rain fall on the window over a hot cup of tea and homemade cookies. The air filled with the delicious scent of cooking and homeliness, and temporarily I thought about how I will miss such company when I leave.

The rain has since died, the wind since calmed. Outside a starry night, soon to turn into bright morning. This final night in the Netherlands, my suitcase packed, my clothes for the long flight westward folded and waiting to be worn.

A journey is about to begin... my life is given a new opportunity, one that I still have to discover and learn about.