Miles' Adventure Countdown Thread

[veritasluxmea]

Boy oh boy, do I understand with freaking out about moving around. More like I understanding having anxiety and dealing with despair over living for a year or so in a place you hate. I'm going to put this out there for anyone who has to go through this, and I'm not going to sugar coat anything, just telling it like it is. 

First of all, I hate to sound clique but.... It's normal. It really is. The other men joining you are going through the same thing, to one extent or another. Even if they don't look like it, they really are. If you don't already, do Ignatian examens every night and record your strongest good and bad feelings and inspirations from the day and you'll start to see how common it is. Or better yet check out this book while you still can- it changed my life. 

Once I had to live with people I was not compatible with and it was terrible. There really is no way to make it better so can't help you there. The only thing I can think of was it made me more resentful because I thought everything was my fault, which made them more ornery, and round and round it went. So recognizing what's a communication/personality issue and just accepting that there are going to be differences there, goes a long way. Sometimes it really is them! 

Once I hated and was so depressed about where I was going I cried on the plane. (Fortunately no one noticed or cared enough to say anything, which would have panicked me more, and then I would have had to kill them). I'm still in that place, and guess what? I adjusted. I keep busy and get involved and do what I need to do and it's all right. Then recently I had a change of plans and turns out I'll be moving this fall. At first my only reaction was grief again, which I've come to notice is typical. I'll be leaving my friends. Coworkers whom I've really come to connect and like. Family. My parish and SD. I'll be lonely again, not to mention I have to work through EVERYTHING again, car, job, insurance, and I only have tentative plans for housing. SIGH. But, idk, once I accept I was moving I started working on it and planning out what I'll need to do to connect in this new area and I just started to feel better. I realized it's just taking up time between now and joining my religious order (which was the goal of the plans in the first place) and it started to become a really positive thing. 

And I'm really sorry about your cat. A year and a half ago I had to give away the love of my life, a dog. He had been with me since before high school and worse, he was a gift from my mom, which made the parting more harder. I knew every inch of his body, the way he moved, the way he thought and his whole personality. We fit together very well and he was my closest companion. I'd trained him to jump over my arm and close doors on command. It's complicated, but unfortunately the people I was living with didn't like him and due to a bunch of other reasons I re-homed him. That was almost two years ago and I still go through periods where I miss him so much I can feel it in my body. I don't think missing a pet ever gets easier, but with time you remember them less because you forget. 

 

[PhuturePriest]

So I just did karate with my dad for the last time before I leave, and I got pretty emotional when it was done. It may seem silly, but I've been doing karate since I was four, and I did it because my dad was doing it. It's the thing we've always done together all my life, speaking memory-wise. After a little while of doing it, I wasn't in it because my dad was, but because I loved it as much as he did. It's the passion that we both share, and it's very important to both of us. I have more memories with my dad concerning karate than anything else, and it came as a pretty big blow when it was all done and I suddenly realized -- this is it between us until December. It was suddenly realizing you will no longer do the thing connecting you to one of the most important people in your life with that person for half a year, not to mention it really made the whole "I'm leaving in four days" reality very coherent and tangible.

[PhuturePriest]

So last night and today I had a glorious last hurrah with my friends before leaving. Anthony arrived early and went with me to Mass last evening, and then Henry arrived and we ate pizza and proceeded to drink an amount of Cherry Coke for the next 20 hours that is not by any means recommended by most health professionals. We watched The Last Samurai, which then prompted a katana lesson taught by yours truly. I brought out three bokkens and taught them proper striking technique, and then proceeded to do a sword drill with them. As it only just, this escalated into bringing more and more weapons out, and we weren't content until I received a strike on my right eyebrow and just behind my right ear, both of which have left satisfactory bruises that will last well into next week. We then proceeded to watch animes until we fell asleep, and basically repeated all of that today. 

Tonight I'm going to eat chocolate cereal and watch Tangled (or some other Disney movie) as a last stand of my childhood before adulthood violently rips it away on Friday. On the whole, I am feeling much better about all of this, though I would not be surprised if Friday night isn't a little bit rough.

[PhuturePriest]

For the record, this is a bokken. Bo = wood, ken = sword. It is the traditional samurai training weapon, and is traditionally held with nearly as much esteem as real katana, mostly owing to the fact that they are by all means deadly. One samurai in the 16th century was famous for defeating other fully-armed samurai with his bokken, which makes a lot of sense if you, like me, have been on the receiving end of a hit by one.

[Nihil Obstat]

[vee]

[Nihil Obstat]

[Credo in Deum]

Edited July 2, 2015 by Credo in Deum

[PhuturePriest]

This thread has found itself in a state I could not have hoped for in my wildest dreams.

Continue on, weaboos!

[PhuturePriest]

It is the eve of my departure. In 12 hours, I will be flying in the sky, and in sixteen hours I will be settling into my new home. 

[marigold]

It is the eve of my departure. In 12 hours, I will be flying in the sky, and in sixteen hours I will be settling into my new home. 

Yay wishing you all the best Miles!

[PhuturePriest]

Ah, adventure: it is an unpredictable and exciting mistress. My flight was cancelled and rescheduled for 3:41. As I'm a very laid-back person I didn't really care, but Michael Voris wanted me to demand that I get an earlier flight with another airline.

[Amppax]

I'm surprised that they have you going up before the 4th, it would seem to make more sense to me to have you come up after the holiday weekend. 

[PhuturePriest]

I'm surprised that they have you going up before the 4th, it would seem to make more sense to me to have you come up after the holiday weekend. 

You're not the first person to say this, I assure you.

[Ash Wednesday]

Miles,

What you are feeling reminds me of two things: when I first left America to study in London, and when I left America the second time and finally arrived to get married and live in the UK.

When I first came to my residence hall, it was located right next to an Underground station near the heart of London. It was loud, felt dangerous, gritty, and I felt like some country girl straight off the turnip truck. Probably more diversity I'd seen within a span of minutes than what I'd seen in years, including some big black dude preaching and yelling "REPENT, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND!!!!" 

It was late at night and I had no bedding and no way of purchasing any because the stores were all closed. I had to sleep on a bare bed. I literally took the curtain and used it as a blanket.

And when I came to the UK permanently I just sat in my room and I realized I had actually left my country behind, and everything familiar to me, and unlike studying, I realized that THIS was permanent. And I thought "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

This was clearly something that is meant to be in your life's path, so I can understand the feelings of terror and excitement at the same time. But trust that whatever happens will be for the best.