Last night I watched my oldest and only daughter go through security and the airport all alone as she set off on an adventure that will expand her world. She's never had to find her way through an airport to catch a flight before. She's never been so far from home(from ME!) before.
I've been trying not to think about all of this too hard because I needed to be strong for her. She's had many sleepless nights and much anxiety about this trip. I couldn't let my anxiety be seen. So now that she can't see me I am typing this and crying.
I don't know what there is to cry about--she's been working and planning for this for a LONG time. She told us when she was three years old that she was going to go on a mission to China. In middle school and high school she insisted on eating with chopsticks much of the time. She took two years of Chinese in high school(she doesn't need to speak Chinese at all to qualify for this experience). I've encouraged her to go from the beginning. "You just don't know what's coming in the future so go while you can." On Monday night at our 'Going Away Party Family Night', we had some fortune cookies. We had to laugh when she read her fortune--"A long term goal is about to be fulfilled."
She and I have very different ways of preparing for things. I like to be ready well in advance and she likes to take her time. It took all the energy I had to keep my mouth closed and let her do things her way and she was ready when it was time to be ready.
At the airport there were about 50 other people in the group she is with, all going to China. There was someone there to show her where to check in so they could all be together. She got checked in but didn't go with the rest through security because a friend of hers wanted to meet her to say good-bye. We waited for him and saw him for a few minutes and by then the rest of her group were already gone to the gate. We couldn't go any further with her so she went through security and didn't look back. As I type this she is probably landing in Seoul Korea within the hour where she has a 22 hour layover. Tomorrow she has a short flight across the bay to Weihai China where she will be teaching English for the next 4 1/2 months.
Hopefully she'll be keeping us updated on her blog fizzlegiggle with pictures too! For now I just pray for her peace of mind as she embarks on this exciting and unnerving adventure.
