The day of departure is an emotionally volatile period for soon-to-be expats. Anticipation is tarnished by anxiety. Isolation belittles independence. Caffeine wrestles with physical and psychological exhaustion.
On May 19, 2010, the day that a Midwest summer was traded for the Central American rainy season, I made the following journal entry:
Looking at home in the rear-view mirror
5:08 am CST – I am currently battling the fog of three hours of sleep preceded by cheap red wine and the suffocating wave of Spanish at the boarding gate. I can barely hear my mp3s over the blaring internal warning signals. “This is not a test. You should have studied more Spanish. This is not a test. You should…”
Usually I’m a machine at the airport. Calculated and cool. Today I feel blank, a thoughtless and emotionless member of the herd. I’m just thinking, “Follow the feet ahead, find a seat, sleep, then panic later.”
John Denver, take me out: ‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane / and don’t know when I’ll be back again…’
Over my years of international travel – a phrase that I am shocked to use – I have developed an audio therapy routine to ease the burden of unprepared one way tickets. The system stemmed from my brother, who, in an act of great wisdom, prepared a mix-tape for my ESL excursion to China. The following list of songs were carefully selected (among others) to minimize fear and maximize confidence:
The Kinks – This Time Tomorrow
Jimi Hendrix – Freedom
Simon and Garfunkel – America
The Rolling Stones – Paint It Black
Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth
I also called upon the practices of a fellow traveler, who always played a predetermined track while taxiing for takeoff, his “Runway Song,” to complete the idea. For my last trip, I created a playlist to channel positive energy, provide comfort, and, ultimately, capture a very powerful moment. It included the following tracks:
U2 – Beautiful Day
Bob Dylan – Like a Rolling Stone
Willie Nelson – On the Road Again
Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
Billy Joel – My Life
One Republic – Stop and Stare
Mute Math – Typical
MGMT – Time to Pretend
The Rolling Stones – Saint of Me
The Killers – Andy, You’re a Star
What are you going to put on your Runway Mix?
Latest posts by agarberson
- One Chapter Ends and Another Begins - December 29th, 2010
- Traveling's Divine Perspective - November 21st, 2010
- It’s Not You, It’s Me: The Mistake of Losing Focus - October 22nd, 2010
- American Injection: Being a Tourist in Your Own Country - October 1st, 2010
- You Have to Walk Before You Can Run Away - September 1st, 2010
- Lessons in Purchasing Power and Investment - August 19th, 2010
- Fling With Parasites: A Love That Could Not Last - July 21st, 2010
- Location, Location, Location - July 7th, 2010
- As Is Life - June 23rd, 2010
- Mother Nature Expresses Herself in Guatemala - June 9th, 2010
