This past Friday marked the six week point until I leave on vacation/ the trip to Russia. In general terms this is not particularly important, but for me, six weeks is the point at which things become real. And unfortunately, the current situation means that things also become worrisome.
Everyone has some sort of calendar in their heads, used to keep track of what's going on and when. Some people are better at this than others, though the prevalence of technology has made this less important than in the past. My calendar is broken down into, roughly, a weekly basis: this week and next week, "soon" (i.e., within the next six weeks or so), and "eventually" (more than six weeks out). If something definitely will happen that is in the "eventually" section, I put it on my calendar with an alert, because I know I will forget about it before it happens.
But once something passes from "eventually" to "soon," it's time to start paying attention to it. I like to plan ahead and be prepared for things, and six weeks is usually a good time frame to start coming up with ideas for an event, be it a trip or a research paper. By four weeks out, I then have a pretty good concept of what I plan on doing, and a better grasp of the time frames I'll need to do it in. So, for example, if I know I have to write a final paper for a class, I'll start kicking around ideas for a topic at six weeks, come up with supporting arguments at four weeks, start an outline at two, and start actually writing it... well, okay, usually only a couple days before it's due, but you get the idea. By then, I've had plenty of time to mull things over and be prepared, it's just a matter of getting it all on paper at that point.
So now we come back to traveling this summer. I bought the plane tickets well in advance, and marked six weeks out on my calendar. Every time I was contacted by the school that's hosting the Russian trip, I responded immediately so that I wouldn't forget about it and be caught unawares at the six week mark. Those were mostly incidental bits of information though, or stuff like signing up for classes and paying tuition- things that don't have immediate consequences. Now that we've hit the "soon" mark, however, my mental lists are being drawn up, but the most important thing is neither ready nor within my power to make it so- the visa.
That's okay, it usually takes four weeks to process a visa. Oh wait! Except they're using a new system and changing requirements this year. Which means it should take longer than usual... and we still haven't gotten the invites necessary to start the application process. Because that process is taking longer than usual, too. But don't worry, they should be coming in this week... we hope. Oh, and the AIDS test that you have to take in order to get your visa? They're probably not accepting the free version that you did last time you went. They don't like "prick your finger and wait for test results in 20 minutes" anymore. They want you to get blood drawn and lab work done. But hey, they might take it, it's hard to say. We sent in two identical applications earlier, and had one accepted and one rejected, we're not really sure why.
So while I can plan for everything else- I can double-check plane tickets, make packing lists, prepare all my other documentation, read up on the news in Russia and in Russian, track travel advisories, keep an eye on the weather and international tensions, make sure my apartment is taken care of while I'm gone, and give everyone emergency contacts, etc, etc- I can't actually know whether or not I'll be able to go, or if I'll be spending half of my time when I should be in Russia hanging out by the mailbox instead, waiting for my passport to be returned, and trying to calculate what last-minute fares to Russia would be. Needless to say, I'm ever-so-slightly worried about this.
On the upside, however, there is no shortage of things to be done, and I am (mostly) successfully fighting off the summertime ennui that inevitably strikes once classes are done. I'm exercising more and losing weight (yay!), which means all the new clothes I purchased this winter don't fit any more (boo). That gives me impetus to sew again (yay!), except I chose to start out with a kilt, which means excessive hand-sewing (boo). I got new warp thread for my loom (yay!), which means I had to take off all the warp that I'd already put on and start over (boo). It's definitely being an up-and-down summer, I just have to keep reminding myself to take deep breaths and that, one way or another, it'll all turn out for the best.
I hope....
 |
| Yeah, that's about how I feel. |
Everyone has some sort of calendar in their heads, used to keep track of what's going on and when. Some people are better at this than others, though the prevalence of technology has made this less important than in the past. My calendar is broken down into, roughly, a weekly basis: this week and next week, "soon" (i.e., within the next six weeks or so), and "eventually" (more than six weeks out). If something definitely will happen that is in the "eventually" section, I put it on my calendar with an alert, because I know I will forget about it before it happens.
But once something passes from "eventually" to "soon," it's time to start paying attention to it. I like to plan ahead and be prepared for things, and six weeks is usually a good time frame to start coming up with ideas for an event, be it a trip or a research paper. By four weeks out, I then have a pretty good concept of what I plan on doing, and a better grasp of the time frames I'll need to do it in. So, for example, if I know I have to write a final paper for a class, I'll start kicking around ideas for a topic at six weeks, come up with supporting arguments at four weeks, start an outline at two, and start actually writing it... well, okay, usually only a couple days before it's due, but you get the idea. By then, I've had plenty of time to mull things over and be prepared, it's just a matter of getting it all on paper at that point.
So now we come back to traveling this summer. I bought the plane tickets well in advance, and marked six weeks out on my calendar. Every time I was contacted by the school that's hosting the Russian trip, I responded immediately so that I wouldn't forget about it and be caught unawares at the six week mark. Those were mostly incidental bits of information though, or stuff like signing up for classes and paying tuition- things that don't have immediate consequences. Now that we've hit the "soon" mark, however, my mental lists are being drawn up, but the most important thing is neither ready nor within my power to make it so- the visa.
That's okay, it usually takes four weeks to process a visa. Oh wait! Except they're using a new system and changing requirements this year. Which means it should take longer than usual... and we still haven't gotten the invites necessary to start the application process. Because that process is taking longer than usual, too. But don't worry, they should be coming in this week... we hope. Oh, and the AIDS test that you have to take in order to get your visa? They're probably not accepting the free version that you did last time you went. They don't like "prick your finger and wait for test results in 20 minutes" anymore. They want you to get blood drawn and lab work done. But hey, they might take it, it's hard to say. We sent in two identical applications earlier, and had one accepted and one rejected, we're not really sure why.
So while I can plan for everything else- I can double-check plane tickets, make packing lists, prepare all my other documentation, read up on the news in Russia and in Russian, track travel advisories, keep an eye on the weather and international tensions, make sure my apartment is taken care of while I'm gone, and give everyone emergency contacts, etc, etc- I can't actually know whether or not I'll be able to go, or if I'll be spending half of my time when I should be in Russia hanging out by the mailbox instead, waiting for my passport to be returned, and trying to calculate what last-minute fares to Russia would be. Needless to say, I'm ever-so-slightly worried about this.
On the upside, however, there is no shortage of things to be done, and I am (mostly) successfully fighting off the summertime ennui that inevitably strikes once classes are done. I'm exercising more and losing weight (yay!), which means all the new clothes I purchased this winter don't fit any more (boo). That gives me impetus to sew again (yay!), except I chose to start out with a kilt, which means excessive hand-sewing (boo). I got new warp thread for my loom (yay!), which means I had to take off all the warp that I'd already put on and start over (boo). It's definitely being an up-and-down summer, I just have to keep reminding myself to take deep breaths and that, one way or another, it'll all turn out for the best.
I hope....
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