The Day Before!

My dad has this funny saying that he loves to repeat, tongue in cheek (in Portuguese, obviously):

"The happiest day is always the day that precedes a vacation!" ;-)

And I couldn't disagree more with him! :-P For me, the day that precedes a trip (any trip, but even more so an international trip) is utterly chaotic and stressful.

Yesterday, amidst the chaos and confusion of having to switch gears from finishing the grading of one group of students to another and panicking that there was so much that I needed/wanted to do to get ready to the trip and pack, I emphatically said (OK, more like screamed) to K that I don't ever, EVER!!!! want  to go on an international trip at the end the year/Fall semester again!

And I mean it!

I'm always horribly stressed before flying to Brazil and I hadn't done it yet at the end of a semester after I went back to work in 2010 (last time was back in 2003). I already had good reasons against traveling to Brazil for winter break before (I think that the break is too short, the boys have to miss several days of school and we don't get to stay long enough for my taste), but now there's one more: the end of the semester stress does not mix well with the stress of getting ready for a long trip.

Sigh...

So, daddy, I'll happily enjoy each day of the actual vacation and I'll let you savor the anticipation of it all you want!