Final Farewells

I have finally begun packing and preparing for my flight Friday, and I am excited and eager for my journey to start. But since my departure is drawing closer each day, you could say that this last week is not only a busy week in the sense of last minute preparations but also in the sense that it is really my last chance to see most of the friends that I have had in high school. I might see some of them again in the context of hometown visits and class reunions, but that will be under different circumstances. For this week, I finally get the sense that anyone I see I will be out of my life for a long time to come, and that i should make the most of these final chances to say goodbye.
One example: A couple days ago I was listening to some music and reading when my brother came to ask if I wanted to play video games with him. I told him I was busy and didn't go. Then a few seconds later, with a pang of guilt, I realized that I only had a few days left around him. Though I would certainly be seeing him again, I quickly left the book and the Ipod and went to join his Mario Kart race. I also have seen a few friends that I haven't seen much of in this (3 week) summer as well as some that I have seen more frequently. This has helped to give me a sense of closure in my final days here. My I previous experiences suggest that I won't be missing too much about home in my time in Egypt and Europe, but it is still nice to have some final chances to be around people.
However, I have to balance that with the fact that I will soon be leaving and have to bring a lot with me. That means that I have been packing, doing some last minute shopping, deciding what to take, and worrying about forgetting things that may have been forgotten. I was able to do a lot of this efficiently, but we'll see how my packing skills work out... I always tend to have the smallest and lightest suitcase in the group. I also got some presents for the family that I will be staying with, mostly souvenirs from Chicago, the city that I live near. I tried emailing them, but the email that I was provided with did not work so I guess I will be meeting them when I get there. I will also bring some photos to spur conversation with them and I guess I'll take it from there. I'll post an update from New York, where I will stop before heading to Egypt.