Belgium has its own shade of grey. Every time I come back after visiting anywhere else, even places known for being grey, like Milan, I am always impressed by how grey it is. The change from Italy to Belgium is like going between the before and after scenes in 13 Reasons Why.
If you are reading this, this means we made it to Belgium. We managed to wake up by six, which was a surprise. Technically, I woke up at four. I guess that is cheating. So four hours of sleep plus falling in and out of sleep for the following two hours. So I am operating on between four and six hours of sleep. Perfect way to head into an exam!
This is not a usual pattern for me anymore. I am not in my twenties anymore. Well, I am. For another seven months—almost exactly. Happy almost half birthday to me.
We gathered our stuff, grabbed Jesse’s family dog, Axel, and headed out into the chill of winter. We shuffle over, freezing and half-asleep towards my mother in law’s car. Jesse unlocks the car and pulls on the handle. The door doesn’t budge. The Axel pulls and runs in different direction, anxious for his morning pee while we try repeatedly to open any of the doors on the vehicle with our overflowing hands.
The car was frozen shut.
This was the start of our 12-hour drive, which we made in record time—11 and a half hours. We were eventually able to pry open the driver’s side of the car, so I had to climb in that way. How do we extend a 10-hour drive into 12, now 11 and a half? You probably haven’t asked yourself. But I am going to tell you anyway. We usually get lost because there are two tunnels to use when driving from Milan through Switzerland, and we ALWAYS take the wrong one. This time, we somehow got it right—which is how we saved that half hour. We also stop a lot for snacks, gas, bathroom breaks, the usual things. But Jesse, for some unknown reason, also insists on being available for work during these trips (Work-Life balance issues). So we always have to stop at some point for him to have a call with someone, which also happened today.
Am I prepared for my exam tomorrow? Mostly. My biggest concern is that I will oversleep and miss it. But I still have plenty of time to read a bit more before going to sleep. But rest assured, if you are along for this adventure with me, I will set as many alarms as physically possible on mine and Jesse’s phone.
That would be the ultimate fail if I went through all this marathon preparation, we drove 12 hours, and I somehow missed the exam.