I am always hesitant before a new adventure. While I tend to have a great time on trips and other unfamiliar experiences, the days leading up to those events are usually full of stress and fear on my part. My mind rebels against the idea that I will have fun, but instead fills itself with hundreds of terrible possibilities of things that could go horribly ... horribly ... wrong.
I am more than a little concerned about this particular event as it is basically a solid week of grading essays. Not only is this a concern because of my overall distaste for grading essays, but because of my concern that I will be able to properly "norm" myself (where I will be able to give the same grades on the essays as the College Board expects) while still reading the essays at a productive rate. I'm having mild flashbacks of my first few days in Chicken, AK, when the owners kept criticizing my inefficiency in getting their requested tasks done.
I am also a bit worried about being in such an unfamiliar place. While I have technically been to Salt Lake City before, it has only been when I was very young and when we stopped in the airport for layovers. Not only do I not know the place, I don't have the funds to really be a tourist even if I wanted to. Thankfully, all of my meals and accommodations are provided for us, or I wouldn't have even been able to go.
Then there are the standard concerns: Will people like me? Will I fit in? Will I be killed by my roommate in the middle of the night? Etc. As all of the people there will be fellow teachers of history, chances are good that we will share at least some mutual interests. However, like anything that I tend to geek out about, I don't always comfortably fit with people who out-geek me (i.e. know more trivia, have extensive collections, know the secret handshakes and passwords, etc.). I know that it shouldn't be a competition but ...
I believe that things will be fine and I am doing my best to swallow doubts and fears and put my trust in God. I have found myself a little more short-tempered as of late, and I need to make certain that I don't allow my fears to manifest themselves as aggression (anger, fear, aggression: the dark side are these).
It will be a good trip. I will make new friends, have new experiences, and see new sights, all while having fun. All will be well.
... One week ...