The vagaries of time

My days here feel so long ... each day brings me closer to the trip but they also seem to drag out into infinity. I feel like a child watching the clock, waiting for the bell to ring, , waiting for the endless monotony to end so the fun can begin. I occupy my time going over all the details in my mind; the packing, the to-do lists, tweaking the essay and brochure we were assigned. I try to engross myself in studying Italian or reading the guidebooks, trying to be prepared but also trying desperately to distract myself from the way time seems to be moving achingly slowly. I feel like I have been reading for hours and when I look at the clock it has been less than an hour. I have a sneaking suspicion though that, like that after school fun, or maybe like Christmas morning, the more the time seems to drag beforehand, during that stage of anxious anticipation, when the time comes it will move too fast and be over too soon. Isn't that the way it always works? I am determined to thoroughly enjoy every moment of this trip that I can, absorb everything and drink in every last drop of the experience. Just under 6 days and counting.