L is for Lucozade...

me and the lucozade bottle in Florida, 2007

It's 6pm, and I’ve just about finished packing. It's crazy to think that I rely on so many things, and yet when given only a single suitcase to fill, I've instantly forgot about everything that's not integral to this trip. I suppose I can buy other essential items while I'm over there, but still, I currently stand here with less than 20kg of possessions to my name. One of the most valuable possessions I've packed has been everywhere with me. I received it as a present at the age of 14/15. For 3 years it kept me hydrated whilst playing in my local 5-aside football league. It came to University with me. It went to 5 American states with me in 2007. In fact it's been with me in at least 4 countries overall. It is non-other than my famous Lucozade sports bottle.

It seems bizarre, and I have no idea why I've chosen to carry this item around for so long. I guess I just like to stay well-hydrated!

I fly out at 6am tomorrow morning from Manchester Airport. At first I fly the 'wrong way' to Amsterdam, hang around there for a few hours and then take an 8 hour flight to Minneapolis. Finally I take another 1-and-a-bit hour flight up to Minot where I will (hopefully) be collected by Whit. It sounds like we're going to stay at a local hotel for the night, which suits me fine, as I'll have done enough travelling for the day!

Well, this will be my last entry from this side of the pond. It seems almost dramatised or 'fake' to say an emotional goodbye, as nearly all of the people I'll be keeping in touch with have Facebook or some other form of space-age communication. And so although I won't actually be seeing them for a while, I'll still know what they're doing, where they are, and what their latest hairstyle looks like.

So this is it for now,

Take care everyone, and 'you stay classy England'