This was long ago now, but the months leading up to my leaving the United States for Russia were both rushed and sufficiently long. I took a liking, I cleaned out my years of classwork, I left a liking, I made new friends, I saw old friends, I bought a cable release for my camera, I took another liking, I last-minute found a place to store my crap, and I made a final wandering around my college town before dragging my suitcase to the bus to the airport.