Thinking Ahead

I've run marathons before.  I'm always a bit anxious in the 3 weeks prior to the marathon when I begin to taper off on the running, because each marathon has an element of mystery.  I know what the first 20 miles are going to be like, but I don't know how I will make it through the last 6 miles.  In preparing for the semester in Thailand, I'm feeling the same kind of anxiety with a bit of a twist.  I am confident that the first 6 miles will go well, but I haven't the foggiest idea what last 20 miles are going to be like.  The "mystery miles" never kept me from approaching the starting line and discovering the exhilaration of the experience. So here we go into the unknown.