While busily answering my email via gmail today, the little chat box appeared with this message:  "Moooommmy, I'm scaaaaarrrreed."  It was my daughter Sara.  When she calls me "Mommy", it is a clearly understood signal between us that she needs comfort and reassurance, but the additional "I'm scared" could hardly have been misinterpreted.

Here's what stinks about being a realtor - her timing was very much in the way of my scheduled agenda.  Wow.  That is bad.  I made an executive decision to figure out what was going on, though I pretty much knew.  I risked being late for showings in the far reaches of Washtenaw County, MI and beyond, already a white-knuckle drive since that is the way I plan.  :-/  It is on my list of things-to-do...PLAN BETTER.

Knowing time was of the essence I got right down to business.  As suspected, it was last minute fears about the enormous events she has planned for the next two weeks of her spring break; she is on study abroad in Paris, France.  The original itinerary included a male companion accompanying her through the Baltic States but he had passport issues and had to back out.  (Everyone has passport issues with Russia so she dropped that herself, but not before spending money to get an official invitation from the government to come on over - it was an insincere invitation, in the end.)

She had great fun choosing a fake wedding ring as a recommended travel disguise...always about to meet one's husband at the next stop.  When the reality of traveling alone hit her today, she was in panic mode.  To top it off, she is "couchsurfing", staying with strangers in all locations in the student-worthy effort to save money.  Several of the hosts are men.  Call me old-fashioned but that had me worried a few days ago.  Maybe today she is worried too.  I advised the best I could via google chat:

*let everyone, including the US Embassy, know of your travel plans

*wear that little travel pouch under your clothes and keep money and passport in it

*make sure you take out more than enough money at each ATM stop - you don't know what things will cost and when you will find an ATM again

*spread your money around on you and in your luggage

*try not to look or act too much like a tourist - blend in

*remember that most people are just like you so try to be brave, Dorothy!  (The Wizard of Oz is one of her favorite movies and particularly suitable for travel to unknown lands.)

*watch your back - among those many friendly people are others who take advantage

*use common sense

After those few minutes consoling my daughter in one of her greatest hours of need, I told her I had to go.  I said I would talk to her later but when I got back at 7:00 PM and logged on, she was offline.  It is either 6 or 7 hours time difference (drat that spring-forward leap) so it was either 1 or 2 AM there.  She would definitely have been in bed.

I never said a proper goodbye.  I never said I loved her.  I never told her how proud I am of her for stepping out of her comfort zone and planning a 14 day trip that takes her to:  Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and back to Sweden.  She will be flying at the beginning and end, buses or trains comprising the middle of the transportation modes.  Alone.  This is the girl who would call, less than 6 months ago, from the University of Michigan, 7 minutes up the road from our house, when she needed a grocery run.

Who says study abroad doesn't change lives?  It is changing hers.  I just hope we get to see her in one piece again.  I wish the Tin Man were along for the trip.  She could use someone to lean on.  You know, he had that heart all along; he just didn't know it at first.  By the end he knew himself - I trust she will know herself too.

Visit Sara's blog at http://www.saraanneinparis.blogspot.com/.  Active Rain is welcome.  (She is looking for a summer publishing internship in NYC, and a full-time job upon early graduation in December 2008.)  I know; it's blatant.  Forgive me.  I'm distressed.