Goodbye (Adieu, Auf Wiedersehen, Farewell...)

This morning my alarm woke me at 5:30. I had an 'Oh my God this is it!' moment and had to flail my arms and legs in the air to shake off my excitement. Then I wanted to go back to sleep.
 My dad is officially a hero. He drove me, yawning but uncomplaining, into Leeds and carried my heavy backpack into the bus station.
 Leaving my family this time has been harder than when I went to India in January for two months. Because that was my first long trip away from home, I didn't really know what it would be like to be away from them for so long. This time, I know how much I'm going to miss them.
 I said goodbye to my sister, Jess, yesterday night, because she would have murdered me if I woke her up at 6am today. She was in bed reading, and seemed fairly indifferent, assuring me that she definitely wouldn't bother reading my blog and asking a couple of casual questions, such as When will I be back? But I can tell she is fond of me really, because when I asked for a hug she gave me one very willingly.
 I said goodbye to my mum at 6am this morning. She came running down the stairs and into the front porch in her floaty white nightgown whispering 'Don't you dare sneak off without saying goodbye!' It was a good thing there isn't much traffic on the roundabout at that time in the morning. She looked at me earnestly through puffy eyes and drilled me with things I might have forgotten ('Sandwiches? Batteries? Violin?'). She gives me a long, hard hug and says she loves me. I notice there seems to be less worried advice than normal - I know she's just as worried, but perhaps all these trips I've been taking this year have given her more practice at letting me go off to exotic places.
 I said goodbye to my dad twice. After delivering me safely to the National Express coach waiting area, he said he wouldn't wait around, we hugged and he went. I watched him go, taking in my last sight of him for six weeks.
 Ten minutes later he was back. 'I couldn't do it,' he said. 'I've come to see you off after all.' He said all the coffee shops didn't open until 7am anyway.
 And so I take my leave of the crazy Bridgewater clan for six long weeks.