The countdown

I am now just 11 days away from heading off to spend the next 12 months in Australia and feel like maybe I should start writing more about it. =) It has been slowly sneaking up on me, but now that it is literally around the corner, I am starting to think about it more. In addition to the upcoming move, my youngest brother is getting married (the night before I leave!) and I have also spent the last month + working back at the APU. So my brain has been slightly all over the place lately. 

So many upcoming changes! I don’t know entirely what to expect over the next few months. But I have been reading anything I can get my hands on. So we shall see. =) If living abroad again is anything like last time (because really, we can compare Russia and Australia, right?  😉 then I foresee days of not knowing entirely what is going on, or what just happened, days of wondering why did I move to one of the most expensive places on the planet? And days of exceeding awe and wonder that I actually get to live here and do this and this is the MOST AMAZING experience ever and why did I not do this sooner?? 

I get slightly giddy at all the possibilities when I stop and think about it. [Once I get past the thoughts of my nephew will be almost 2 next time I see him in person and my parents will be older and things will have changed and America might feel slightly foreign again when I come back the first time and I will be missing everyone’s birthdays and Christmas and 4th of July and… It’s a conflicted life, the expat life. On the one hand it is THE most amazing experience and once you do it you will probably be forever addicted to it. And on the other hand it’s one of the hardest things you do because it invariably means saying a billion goodbyes and if you are like me and hate goodbyes, it’s practically the worst thing ever and you can’t say goodbye to anyone without tears leaking out everywhere and wondering why this ever seemed like a good idea. 

And, friends, I have to stand up on the platform during my brother’s wedding and try to NOT get emotional as I think about the fact that a few hours later I have to say goodbye to everyone for at least a year and hop on a plane for the next 24+ hours (I haven’t even counted but it’s two long flights, I know that much.). Yeah, I can tell already how THAT is going to turn out. =( I can’t even type it without tearing up. Seriously, why can’t everyone just move around with me? Is it really asking too much? America is overrated anyways. Ok, I am kidding. America is not overrated. America is the best and I can say that with confidence since I have spent a good chunk of time here 😉 and have many countries to compare to. So yeah. But really. This whole globe-trotting thing would be a whole lot easier if I could convince someone to just go with me. I guess this is why people get married. But then you can’t travel. Although, the new dentist* I met yesterday is convinced (yes, she said that) that I will “meet someone in Australia and stay there.” Because clearly that’s something a dentist would know. But with the sharp metal thing she kept poking in my mouth, I wasn’t about to argue with her. 

Anyway…with my stellar blogging record, you probably already know how much you can count on me to keep this thing current and updated. But I really will try harder to let everyone know how Australia is. There probably won’t be the pesky problem of the Australian government blocking my blog at random times (ahem, Russia), so at least I won’t have that excuse problem =) I really promise, I will try to do better. 

Please keep me in your prayers as I go. I know Australia is nothing like Russia, but I know so much of my amazing Russian experience was due to all your prayers, and I would really appreciate the prayers for Australia too. There will still be lots of adjusting, AND I “get’ to drive on the other side of the road. Yay [that was sarcastic]. So please pray I don’t kill any of us. Thanks. =)

*Nothing like a trip home to get caught up on all the medical things that go by the wayside while you live overseas. Or maybe that’s just me.