17 Days and Counting!

Well, the days are passing so quickly that I feel like I'm just waking up, going to bed, then waking up again. Which is a slightly accurate description, since I am out of school and basically in a "waiting" phase. Only 17 days until my flight leaves for Perth! Technically, I have 18 days until I arrive. Or 19. I'm going to be time-traveling a bit, so I'm not sure, exactly. :) My flight leaves on a Thursday, has a layover in Los Angeles and a layover in Melbourne before landing in Perth on Saturday. But my travel time is only 26 hours. Have fun trying to wrap your mind around that. I know I am.
The anticipation is definitely getting more intense. There will be an hour or two when I don't think about it, then the word Australia will pop inside my head and I will get really very excited. Or anxious. My nerve, thankfully, have been very calm compared to what I expected them to be at this point, and I praise God for that. He is definitely my Rock during all of this. Everything in my life is changing, but I know my Savior is just as present and real in the city of Perth, Australia, as he is in the town of Modesto, California, and it brings such a peace to what I am sure would normally be a very frightening and nerve-wracking time for me.
I've started thinking about packing. Yes, I know. The phrase "it's the thought that counts" really has no hold here. But the planning is real, people! I have been doing "research" (I guess you could call it that) on the best way to pack lightly and tightly, and let me tell you, Google is my best friend right now! Actually, Bing is what I use. Bing beats Google any day! Except when you try to use it as a verb. "Googling" > "Bing-ing."
But the ideas are the same. Layering clothes, rolling clothes, tying clothes up with rubber bands... so much information on this subject! That's why I love in internet. I also have learned, in the process, how to cram 2 weeks worth of stuff into a carry-on (I don't think I will need to do this, but it's good to know), as well as how to pack shampoo and lotion and other bathroom items so that they won't explode/leak over everything you own! There are several ways, but the one I like most is the method where you put a plastic bag screwed on under the lid. I don't know if it works the best, but it just seems so darn creative!
I now have my plane ticket, my work and travel visa, and my travel insurance. My passport was already up-to-date, so thankfully I didn't need to worry about that. Having everything bought, paid for, and organized is such a huge relief, and it also solidifies, in my mind, that this thing is actually happening, and it is happening SOON! Like, less than 3 weeks, soon! That's right... 3 weeks from this very second, I will be thousands of miles away from home!

Well, that's very daunting. Daunting but exciting! It's crazy how much writing gets me processing information. 

On another note, I took the Myers-Briggs personality test online today! If you have never taken it, do it! I promise it is so much fun! (At least for me, which is actually part of my personality... and I will talk about that later). This test basically determines which personality type you are, sorting you into one of 16 different types. I got INFP, or Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving. Apparently, it's one of the rarer types ("That's why you're so weird" said my mom. Hardeehar!) But seriously. The descriptions of INFP people is 99.9% spot on my own personality. I feel like I just got to know myself and it's great! So, part of being an INFP is that you are really interested in how people work/psychology stuff (which I am) and you want to basically analyze human beings and how they see the world. And try to convince them to take the Myers-Briggs test, too!

So, here's a link to the website! It's free and pretty quick! And, did I mention, fun?

http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

What personality type are you?