Start the Countdown: 10...

Ten more days until I leave the country for the first time and possibly have everything I've ever known blown out of the water. I am so ready. Except I should probably finish packing and get to Abilene. :)

This past week has been a struggle: my last week of work, getting my portfolio done, getting everything together, making sure I haven't forgotten to buy anything I need... not to mention I have barely even taken time to get in the Word. I'm drained. But this last week at home will go quickly... and I need to try to pack in as much family time as I can get.

I'm still sad that I'll only get to see my friends from school for a few days until I have to leave again... but at least I'll get to see them at all!

30 Days

I'm really excited now! I think finishing the majority of my portfolio has helped a bit, but also it's sinking in a bit more that I'm actually leaving. It's like an "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel" sort of thing. I still have quite a bit more things to do before I'm completely ready, but that's alright... I am greatly encouraged by the fact that I only have to work for a few more weeks (a couple days ago I was working in the fitting room the whole day and we were having this huge sale and if you have ever been in that position before, you know how I felt). I finally feel at peace with going to Oxford. Before a couple weeks ago, I still didn't know if God wanted me to go or not, which is my fault because I never asked Him in the first place. But over the last couple weeks, He has directed me to certain pieces of His word and to certain people that have led me to believe that He really does want me to go.

Procrastination or Something Else?

I still haven't really started preparing to leave yet and I've only got 50 days left here in the States. I think I'm hesitant to start because it will make it seem more real that I'm leaving. As you might be able to tell, there has been a slight change of emotions on my part. I am beginning to miss my friends from school so much that I would almost rather be going back to ACU for the semester than to Oxford.

Summer Preparation Begins...

Okay, well, I haven't really been preparing to leave yet, as I've still got... what is it? ... 81 days left? I believe it's somewhere around that amount. I did get a job, though (finally, thank goodness). I've been getting incredibly excited at the idea that I'll ACTUALLY BE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY in less than three months. I've never been outside the States, so this is big. I am so looking forward to sharing a smaller community with others I kind of know (and getting to know them) while exploring a whole new culture. I think the way ACU does study abroad is pretty cool compared to how a lot of other universities do, you know, where you just go to another country and go to the university there (although that'd be pretty sweet too). I am praying that God will show me things this summer that will prepare me for next semester, because I honestly don't truly know what to expect, even with all the informational pamphlets and conversations with students who have previously gone. Ahh... I find it hard to keep my mind in the present, because I always find myself wishing I was already in Oxford... But I don't want it to be like that. I am eager to be there, but I also know that I am here now for a reason...