Finally!

After over a year and a half of preparing, I'm leaving on a plane tomorrow to move to Mongolia! Feelings of disbelief, excitement and fears (mainly of forgetting my passport or forgetting to pack something really important like socks) have been filling my head. I've been able to spend time with family members, friends, visiting my favorite places, catching up on movies, sleeping in as well as trying to cuddle with my dogs as much as possible.

And packing...

This isn't even half of what I'm trying to stuff into two big duffel bags, a backpack and purse - and notice that there aren't even any clothes in this picture. I've decided that I will be wearing quite a few layers on the plane simply because I can't fit them all into my bags. As far as Jonny goes (my dog in the top right corner), I'd be taking him too if I thought there was any way he could survive in -45 weather. After MANY visits to Target and two boxes of space bags, I think I've finally gotten everything packed. 

I'll be taking off tomorrow (Feb. 25th) and flying to LA where I'll be meeting two of my other teammates. We'll then be flying to Beijing and then on to Ulan Bator, Mongolia - almost 20 hours flying (not counting several hours spent in airports.)

For the first 5 months, I'll be studying the language (Mongolian) and culture. This summer, I'll be spending one month in Beijing to get a teaching certificate and if all goes well, I'll begin teaching English in a Mongolian University by the 2012 Fall Semester! Incredible.