Where in the world is Kelly?

Hello Lovely Readers,

Apologies for the long absence. As mentioned in the previous post, the countdown continues and can be completed with only two hands…! I have quite a few updates, especially pre-departure tips and ideas that may be useful to anyone who is about to have a similar experience. But for the moment, I just wanted to touch bases to say that:

1. I am super excited! I got my visa last week and my flights will be confirmed in the next couple of days, so this trip is about as “official” as it can get until I dig my sandal-ed toes into Indonesian dirt.
2. Packing is beginning in earnest. I am shopping for oleh-oleh (gifts) for everyone and anyone I meet in my community. More details on that later. 
3. The Big Day (one of many) is tomorrow: Test Day for the GRE. I’ve been using my trusty Kaplan prep guide to study all summer. This book was well-worth the 25 bucks I spent on it. My test is tomorrow morning at 9:30, so I plan on getting a good night’s sleep, leaving plenty early, and doing some mental relaxing between now and then. While I can always take the test again later, I won’t be able to do so for another year, don’t want to study again, and it costs $200 per test. So let’s be one and done with it, shall we?

Wish me luck, and I promise to write again soon!