19 Days To Go!

I'm actually getting a little nervous now, but I've been gathering everything up and getting all the last little things done! I even have a list of all the different things I need to pack, but I'm also kind of torn between packing only what I need and as much as they'll let me take, haha. My Granny lent me a suitcase that's actually kind of big, so I think I won't have too much trouble fitting everything in.

My departure date is on the 20th, but I'm going up to New York on the 18th to visit with some family. From what I've heard, the flight will probably be close to 9 hours, and apparently I'll be getting there at around 9 am, but I'm not entirely sure since that would mean take off would be at midnight. The whole flying thing is mostly what's making me nervous, as I've never really done it in a big group without family before. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly!

In other news, if you're following my photography blog, you'll see that I got my residency permit early-mid-June! It's a little ID-like card, but it came in two envelopes! There was the big one that we filled out beforehand so they could mail it back to us, and inside that was a Moomins envelope, it was really cute!

Also pictured is some of my gemstone collection.

Oh, and I've been writing back and forth with my host family a lot, too! I'm going to be living in Pomarkku, which is about three hours north-west of Helsinki. It's a fairly rural area, which I think I'll like because it's quieter and there's more space. (Also I really like nature photography, so I'll get to do plenty of that). Aside from my host parents, I also have a host sister who's a year older than me and a host brother, but he lives in Thailand with his wife. I'm fairly optimistic that I'll get along with everyone, but especially my host sister since we both like the same kinds of things.

But yeah, 19 days! Wow!