Day 0 (?)

Well, today's the day and it's...weird. I've been coming to terms with the idea of "being abroad" for 5 months, but for some reason, thinking of it in the negative, i.e., "not being in the country" for 5 months is something I'm still not entirely ok with. It reminds me that everything here is going to continue on without me. My friends at school, the semester, people graduating.... I'm going to miss it here--I'll miss my family, my friends, familiar places, my dogs, driving on the right side of the road, knowing where I am (most of the time), and not having an accent wherever I go, among other things. I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss Fahrenheit and miles and pounds, too. :) But, nonetheless, the day is here. I'm spending the morning with some last minute packing and rounding out my to-do list. Most of it's the normal stuff, "move your car," "check in online," "don't forget your passport" and the like, but it also, unfortunately, includes the ever-lovely "pay Inyo county $211." Damn speeding ticket. So, I'm off to do all of this and get myself ready to go. Wish me luck!