This is my first "test" post.  

I'm getting anxious to leave-- one week from today!! I'm flying out at 1:30 next Wednesday the 21st. I'll arrive in Sydney at 8:00AM on January 23rd. (I literally skip a whole day!) After a day in Sydney, I'll board the Indian Pacific train, which takes four days and stops in Broken Hill, Adelaide, Kalgoorie, and then finally in Perth on January 27th. The distance it covers is about the distance from South Carolina to Southern California, I think. Either my host family or my supervisor is going to pick me up and take me to my new home! 

Heather and Len are going to be my pseudo-parents. I'll actually be living in a northern suburb of Perth called Sorrento. Heather and Len said that my house is just a short walk down to the beach, so I'm hoping to spend some time there, whoo hooo! My school is about 5 miles away from my house, and is Woodvale Primary. While I'm there I'll be teaching "year seven students." (I think that's sixth or seventh graders.) The teacher I'm paired with seems wonderful! He says that he's a science fanatic--definitely okay by me!

I hope to keep in touch with everyone while I'm gone. I've got Skype now, so I can chat with you through that or AIM, or gchat. I won't have a phone though. It's $1.69 a minute--that's definitely not in the budget! 

I'll be getting home the night before Easter, April 11th. I'm flying straight home, so I'll be a little jet-lagged, but I'll be back nonetheless. See you all in 3 months!