27 days

That's how many days are left before I leave Michigan.
The countdown has begun.
SO MANY EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS ARE RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD RIGHT NOW.
I will leave on September 1.
I have to be at the pre-departure orientation in New York on the 5th, but I'm going to visit a few relatives in New Jersey before that. I'll be dropped off at the airport hotel where the orientation is happening on the 5th.
I still can't quite believe that I'll be leaving in 27 days.
It still seems somewhat unreal, and I think it will only really truly kick in that it's real when I'm about to go.
But that will come soon enough!
I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Even though I have some things I'm worried about, as I've iterated before, I've been waiting for this experience for years and am not about to let anything stop me. :)

On another subject, I Skyped my host brother Gaser a few days ago!!! :D
It was very fun. He seems like an incredibly nice person. And he's about to be an exchange student himself, in Indiana. And he leaves Egypt tomorrow!
His English is also impeccable. I was surprised because he told me that AFS Egypt expects exchange students to not know ANY Arabic when they arrive. They were surprised when they heard that I even knew how to say hello and goodbye!

On another subject, I think I've found out why my visa application was so easy:
Technically speaking, it will only be valid for a month. I will renew it with help from AFS Egypt when I get there.
I reckon now that the reason everyone else's were so hard was because they actually are valid for the entire year.
Oh, well. :P

That's it for now.
Ila liqaa'! (another Arabic way to say goodbye)

What I'll be sending in an application for tomorrow.

New Brunswick, the town in New Jersey where I'll be visiting relatives before the PDO!