let the countdown begin.

After meeting with Myroslaw Tataryn

(the dean and vice-president of St. Jerome's), Jessica and I now have a departure date set in place. We will be on our way to Ternopil in 62 days! The plan is to fly out of Toronto on May 9th, and we will stop in Vienna and Lviv before finally arriving in Ternopil to meet our host families on May 10th. Our language classes at the Hnatiuk Pedagogical University will begin immediately on the Monday (May 11th), and continue for three weeks. I feel that now that we know the 'official' departure date, a huge step forward has been taken. It's strange that having a set date makes the entire journey seem more realistic or believable; now we're able to put a deadline on those pesky to do lists and circle the date on our calendars as it is no longer up in the air. The trick now will be attempting to manage the anticipation (and nerves) for the next 62 days... trying to focus!