It's time for me to get out of the country.

No, this isn't a premonition from my personal psychic, and no, I'm not being deported or anything like that, but certain things have happened in the past few weeks that make me believe this is the direction my life should be headed. "This direction" being south, and on the other side of the globe, to Australia.

The first sign was being laid off from what was my dream job as a web editor. It was no big surprise, as my company (a highly respectable travel organization) filed for bankruptcy about a month ago, and everyone knew layoffs would happen sooner or later. It's sad because I loved the place and the people, but these things happen, and I decided I might as well make the best of the situation. So luckily, before it even happened, I was weighing my options and thinking about what to do if I made it onto the cut list.

I was laid off from my last company less than a year ago, so the idea of job hunting in Boston again, right when thousands of college seniors are about to enter the market, didn't sound like a great idea. Besides that, my lease is almost up, and if I stay in my current apartment, my rent is going up.

It occurred to me that I could move home to California. That's about as far as I went with that idea.

Then I started thinking about how this time last year I had considered moving to Australia, but I didn't see it as something I could really do. It just seemed too complicated, too big of a change, and too far away from the really cute guy I was dating. Plus, it just wasn't the kind of thing I would do.

And really, that's why I finally decided that moving far, far away was something I absolutely have to do now. Because if I don't, I may never do anything out of character again, and how boring would that be? I'm too young to be this settled.

Once I decided that I would at least look into moving abroad, everything else just fell into place. On Monday I wrote to BUNAC for my Australia work visa application. On Tuesday I was laid off. That Friday, my last day of work, the application showed up on my empty desk, and in about an hour I filled it out and went straight to the ATM to get the $475 fee. From there I went to the post office, got my money order, and mailed it all off, just like that. My two page application to move my entire life to Australia for several months, done in an hour. Easy peasy. And there's no turning back now that money's involved. (Note: BUNAC does offer refunds for most of the fee if you change your mind.)

Once the papers were in the mail though, I started to think that maybe I acted too quickly. Was this really the smart thing to do? Shouldn't I be more responsible, stay in Boston and get a steady job with retirement and a good dental plan? I emailed the two friends I have living in Sydney to ask their advice, and they both told me to get there as soon as possible so that they can take me around to all the great bars and clubs. This reassured me that my plan is in fact flawless, because who needs a job and a place to live as long as you have friends ready to help you party?

Now I just have to figure out how to get there...