24 Hours Before Heading to SeaTac Airport!

Yesterday was my last day of work for a couple of months--I don't remember the last time I didn't have a job to report to!! Although I should be excited, I must say I have grown incredibly attached to the family I work for, and appreciate each and every one of them for all they have done for me. It is amazing how much a 5 and 11 year old can impact your life! Although we will all miss each other dearly (as we have spent the last year and a half together) they have sent me off with good vibes and a beautiful amethyst necklace that stands for safe travels and a safe return to loved ones. It was so sweet and so hard not to cry!! I am going to miss work so much. I am so thankful to have a family-away-from-home that has made this transition to growing up, traveling, and being independent so much easier! Even my own parents could not be more thrilled with the way my life is working out and the people who are involved in it that make me who I am. I have known from the second I received my acceptance notification to the CHID Prague program that I would be leaving two families behind, and now that the day has come I have realized it is not going to be any easier than I thought it would be back in December. The great part that is pushing me through it is that I will be back soon, with lots of great memories and experiences to share and grow from :) Weee!

So here I am in my last 24 hours making sure I have everything straightened out... and so far, so good! My dad came into town yesterday morning to spend the next few days with me to make sure I am not only on top of things, but to make sure I can have a pleasant few days in Seattle before he sends me off on my first 747 Airplane!!! I have always envisioned 747's being absolutely enormous and allowing me to sit in the top part of a plane (like in the Wedding Singer), but little did I know, I get to sit in the main cabin below this part. Which is fine with me seeing as it is a difference of about $12,000 to sit in the upper part of the plane!!! I think I would rather go to Bora Bora for a week.....

As of right now, I feel travel-ready after flying around the country last weekend from Seattle to Orange County, Orange County to Tampa, and Tampa to Seattle all within a 5 day period. Tampa was a lot of fun, had some definite peaks and valleys, but I am remember the peaks and learning from the valleys. It was great to spend time with my mom and cousin and her boyfriend :)

Additionally, my packing skills have increased tremendously after getting together with a good friend and former sorority sister of mine, Madison Aspiri, who told me all of the secrets to packing well while abroad! She had spent 6 months in Spain, transitioning between 3 seasons, and was able to maintain one checked bag, one carry on, and a backpack the entire time. She became so good at packing that she was able to take one backpack on three and four day trips! Her secret to travelling well? Pack a bag within a bag, and wear layers upon layers of clothes that you can take off once in the flight and stuff into the other bag--her reasoning for this? You can only bring on one bag... but you can take as many bags as you want with you off of the plane! She might be a very, very smart packer/traveller, but I am proud to say that I will not have to layer too much on my first flight, but we will see how it goes when I come home:) My dad helped me get my checked bag to exactly 48 pounds, and I am thrilled to have 2 extra pounds of wiggle room :)

Anyways, I have recently purchased a Barnes and Noble Nook tablet to keep me entertained, on a budget, intellectually stimulated, and connected to people! It has apps/facebook/e-mail access as long as I have wi-fi, and it enables me to be able to buy, download, read, and search within books that I can buy as e-books for 40% off of the cover price! Right now I am thoroughly enjoying reading Chelsea, Chelsea Bang Bang-not necessarily appropriate for all ages-but I am loving that I have not learned a thing from this book and have only laughed my butt off! Definitely have not read a book simply for entertainment in a very long time.....It made me realize how many novels I had read, being an English major and all, and the extent to which my reading and analyzing skills have expanded and been a challenge while being at college. The great thing about it is I can use it in Europe and at home, and it is lightweight and has a trifold leather cover that just so happens to match my purse!

This purse, by the way, is being reconstructed  into an "across the chest" bag at this very moment by a shoe craftsman. Tracy, the lady I work for/babysit for, went to Prague some years back and highly recommended having a purse that I would not feel tempted to take off at every cafe I sit down at. I took this as great advice, advice only an experience traveler could give, because I am definitely that kind of person to take off my purse if it is simply a shoulder bag. Soon after hearing this advice, a girl in my group posted on our Prague facebook group saying that she was at the Louvre in Paris with her mom when she felt somebody rifling around in her purse, and upon turning around there was a little Frenchman with a hand in her previously zipped up purse looking the other direction! He did not get away with anything, luckily for her, but it is still a reminder to keep your belongings safe! That being said, when my Grandpa came into town, we went on a hunt for a money belt...yes...a money belt... to wear underneath my clothes. If you have ever seen Euro Trip, you know that these are a little bit embarassing looking and pretty dorky. BUT the pro of having this will be that my passport, and huge amount of currency will be safe under my clothes, not in my purse :)

I simply cannot wait to go to Prague. I will not have a phone there because I am trying to be very open to new experiences, and with my Nook, laptop, and friends who have phones, it will be unnecessary. Now I have more things to cross off of my 3 lists (to-do, to-pack, to-buy), and the next time I blog will probably be from Prague!

And now I am off in less than 24 hours to a 71-day adventure in Eastern Europe! In case you feel like mailing anything to me while I am in Prague, here is my mailing address (mail is sent to the school classroom):

Student’s Name 

UW Study Abroad Program 

“TUTOR” – U půjčovny 2 

110 00 Praha 1 

Czech Republic

Also, my skype name is "danicarlson" and I can be found with the e-mail search of "beautifulsoul31@yahoo.com" --- It will be great to see a familiar face!!! 

Talk to you all soon!
.................'til then,
Na shledanou!!! (Goodbye!!!)

The Panic Dreams have begun!

Whenever you are anxiously awaiting a big trip or event, it only seems reasonable to start dreaming about all that could possibly go wrong. I mean, we have probably all had those dreams about showing up naked on the first day of school. Well, I have started having dreams about Prague. Last night, for example, I found myself making SEVERAL trips back and forth from the airport on a busy Friday (the day I actually leave) because I forgot my passport first, then my laptop, and then my makeup. Not only that, but I had been taking the bus back and forth and kept getting confused about getting home! So I woke up and started a list again, but this time it is a "make sure to pack..." list. 

On another note, there is a huge electronic festival at the end of may that I am contemplating going to in Prague called "Sensation". I am not one for raves, but as I am beginning to realize, I am going abroad purely to experience different and new things! Seeing as I am not a fan of 'techno' music, it might end up being a waste of money and time to spend 20 minutes being annoyed before leaving. Then again, it might turn out to be really fun to be out with my fellow Praguers doing spontaneous things that are not exactly offered in the states! Who knows, it might give me a new perspective towards these kinds of festivals, or it might reconfirm the perspective I have already developed :) 

I am also very excited to have found out that I am on the same flight as one of my roommates, Adrienne From Seattle to Amsterdam, and am on the same flight with another guy on the trip, Ryan, and Adrienne from Amsterdam to Prague! 

Dates of International Travel Destinations

I bumped into a fellow "study-abroader" at R.E.I. today as I aimlessly shopped for a 2 in one rain jacket with a removable liner (don't worry, it was mostly unsuccessful). She recognized me while she was with her parents and we got to chatting about packing and suitcases etc. Turns out I am definitely not the only one who is nervous about packing! She was there trying to find a backpack to tote around between the field trips to different countries we are visiting too while in Prague, so I think it is appropriate to post some of the dates and places I will be traveling too, along with the descriptions from the program's website! I am so excited for all of these places... I definitely cannot wait to have a passport worthy of showing off! 


So in addition to 15 credits worth of class Monday-Thursday, 10AM-3PM, we will be taking international field trips to nearby countries. Here they are! 


Vienna, Austria: April 5-7, 2012


 3-day mandatory international trip at the end of the 1st week of the program. Vienna has been repeatedly named by various respected studies and surveys "the most desirable city to live in", not only in Europe but the whole world. It is not as hip and full of contrasts as New York and not as metropolitan and rebelious as Berlin but it offers a number of small, everyday reasons why its citizen would not live anywhere else. In Vienna, we will have a walk around the famous Ringstrasse in the center of the city, visit Schoenbrunn, the summer palace of the Habsburg dynasty, have a guided tour through the Kunst Haus Wien, a fabulous colorful art house by Friedrich Hundertwasser. We will also visit the Sigmund Freud Museum, the beautiful Secession Building and the Museum Quarter, full of art galleries and places to rest. Besides that, students have all evenings free.
     The program will cover both the transportation to our planned activities and a 3-day city public transportation pass for everyone. We will stay in a hostel in center of Vienna, breakfast is included and paid for by the program. 


Krakow, Poland: April 21-24, 2012


4-day mandatory international trip at the end of 3rd and the beginning of the 4th week of the program. We will visit the Jagellonian university (the 2nd oldest university in Central Europe where, for example, Copernicus and the pope John Paul II studied); we will take a guided bike tour through the city and explore the old Jewish neighbourhood of Kazimierz, which is now the liveliest bohemian district of Krakow, we will visit Efka, Poland's most important women's NGO, explore the communist utopian city of Nowa Huta and, of course, we will visit Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum.
     In Krakow, we will stay in Mama's hostel in the heart of the city. Breakfast is included and paid for by the program. Students will have the evenings free.


Budapest, Hungary: May 3-6


4-day mandatory international trip at the end of the 5th week of the program. In Budapest, we will have a walk around Pest, go to the Great Market Hall and St. Stephan’s Basilica, both popular tourist attractions of Budapest. We will also take a tour of the Hungarian Parliament, go to the Buda Castle (including Mattias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion), and the Dohany Street Synagoue. We will visit the House of Terror museum, the monument to the victims of 1956 uprising, and the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art. We also plan on on visiting the Central European University, going to the historic turkish Gellert Baths and have a group dinner or other activity. Besides that, students have all evenings free.
     The program will cover both the transportation to our planned activities and a 3-day city public transportation pass for everyone. We will stay in a hostel in center of Budapest, breakfast is included and paid for by the program.


Berlin, Germany: May 14-17, 2012


4-day mandatory international trip during the 7th week of the program. Berlin is one of the most important metropolitan cities in Europe. Historically, politically and culturally, its developments have been inseparably intertwined with the larger history of Central Europe, prior, during and after the Communist regime. In Berlin, we will take a bike tour through the most important sites of the historic divided city; we will go on a walk through the Jewish neighbourhood of Scheunenviertel with its renown Neue Synagogue; we will visit and discuss the Story of Berlin Museum about history of the city, including a nuclear bomb shelter from the 1950s; the so-called East-Side Gallery (remnants of the Berlin Wall covered with contemporary graffiti); the excellent documentation center of the Berlin Wall at Bernauerstrasse; we will also visit the extensive Berlin Jewish Museum, arguably one of the best museums in Europe; the Holocaust Memorial by the Brandenburg Gate; the Potsdamer Platz; and the newly opened DDR and Stasi museums. We will also take a guided tour of the Berlin Reichstag, the site of the German Parliament. Students have all evenings free.
     The program will cover both the transportation to our planned activities and a 3-day city public transportation pass for everyone. In Berlin, we traditionally stay at the Downtown Baxpax Hotel/Hostel in the Oranienburg neighborhood, which is the location of a number of great cafes, pubs, restaurants and the historic Jewish quarter. The hostel is walking distance from Alexanderplatz, the Museum Island, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Breakfast is included and paid for by the program. The hostel has paid internet access, cafe and underground club.

I have one month until I leave for the unknown of Eastern Europe, and my to-do/to-buy list on my bathroom mirror continues to grow! Although I have yet to complete Winter quarter, it certainly seems that it is Spring Break already. Time has gone by so fast in the last three months since I found out I was accepted into the program on my way to New Orleans, Louisiana in early December. I am definitely nervous to be traveling so far away from home, from what is comfortable, and from what I am used to, but I figure a little bit of nervousness is a good thing :) As of this point, the thing I am most nervous about is packing. I have already been dubbed by my roommates to be the one who brings "too much stuff"...which I cannot say is going to be entirely untrue. I have never packed for a trip that lasted longer than a week (other than coming to college in which case I decided to bring everything anyways), and typically my packing plan is as follows: bring three outfits per day, none of which are repeats of the other--one for the day, one for going out at night, and one for whatever I end up doing during the day i.e. swimming, shopping, hiking, etc. So for a one week trip, this is reasonable; this leaves me packing about 10 shirts, a couple leggings, a few dresses, a pair of shorts, a couple pairs of pants,  a couple workout outfits, one pair of heels, tennis shoes, sandals, and depending on the time of year one, or two, pairs of boots.  Sounds like a lot, but I can fit that into a checked bag! .....Then comes studying abroad for over two months........... Luckily for my roommates, my shoulders that have to drag my bag around, and for my parents who are kind enough to pay for my checked bag to prague, I plan NOT to pack 75 shirts for this trip. So, then, what will my list consist of? Well, the weather I am told is like Seattle.. That doesn't tell me much; all it tells me is that it rains sometimes, it is sunny sometimes, it might be warm, it might be cold. The activities to do in Prague, Vienna, Cracao, Berlin, and Budapest will range from getting wet, climbing hillsides, riding bikes, shopping, drinking, partying, clubbing, eating out at nice restaurants, going to the store, going to museums, going to class, wandering the city to find interesting things, etc. For a person who is awful at making decisions, and who likes to pack things for "just in case" scenarios, this is going to be the challenge of a lifetime.

My motivations:

1) not wanting to be THAT girl who is dragging (not rolling!) her 50+ lb bag into a train, into a tram, into a bus, and then finally across several cobble stone streets all the while trying to read the signs and find my apartment in the middle of Prague.

2) just one more reason to shop when I get there!

I think this is a pretty good motivation that should keep my bag light!

As the weeks progress, my mind is more and more focused on Prague, and less and less focused on the present time I have to concentrate on school, and the time I have left to spend with my family and friends...and dog... until I leave :) I cannot wait to go to Florida in two weeks and be DONE with the quarter except for one class, and I cannot wait to come back home and furiously begin checking things off of my mirror. For now, I get to focus on school, and pick up new tips for packing and travelling abroad on stumbleupon.com.


If you have any tips, let me know!!


Despite my nervousness and fear of stuffing my life into a suitcase, I KNOW this will be the most amazing trip ever. Which is why I started this blog SO early... I needed to somewhat pretend like a month isn't a long time away!