Friday, March 2, 2012

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!



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