Today is the Day

We leave today! In just a few short hours I will be on a plane heading to London, England. All the planning is coming together quite nicely, I just need the package to stay wrapped and not fall apart in my lap. Yay gift analogy.

So packing wasn't all bad...at the beginning. I found out that Continental has changed the weight allowance of checked bags from 70 lbs to 50 lbs. Umm...what? I understand that I have to cut down how many clothes I bring but just 50 lbs worth of stuff? Uh uh, no way...Well, I decided to just suck it up and pack what I wanted because A) I'm not dealing with 2 large bags in a London airport and B) It's 50 dollars I'd have to pay anyways for a second bag. (Addendum...apparently we get two bags free...yeah, I'm still going with A on this.)

I'm all packed and ready to go...except this morning when I woke up (an hour before my alarm) and decided to put in a couple more things I remembered that I didn't remember where my computer adaptors were. This would be easily solved if I could talk to my mom, who had been lovely and helped me pack, except she's at work and can't get to the phone...Teachers should be allowed to answer their cellphones even during testing, just saying.

Anyways, so I call her cellphone. No answer. I call the school and the secretary tells me that my mom's in testing so she has to talk to the Principal to make sure it's ok to go bother my mom during testing. I wait on hold for...three minutes and twenty seconds before getting back to. During this waiting period, I put my hands down on the bed to help brace myself to the tears about to start because man am I exhausted when...what do you know? I feel two irregular bumps in my otherwise empty computer bag. I open a zipped pocket I didn't even know existed and low and behold, my computer adaptors for UK and Continental Europe...

I sheepishly tell the secretary that she doesn't need to bother my mother, apologize for the inconvenience, and hang up...Man do I feel silly.

I believe that's enough excitement for one day right?

Right.

I leave shortly now to go eat lunch and then go off to the airport. I sincerely hope customs is quick and painless, it always is whenever I go into Canada...just not coming back. Sometimes American customs makes me feel bad for leaving and buying things in another country. Really, if you don't know what I mean then either you're lucky or you've never left the country.

Well I hope to post as soon as I get into London!

Love you all,
<3,
Dre

In A Short Fortnight...

I feel so posh that I was able to use fortnight in a sentence. Smiles abound that is!

So I was talking to a friend, whose house I shall be sitting in for the next six days, about the anxieties of leaving to go somewhere: holiday or otherwise. There are so many phone calls to make, things to remember to pack, stuff to buy, people to see, business to square away, and many other tidbits that seem to require being done before leaving; things seem to pop up more especially when you're leaving the country.

Now you can always leave and not worry about all those things but this isn't one of those situations. I haven't really been that kind of person ever, honestly. I would love to be able to just pack things up and run off wherever but I hate leaving loose ends. Having a clean plate, conscious, and just overall attitude just makes for a more enjoyable time when abroad.

But back to the fact that I only have a fortnight left before I will be leaving to go to England, I am BEYOND excited because six of those days will be spent housesitting for a friend, then a baseball game, then out of state for a bit, and then two days to pack, and BAM flying out of the country! These next two weeks will fly past, of this I am sure.

Well back to packing!

<3,

Dre

A Gift (or two!)

I'm rather excited for today. I am somewhat home.

I'm actually near my school's campus which I haven't been near since last May. Studying abroad means I don't have to come to school so I have been living at "home" all this summer with the family. So it's kind of invigorating to navigate the streets I know so well and to see the people I love so much.

Really I'm here for other reasons than just pleasure. I can't go anywhere and not have some agenda planned, a downfall of mine I'm sure. Anyways, today I have a study abroad meeting to square away some credits that I will be receiving while studying abroad in England. However, that's not the most fun part of today!

A young woman is kindly giving me her hair dryer and straightener for free. Not only are they for free and hair appliances, they are hair appliances than can be used in England....I'll let this sink in for a second or two.

I KNOW, RIGHT?!?!

Ok I can't be the only one supercharged about free, English hair appliances. Oh well, I'm off soon to go get those from her and do a few other errands while I'm in town.

3 weeks as of today, btw!

<3,

Dre

Quick Jaunt About

Heading back to school so that I can make a Study Abroad appointment on Tuesday. I'm wanting a Cultural Awareness credit and I forgot to make the meeting during finals week; in my defense, I was rather busy with helping check outs, putting lofting kits up, and studying for finals. Anyways, this also gives me a good chance of paying my fees for my sorority and getting to see a few friends before I bid them adieu and head off to London.

Can't be silly and not say goodbye.

<3,

Dre