Keep Calm and Carry On signs and post cards can be found everywhere in London.
Anyone who has traveled to another country can explain the benefits of packing light. Most international airlines have baggage charges that can get pretty expensive. Normal struggles of getting through TSA and customs multiply when traveling with many, and often heavy, bags. Most importantly, though, you don’t want to have five bags worth of clothes and forget that you’ll probably bring home a number of souvenirs from the country you’re studying abroad in. How are you going to carry it all home? Shipping? Might as well study abroad twice in a row – because the pricing would be about the same.
Well here I am, in limbo between Winter break and the Spring Semester. All of my friends at Loyola are already almost half way through their first week of classes, and I am procrastinating packing for a semester in Vietnam.
I leave on Thursday for the grueling trans-pacific flight and have hit the “what am I doing with my life” stage of packing. What do I bring? Am I forgetting anything? Quick! I have to go pick up something at Target! With one more full day here in Wisconsin, I am gallivanting around with my thin rain jacket, freezing while convinced that pulling out my winter jacket from the basement closet for a couple days is far too much work.
I am really excited and cannot wait to meet all of my new classmates. I have been emailing back and forth with my Vietnamese roommate, but still feel like I have not even scratched the surface of getting to know him. I actually think I am getting more nervous than excited to go, or maybe it’s just because I have an empty suitcase and a starving mind for all of the new experiences that I will have starting in less than a week.
I’ve been abroad before, but from what I have been seeing in movies, videos and reading about, Vietnam is going to be a totally new experience for me. I was at the John Felice Rome Center for both Summer 2012 sessions. That was a blast! So far while preparing for this semester though, all I can do is remember all of the memories from last summer. I cannot wait to make more.
I will check back in once I get settled into Saigon, until then, I hope everyone is having a great week!
I am packing. I despise packing, but i guess the fact that i’m packing for something awesome makes it okay. I’ve always been a notorious over-packer, and so packing light for China (and traveling once i’m China) has proven to be somewhat of a struggle. okay, that was a lie. it’s been a huge struggle, and the fact that i’ve left most of my packing to the day before doesn’t make it really any better. I’m quite sure i’m going to forget something, but at this point, worrying probably won’t make anything better. Not that that will stop me…
I have a 13 hour flight which leaves tomorrow at 1pm and lands in China at 3pm the next day. Beijing (and all of China, since they only have one official time zone) is 13 hours ahead of us, so i suppose it all makes sense. This is the airport (of which i haven’t seen yet…but i’ll take some pictures of it with my camera when i’m there):
Look at all the pretty lights!!!
And that airport looks pretty freaking cool. I’m excited to be landing in it soon. This program i’m going with (ChinaGreen) is on it’s maiden voyage! not that it’s a ship. or a boat. or a plane. but you get my gist, no? It’ll be cool to see all the sites and meet all the people and eat ALL the food. I still don’t know exactly who i’m going with, since i think i’m the only one from LUC, but i’ll be fun to meet my classmates. although, if they get in the way of me and my food, my opinion of them might go down.
just saying.
Okay, i really must needs return to finishing packing and getting myself together for my imminent departure! I just wanted to test out this blogging site and stuff before i find myself back in the motherland (of sorts).
