One Week ‘til England!

Look out world, here I come! Well, at least that’s what I want the world to think. Deep down, I’m not sure that’s how I feel quite yet! I have done things all month to prepare to finally go study abroad at Oxford, and now I have a week left in which to pull it all together! I hate being disorganized, but right now, that’s exactly what I feel! :(

I have read through lots and lots of information, from Stonehill, from IFSA-Butler (my study abroad provider), and Worcester College, and it is all starting to mush together into one confusing mess, as maybe you can see from this picture of my desk! I can’t remember anymore what was on the list of “What to Bring” and what was on the list for “What Not to Bring!” Part of me is still procrastinating a bit, not wanting my extremely long summer to be over, and the other part knows it’s time for me to get my act together.

I have all my clothes (I think) and toiletries and such laid out in my sister’s room (since she’s not there right now). I measured suitcases to see what I can definitely use as a carry-on and what to check. If I do a good job of packing, it would be nice if I only need to check one suitcase! We’ll see about that though. The next step is to pack what I have laid out and weigh my suitcases to see if I meet the maximum. I’ll probably need to re-pack because something is telling me that my luggage is going to be too heavy. I was getting too frustrated and just plain exhausted, so tomorrow I will attempt to pack it all and continue with my organizing.

Today I also finished reading King Lear, my fifth Shakespeare play for this summer. In addition to all my packing, I would still like to read a little bit more Shakespeare and catch up on all my current events so I’m prepared intellectually as well as physically packed for my trip.

Yes, I have one more week (I leave next Wednesday!), but I also have three more shifts at West End Creamery, and I am going to Stonehill overnight on Thursday in order to attend the Board of Trustees dinner. This weekend my sister is coming home from college for the first time, so I will also get to see her and spend time with the family altogether one last time. This week will surely fly by!

Don’t get me wrong though, I am SO excited! It still almost seems surreal, but things like receiving my plane ticket in the mail and purchasing pounds is waking me up to reality. I was so excited earlier today when I opened up the packages the pounds were in! This picture is of my pounds, plane ticket and information from Worcester. This semester abroad is going to challenge me academically, and I am excited to see what I can do and pursue subjects in my tutorials that I am interested in. I am also so excited for the personal growth that I am sure is on the way for me as I will be traveling on my own for the first time, experiencing new cultures, and living independently. I think what I am most excited about are my hopes to travel and sightsee around Europe! I can’t wait to see my Stonehill friends abroad and hopefully go on some exciting trips…well, at least as many trips as a semester at Oxford will allow!