SO scary. I have 1 week and even though I am beyond ready, I am not. Work and the holidays have been a whirlwind so far and it's been hard to keep everything in order, so I basically haven't. Which is weird- I am usually very organized but it's all very overwhelming.
Mentally. Emotionally. I can't wrap my head around it.
I have been working 6-7 days a week, 8 hours a day over break at an Environmental Lab and I have barely had time to even think about Australia, much less pack or call the people that need to be called and get things finished up for my trip. This other part of me feels like I need to learn to roll with the punches and not stress about it that much. At this point, I don't even have time to think about it and luckily I have been preparing so much so fae that I don't really have that much to do.
I hate last minute rushes and at the end there is always something. I have this internal battle with order and chaos. I want things to be done and accomplished and structured, but sometimes when I get overwhelmed I do the bare minimum to get by. I don't respond to every email, text or like every holiday picture on Facebook.
Now I understand the feeling of "surviving the holidays".
To finding a balance between structure and chaos.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Monday, December 23, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Packing for Australia
Let me tell you, it has been a serious struggle.
I have a serious urge to overpack.
And it's even more weird because I am packing for a season that isn't winter. I love winter clothes. They are comfy and cozy and just my thing. I like blazers and scarves and living in New England, I have accumulated a lot of winter attire.
However, summer not so much. I obviously have never gone to school in the summer time so I don't usually care what I wear. But now that I am, with a whole group of new people I have never met before, it's a little intimidating and I definitely care. Athletic shorts and t-shirt is the equivalent to wearing sweats in class. You don't want to do it all the time. Just half the time.
But this isn't exactly the time of year, you can walk in to a store and find a pair of shorts. #firstworldproblems
Beside packing for a time of year/weather I am not really used to, I am struggling with this concept of packing for 4 months. The longest vacation I have ever been on was to Italy for 2 weeks. Part of me thinks packing for 2 weeks is ideal because you have less to worry about. But then I know in my head, things are VERY EXPENSIVE in Australia and if I have the item at home, it's free to bring it with me.
Plus what if I need it? What if we go somewhere and I want it? I am there for 4 months, an opportunity will present itself right??
Then there is stuff I will have to buy there like shampoo and conditioner and random stuff that you need and don't really think about but it weighs a ton in your suitcase and you can't live off travel size containers forever.
I have had a packing list put together since June so that I could save money and buy things over the course of a few months and not go broke right before I leave on things that I may need. It has been SUPER helpful because I have gotten really good deals on things that went on sale after summer was over. Because we all can't buy exactly what we want when we want it.
At this point in the game, I am leaving in 10 days and I work 6 days a week full time so I don't have a lot of time to get everything together. My spare hours are at the gym or sleeping. All my stuff is pretty much in a pile next to my suitcases.
So that's my life.
10 days. I'M NOT READY.
I have a serious urge to overpack.
However, summer not so much. I obviously have never gone to school in the summer time so I don't usually care what I wear. But now that I am, with a whole group of new people I have never met before, it's a little intimidating and I definitely care. Athletic shorts and t-shirt is the equivalent to wearing sweats in class. You don't want to do it all the time. Just half the time.
But this isn't exactly the time of year, you can walk in to a store and find a pair of shorts. #firstworldproblems
Beside packing for a time of year/weather I am not really used to, I am struggling with this concept of packing for 4 months. The longest vacation I have ever been on was to Italy for 2 weeks. Part of me thinks packing for 2 weeks is ideal because you have less to worry about. But then I know in my head, things are VERY EXPENSIVE in Australia and if I have the item at home, it's free to bring it with me.
Plus what if I need it? What if we go somewhere and I want it? I am there for 4 months, an opportunity will present itself right??
Then there is stuff I will have to buy there like shampoo and conditioner and random stuff that you need and don't really think about but it weighs a ton in your suitcase and you can't live off travel size containers forever.
I have had a packing list put together since June so that I could save money and buy things over the course of a few months and not go broke right before I leave on things that I may need. It has been SUPER helpful because I have gotten really good deals on things that went on sale after summer was over. Because we all can't buy exactly what we want when we want it.
At this point in the game, I am leaving in 10 days and I work 6 days a week full time so I don't have a lot of time to get everything together. My spare hours are at the gym or sleeping. All my stuff is pretty much in a pile next to my suitcases.
So that's my life.
10 days. I'M NOT READY.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Typical Frustrations with Studying Abroad
This is definitely more of a venting post. Mostly because I have less than 30 days before I leave, I have been diligently working on making sure I am on top of everything before I go and it seems that I keep hitting roadblock after roadblock of problems of small details.
1) Classes Abroad. Probably the biggest and most consistent problem is that classes keep getting changed and my schedule keeps changing. When I originally applied, Union makes you apply so far ahead in advance to when you actually leave, you have no idea what classes you are taking but you need to make an educated guess of what you might be taking and get credit approval from the Department chair and the Dean of Studies. After I finally submitted my course requests in September, I had to get another course approved and go through the Union credit process again because some of the courses originally submitted were not going to be offered.
A few days ago, I actually had to register/enroll in the classes and another class I had gotten approved is no longer going to be offered and I have to get another one approved (go through the process all over again). This is even more difficult now that we are no longer at Union. What is even more frustrating is that there are even back-up classes that had been submitted as well so that this problem doesn't keep happening but the back-up class now requires a pre-requisite of a class that I will be taking in Australia and they don't let you take the pre-req at the same time.
2) Tech problems. For some reason technology hates me. Anytime a really important email comes in, it gets thrown in spam or when we get our log-ins to register for classes, mine out of 100 students is the only one that doesn't work and we have to call IT in Australia to get if fixed blah blah blah. Then I get locked out of some classes because I had to register later than everyone else.
3. Money abroad. I discovered that my credit card won't work in Australia and that I need to get a new one. What is nice about my current card is that there are no international fees, so I won't get charged an additional 3-4% every time I use it in Australia. However, applying for credit cards (without your parent's name on it) is REALLY difficult and you certainly aren't going to get a card with either a good limit or no international fees. #firstworldproblems I hate money.
I recognize that all of these frustrations I have are out of my control and there is nothing I can really do about it except take it one day at a time and do my best to stay organized and on top of everything.
LESS THAN 30 DAYS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Also I hate packing and what it does to my room.
 |
| Yupp. Basically. |
1) Classes Abroad. Probably the biggest and most consistent problem is that classes keep getting changed and my schedule keeps changing. When I originally applied, Union makes you apply so far ahead in advance to when you actually leave, you have no idea what classes you are taking but you need to make an educated guess of what you might be taking and get credit approval from the Department chair and the Dean of Studies. After I finally submitted my course requests in September, I had to get another course approved and go through the Union credit process again because some of the courses originally submitted were not going to be offered.
A few days ago, I actually had to register/enroll in the classes and another class I had gotten approved is no longer going to be offered and I have to get another one approved (go through the process all over again). This is even more difficult now that we are no longer at Union. What is even more frustrating is that there are even back-up classes that had been submitted as well so that this problem doesn't keep happening but the back-up class now requires a pre-requisite of a class that I will be taking in Australia and they don't let you take the pre-req at the same time.
2) Tech problems. For some reason technology hates me. Anytime a really important email comes in, it gets thrown in spam or when we get our log-ins to register for classes, mine out of 100 students is the only one that doesn't work and we have to call IT in Australia to get if fixed blah blah blah. Then I get locked out of some classes because I had to register later than everyone else.
3. Money abroad. I discovered that my credit card won't work in Australia and that I need to get a new one. What is nice about my current card is that there are no international fees, so I won't get charged an additional 3-4% every time I use it in Australia. However, applying for credit cards (without your parent's name on it) is REALLY difficult and you certainly aren't going to get a card with either a good limit or no international fees. #firstworldproblems I hate money.
I recognize that all of these frustrations I have are out of my control and there is nothing I can really do about it except take it one day at a time and do my best to stay organized and on top of everything.
LESS THAN 30 DAYS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Also I hate packing and what it does to my room.
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