Less than 2 months to go!

Things are really starting to come along.  I have met the two other girls, Stephanie and Emily, who are also going to the Netherlands with me.  About mid-November we had a pre-departure meeting with every Whitewater student going abroad.  It was a four hour meeting that went over the basics of studying abroad and filled out some additional forms.  Overall it was pretty boring and not really that informative.

We have also booked our plane tickets.  I don't think it has quiet hit me yet that I will be in Europe in less than two months, but buying the tickets defiantly helped make it seem more real.  We leave Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 6:00pm from Chicago.  We have a direct flight to Amsterdam which we will arrive about 9am on Wednesday.  Then we will have about an hour train ride to Arnhem.  Our flight home leaves Amsterdam Thursday, June 23 at 11am and we get back to Chicago at 1pm that same day.

I also have got my room assignment.  I will be staying at Honigkamp which is like a dorm. There is about 15 rooms on a floor. I will have a toilet and a sink in my room and then will share the showers and kitchen with about 6 other people.  I believe all the rooms are single which it will be nice to have my own room.  I will also have a small balcony off of my room. There are six floors in the building and I am on the fifth floor, room 508. Stephanie is right next to me in 509! I had to work with my bank to do a wire transfer to the housing company for my deposit.

So I think I have all my major things done for the trip.  I should be getting my class schedule some time in December.  I think once I get through finals and Christmas, I think it will hit me that I am leaving for 5 months! Its less than two months now; its going to be a busy time and will go by fast!

The countdown begins

It is less than three months before I leave for the Netherlands and yet there is so much to be done!  I have already done a lot for this trip; I have my passport, I have applied and been accepted to the program, and I have picked out my classes. I still have to book my flight, complete my housing application and finish my scholarships!  We have a meeting next week, for the outbound students to talk with student who have gone in the past.  It will be nice to talk with other students to hear about their experiences so that I will know better what to expect.  I especially need tips on things to pack because it is going to be interesting trying to pack for five months! It is nice that there will be 2-3 other people going over seas with me. 

I do plan on staying in touch with everyone here in the States while I am gone so you all can live vicariously through me and not miss me too much! I will try to post all my pictures on facebook and I will also still have my school e-mail account.  I also just created a skype account so I can set up skype dates with people.  I hope to us this blog to give updates on how things are going and I would like to include pictures and videos as well.  It will be interesting to see how long I can keep this up!

This semester is going by so fast; I will be in Europe before I know it!