In 15 days I will be heading off to the UK. My parents and younger sister will drive me to JFK (5 hours without traffic) and then I’ll be on my way. Until then, I am stuck in my hometown of Horseheads, NY (population: approx. 6,000). With all my friends heading back to their schools this weekend, I anticipate a boring couple of weeks here, but I still have plenty to do in preparation.

I have two (purple) suitcases to fill…and fill them I will. I made a very detailed packing list that I’ve tripled checked, had my mom check, had my friends here check, and had a few friends from the UK check. All looks good, methinks. I even color-coded it so I know what will be in each suitcase and in my carry-on (organizational dork?). One suitcase is almost completely packed! I’m going to avoid pack the second until next week so I can have something to do. It’s not all that difficult to pack, actually. I don’t take much anywhere with me, though, so maybe that’s the reason.

I’m so excited to get to London! I’ll get in Monday, September 6th bright and early. I’m being met at the airport by a Leeds student I met at Penn State last year. I’m going to be staying with him in London for a week. We have tickets to the Lion King show on the West End and to the Muse concert on the 10th. I’ve been to London before, but I’m excited to see my favorite city again and do all the crazy tourist stuff.

After London I’ll head up to Leeds via train on the 13th. I’ll move into my room in Leodis (I have my own bathroom!) and then get a jump on all the international stuff! The first week will be all internationals, but the second week is Freshers week! My friends there  say it’s tons of fun and that I’ll have a great time.

For now, though, I will continue lazing around my small town, watching movies, and reading some good books (perhaps I should get around to finding my Kindle charger?). More to come once I’m across the pond!

Location: Horseheads, NY