Tag Archives: Packing

In Italia! (To Italy!)

I leave for Italy tonight with my friend, Clare Jennings! Everything’s packed, planned, and ready to go for me to leave in less than an hour. I’ve been (slowly) packing for the past two days, and I’m surprised by how little it seems like I’m taking with me. I was told to bring one large suitcase, a dufflebag, and a carry-on, but I fit everything in the suitcase and carry-on (I’m still bringing the dufflebag, however, just in case).

The plan for getting to Florence is as follows: leave from the Philadelphia Airport, fly to the Heathrow Airport in London, layover for five hours, then fly to Rome. From there, I will leave Clare and take a train from the airport to the train station, then take the train to Florence. Since I will be arriving a day early, I will take a cab to my hotel (the Grand Hotel Cavour) and stay there until I take a cab to my apartment Wednesday morning. It’s going to be a lot of traveling, but I can’t wait to get there and explore!

It’ll be interesting to see how this all pans out, so check back later in the week as I let you know how traveling goes and what my first few days in Italy are like! Ciao!


Location: Media, PA

Tonight’s the Night!

I leave for Italy tonight with my friend, Clare Jennings! Everything’s packed, planned, and ready to go for me to leave in about two hours. I’ve been (slowly) packing for the past two days, and I’m surprised by how little it seems like I’m taking with me. I was told to bring one large suitcase, a dufflebag, and a carry-on, but I fit everything in the suitcase and carry-on (I’m still bringing the dufflebag, however, just in case).

The plan for getting to Florence is as follows: leave from the Philadelphia Airport, fly to the Heathrow Airport in London, layover for five hours, then fly to Rome. From there, I will leave Clare and take a train from the airport to the train station, then take the train to Florence. Since I will be arriving a day early, I will take a cab to my hotel (the Grand Hotel Cavour) and stay there until I take a cab to my apartment Wednesday morning. It’s going to be a lot of traveling, but I can’t wait to get there and explore!

It’ll be interesting to see how this all pans out, so check back later in the week as I let you know how traveling goes and what my first few days in Italy are like! Ciao!


Location: Media, PA

2 days to go, and still not packed…

Yesterday was my last day of work for the summer, and I think it’s started to set in today that I’m leaving in 2 days!

A lot of people have asked me if I’m packed, and the unfortunate answer to that is a big no. If you’ve never tried to pack for a year in one suitcase, then you can only imagine how hard it is! My room currently looks as if a tornado hit it, and I’m a bit overwhelmed about that right now. Hopefully a good night’s sleepwill help me figure out how I’m going to do this, as I really need to tackle it in the morning. If I wait too much longer, I think my mom may start to pack for me! She’s not too thrilled about my lack of packed bags right now 🙂

Beyond that, there’s not a whole lot going on. We had a nice family day today, and I think it’s going to be difficult not seeing them for so long. Granted when I’m at PSU I don’t see them much either, but it’s not quite the same when you’re on the other side of the ocean…

I’ve also spent quite a bit of time on Facebook in the past weeks/months trying to find others that will be living in my block/flat, with limited success.

Interesting note that I found out a few weeks ago: I got my housing confirmation in July, and was kind of surprised at how few people were on looking for who they’d be living with. I figured that most people just weren’t in the school mindset yet, but I found out that in fact, most people didn’t find out that they actually were going to Leeds until 19th August when A-level results came out. The following is my understanding of the system/situation, in which I take no responsibility for mistakes!

A-levels are kind of like their overall final exam for a subject at the end of what would be an American senior year. The brief explanation I got from a future blockmate was that they apply to uni, but get either an unconditional (doesn’t matter the A-level scores) or a conditional (acceptance dependent on A-level scores) offer. So the people who either took a gap year or got an unconditional offer knew about their accommodation far before those who got a conditional offer (which seems like the vast majority). I find this very interesting, because that essentially means that all these students didn’t know if they were actually going to be going to Leeds in September until the middle of August!! Compared to in the US where we apply to university from about September-January, usually get acceptances from December-March, and have to make a final decision by 1st May! What a huge difference. I can’t imagine not knowing until a month before you go.

A few days ago, it really didn’t seem like I had too many big things to do before I left, but now all the little things are starting to pop up, and though I’ve tried to make a list to sort them out, I’m starting to think that the next two days are going to be a bit haphazard mess of lots of little things.

‘Tis bedtime now, and I can’t really think of anything else pressing to write about at the moment, but I think I’ll aim to write again during my layover in Boston on Thursday!


Location: Allison Park, PA

Can’t Sleep, Let’s Talk

All I can say is, “WOW, what a flight!!!”

I can’t complain because it was an estimated 22 hours, cut into 16!  It’s only been my 3rd time flying, NEVER for this long though.  My first flight was to Atlanta, second was to Puerto Rico (ranging from 2 – 4 hours respectively).  Now it was to HONG KONG! It still hasn’t hit me yet, or has it?! It is 4 in the morning and I CANNOT sleep, LOL.  I don’t mind though.  It is giving me the chance to jot down my thoughts!

So……. I didn’t really read much on the plane, I thought the movies were much more interesting and made the time go by a little faster.  Economy class sleeping wasn’t so great until I found the perfect position! Ahhh , I laid the open seat’s tray out beside me and put my head right across it! Nice way to think of the idea with only 4 hours left, ey!?  Come to think of not so bad things – The food was pretty all right too.  Not the GREAT breakfast my dear mother cooked me before leaving 5:30 in the morning, but still good!  I enjoyed every moment of it!!

NOW to the hard stuff! J  I know experienced travelers told me to pack light, but hey I am an over packer by nature! I thought I did pretty well with my two suitcases, backpack and large purse.

317709_10150267416912544_684242543_7624182_7378213_n.jpg

DON’T judge me! Haha  I put a lot of things back that I thought I would need……….. okay want.  I did wish I packed less traveling from the airport to the University, but when I think about it I rather have everything I need and not have to worry about buying things right away – then scramble for it when I get there.   But back to my point – if you have patience and strength, the train and bus aren’t impossible; they just require lifting and great steering.  If you don’t have patience and have limited strength take the taxi! Our route was off plane at 230pm HK time (go to immigration, pick up bags, get HK money, then buy bus ticket), bus, then train, then shuttle to guesthouse on campus arriving around 530pm HK.  It was quite a ride, but when you have people to talk to it flies by!  It funny because after all of that, I wouldn’t even call that a journey.  That was the short trip.  I would call the campus we finally arrived to an EVERY DAY journey.  WHY? Because we are up in the mountains with steep hills, water surrounding us, and buildings not so close together.

v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}

DSCN2183.JPG

 

This campus and country will change me for the better.  I already envision great things! Talk to you guys soon!

 


Location: Guesthouse clinic road, shatin hong kong

Intro Post: 6 Weeks!

Hello! My name is Natalie, and I’ll be studying at the University of Leeds this coming year. I’m a rising junior majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and I have plans to attend medical school.

I’m going to talk a bit on the background of my study abroad and what’s happened so far, and then I’ll address my goals for my GeoBlog.

I’ve known that I wanted to study abroad since I started at Penn State, and the reason I decided to go to England, specifically Leeds, is because of some pretty awesome friends. Nearly my entire group of friends this past year was study abroad students, and the majority of them were British.

The Eberly College of Science has a few different universities with which it has “science partnerships.” By my understanding, that pretty much means that PSU has evaluated these universities’ science courses and have deemed them of acceptable quality. Within this list, I had options to go to France, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, and England (and maybe a few more? Can’t remember…). I favoured England over all the others (and I also have family there–my granny grew up in England), and within had choices of Leeds, Bath, or Sussex. I had friends from both Bath and Leeds, and it was mutually agreed upon by them that the cost of living in Bath was much higher than in Leeds. Thus, by my rationale, it seemed most practical to live somewhere a bit less expensive so I had more money to travel and do other things.

A lot of people have asked me why I’m going for the whole year, as not many people do so. In fact, I’m the only person from Penn State going to Leeds for the whole year. The answer to that that question is kind of vague, but mostly revolves around my experiences with the study abroad students at PSU. In addition to my friends this past year, I had a whole other group of foreign friends in the spring of my freshman year. Everyone I have met who was abroad for only one semester was really not ready to go home, but those here for the whole year were about ready to do so. I think I’d rather be ready to come home, than be left hanging with all the things I wanted to do still. So we’ll see if my feelings on that subject change, but I really think I’ll enjoy England and be happy for the whole year. I hope!

So I spent most of last winter and spring sorting out what courses I planned to take. Unfortunately, I was not able to get as many Leeds courses to specifically replace PSU courses required for my major as I would have liked. However, I did get enough to result in my schedule comprising of a few courses in my major, all 400-level electives required for my major, and nearly the rest of my PSU gen ed requirements. I’m going to have a lot of catch-up to do senior year (I’m expecting 6, 400-level BMB courses senior fall!). But it will be worth it, and so all will be well. Somehow.

I got my official acceptance from Leeds in April, and everything was sort of left for a while. I started looking into UK Visa stuff in June, and it was a bit of a pain. Leeds was late sending me my Confirmation of Acceptance to Study (CAS) number which allowed me to get my visa. Some UK visa bureaucracy stuff that was out of their control. So once I got that, there was an online application, I had to go down to Pittsburgh to get my photo and fingerprints taken (Yikes! I’m in the system now), and then had 2 weeks to send a ton of stuff in. MAJORLY stressful. So much that had to be “just so.” And I was paranoid. Not really for any good reason, but more because transposing a number or not being clear enough about something could equal not getting my visa. And thus I would have to reapply, pay more money, and it might even screw up my entire next year. So that was a stressful time. But all is well now. I have a pretty sticker stuck in my passport that says “UK Visa” and has a pretty picture on it (much better than my passport photo)

Getting a plane ticket was also kind of fun. I scoped out Travelocity looking for cheap flights, and found one for $480! The reason it was so cheap is for 2 reasons: I have a layover in Boston and another in Reykjavik, and the airlines are Jet Blue and Icelandic Airways.  I figured for the price it was really good considering that I don’t really mind the layovers, and I really don’t have anywhere to be. That is to say that I fly 8th Sept, get to England the 9th, and don’t really have any obligations till the 12th or so. I’m flying into Manchester, and will take a train to Leeds.

So, moral of the visa/flight is that I can at least at this point GET to England 🙂 Now that I have those, it’s kind of starting to become “real” in my head!

I’ve also just gotten my housing sorted out. I’m living in halls (dorms) about a 25 minute walk from campus. There’s due to be 5 in a flat, sharing a kitchen. I’m doing self-catered which means that I don’t have a meal plan, and will be cooking! I’ve decided to do self-catered mostly because I’m kind of sick of eating dining hall food, and it will give me a chance to get out into the town to go shopping and such. It’ll be interesting, considering that I’m not used to having to cook meals, but I’m looking forward to the change/challenge.

Hmmm….what else to talk about…

I guess a big thing about getting ready to go is all the logistics. I’ve a ton of things to sort out still, like banking over there, telling the phone and insurance companies over here that I’ll be away for the year, figure out a budget (It’s going to be SOOOOOOO expensive! Yikes!), and the list goes on and on!

I think the biggest thing now is PACKING! I’m just bewildered at how I’m going to pack for a year in a suitcase and a backpack! I’m not really planning on sending anything over. Just too expensive, and that also means I’ll have to get it back home. I guess I’m just telling myself that my goal this year is to learn to live as lightly as possible. I want to do as much as I can while I’m over there, but don’t have all that much money to spend. So we’ll see how it all works out! But back to the packing…My friends’ preliminary advice with regards to packing was to pack your favourite clothes, and not to bring any basic things (like T-shirts) which can easily be bought in England. So beyond that…I think I’m going to have to keep in mind the weather, as I seem to be pulling out mostly summer things, with it being as hot here as it is now. However, there is an 18 degree difference Fahrenheit between the high here and in Leeds for tomorrow. Yikes! And I need to start converting degrees again…I was doing really well during the school year with Celsius, but the summer has been Fahrenheit-theamed. Sounds loads hotter to say 100 degrees rather than 38!

So that’s kind of my story of how I got where I am now. Kind of long.

So, one of the most important parts of this intro post: my goals for this GeoBlog.

  • First and foremost, I expect this will be one of the most important experiences of my life, and thus I would love to have documentation of my thoughts, feelings, and observations to look back on at the end of the year as well as later in life. And I’m sure there is sooooo much I’d forget if I didn’t record it! And of course, one of the requirements of having a GeoBlog is actually writing in it, and thus that will be an incentive to keep up with it.
  • Second, I expect to keep my family and friends updated on my time at Leeds through the blog, and of course anyone looking to study abroad, whether it be Leeds, England, or anywhere.
  • In terms of content (my thoughts at this time, which of course may change), I expect the beginning will chiefly address getting set up in England, culture shock, and my feelings about studying abroad. Over the past two years, my time spent with international students has really peaked my interest in differences in culture and language. Thus I anticipate writing quite a bit about the differences between British and American culture, as well as the destinations of my other travels. Of course, interesting tidbits will be thrown in whenever they arise. I’m thinking that maybe by about December, I’d like to make a note to myself to spend some time thinking about and blogging about the personal growth I’ve noticed and experienced. And as a side note, I have a camera which I love, so once I have pictures to post, they’ll be in here 🙂

Well, that’s all I can think of for the moment. A very long post, but it gives what I think is necessary background, as well as kind of showing where my head is on the subject right now, about 6 WEEKS from departure.  

I expect to write again near the end of August, and we’ll see what’s happening then! (Hopefully I’ll be mostly packed, or at least know what I’m taking!)

Natalie


Location: Allison Park, PA

Intro to Alyson

HOLA! My name is Alyson Gabel, and I will be spending my fall semester of my junior year in BARCELONA, Spain! I’m so unbelievably excited, I don’t even know where to begin.

I have wanted to go abroad ever since I was in high school, when we had exchange students come and stay with students in my school. During my fall semester of my sophomore year at Penn State, my roommate was a student studying abroad from Melbourne, Australia, and she really helped to solidify my desire to study abroad. The fact that someone from another country was able to learn so many new things everyday and just enjoy herself to the fullest in a new country was something that I envied, and there was no way I was going to pass that up. Now, even 7 whole months after we have parted ways, she is still one of my absolute best friends, and I can only hope that I form a friendship as strong as the one I formed with her during my experience abroad.

Packing is a huge concern of mine. I have way too many clothes for my own good, and I get separation anxiety at the thought of leaving so many of my favorite things behind. The bag I will be checking is the maximum size allowed by the airline, and I will have another large carry-on bag full of stuff, but I don’t know where to start as far as choosing what I will need/want and what I won’t. At least I have a few more weeks to worry about that!

I am not worried about most things, such as food, media, and other things that I will have to become accustomed to in Spain, because most humans have the same needs/desires as far as hygiene and other consumer goods, but communication still remains a large concern for me. I am addicted to this social media age that our generation has become engulfed in. I check my Facebook obsessively, update my Twitter compulsively, and I have newly become addicted to Tumblr. On top of that, I am never without my cell phone, on which I can access all of my social media outlets just at the tip of my fingers, anytime, anywhere. I know that I will not be able to do the same when I am in Barcelona. I will be getting a prepaid type of cell phone as soon as I get there, but I do not expect it to have the same capabilities as my current smartphone, so I will feel slightly cut off from the social-media world. I know I will have my computer with internet, but my computer will most certainly not be going everywhere with me (I plan on traveling everywhere I possibly can throughout Europe). I guess I will just have to see what kind of cards I’m dealt with when I get there on August 1st, and at that time I’ll just have to roll with the punches.

That’s about it for right now! I’m still waiting for my visa to get back to me, but other than that, I’m all set with paperwork and other things that had to be taken care of prior to departure. All I can do now is wait anxiously and hope for the best. I hope Barcelona (as well as the rest of Europe) is ready for me!!

Alyson Intro photo


Location: Verona, NJ

Ciao!

Hi! My name is Danielle, and I will be a Junior in the fall, studying Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice with a minor in History. I will be studying in Todi, Italy this summer, and cannot be more excited. Todi seem like an idyllic, smaller Italian town, which I think will be perfect to be spending my summer in. I have never been to Italy, but have wanted to go for as long as I can remember, so I think this will definitely be a fantastic experience.

Through studying abroad, I really want to not only improve my Italian language skills, but also become more knowledgeable about other cultures as well. I have never really heard anything bad about Italy, so I am unbelievably excited to be leaving for this trip of a lifetime. We are starting out with a week in Rome, then heading to Todi, where we will all be living with host families. We will also be traveling to Florence and Venice, and hopefully many other places. I will be ending my trip with a week long stay in Andreis, a very small town about 45 minutes northwest of Venice, where my grandmother’s family still lives today.

I fly from Philadelphia to Rome tomorrow night – it’s crazy to think that in less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane to Europe! In between now and then though, there is still a lot of packing to finish up, as well as just getting any last minute things I may have forgotten.

I have never blogged before, so I hope you continue to check back for new entries about life in Todi!


Location: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA

Ireland. Tomorrow? Wait, what?

I am currently sitting in the Pittsburgh airport.  My flight goes out of Pittsburgh at 5:45pm into JFK.  I leave JFK at 9:40pm and arrive at the Shannon airport in Ireland at 9:00am.  I will try to sleep on the plane so my jet lag isn’t horrendous.  If there is even a crying baby…..

I was in Antigua from January 1-8, trying to get my tan on (which is impossible.  I am almost always incredibly pale…..will fit right in in Ireland).  It was a nice getaway, but then I had to face the chore of unpacking from a week vacation and packing for four months.  Packing was not the most fun in the world, but I got it done.  Fingers crossed I didn’t forget anything (though, let’s be honest, I am sure I did).

I went up to State College for the weekend to hangout with my friends one last time.  Saying goodbye to everyone was way more difficult than I ever thought it would be.  I whined to some of my best friends, “I don’t want to leave you,” over and over.  But I’m starting to get more comfortable now that I’m in the airport and on my own.  I don’t think Ireland is ready for me.

Will update again once I get settled in!  Hoping the internet is the first thing I hook up when I get into my new room.  I will be sharing with five other people, but they did not tell me who (pumped for that surprise).

Here are some photos from my vacation in Antigua and my last weekend in Pittsburgh!

Cheers,
Mel


Location: Pittsburgh International Airport

Wait…I leave in less than 24 hours?!

Hey everyone! I truly can’t believe that I leave for the airport in the early hours of the new year! I have been going crazy trying to figure out what I need to pack to live in another country for 4 months; I hope I have everything! I have already packed and repacked 2 times to try and make sure I have everything that I wanted to bring while still being under the weight limit. It was certainly a challenge but there are some great packing resources online (and a personal packing list helps a lot too). Today I’ll be finalizing and zipping up my bags and preparing for the adventure to begin. What a crazy thought.

I’m so glad that the weather is cooperating so far for my departure; the crazy weather over the past week had me scared that my flight was going to be cancelled. My plane takes off around 8am from Newark and I’ll be arriving at Heathrow airport at about 8pm (3pm our time) on Saturday, January 1st. I am pretty anxious about trying to find my way to my hostile by myself with all of my luggage at night but I think that’s one of the great things about my semester abroad — I’m going to be put into many unfamiliar positions, but having to figure them out on my own will be such wonderful learning experiences.

Since I can’t actually move into my dorm until the 3rd, I have to stay in a hostile for my first 2 nights in London. That in itself should be a great experience — I’ll be sure to mention that in my next blog!
See you in 4 months, America!!!! 

Location: Susquehanna, PA

Wait, I still have to pack? Oh no…

I love to travel.

I used to go on vacations all the time with my family and I would be the first one packed and ready to go. Sometimes I would pack a month or so in advance because I was so excited. What ever did happen to that girl? Because nowadays, I hate packing more than anything.

I think I can attribute it to my senior year of high school. I lost my house in a fire right at the end of my junior year so I was moving around a lot before finally moving back home. But six months later it was time to move to college. So that’s mainly the reason I don’t like packing. It is just strenous. I have to make lists, figure out what clothes I want to bring, the toiletries I need just for now, all the paperwork; just way too stressful.

And, I am leaving in 3 days for London. With this snowstorm here, who knows what could happen? I know I need to buck down and get into London mode, but I just don’t like the stress that comes with packing. Plus, my family is on me to get going. I’m doing necessary laundry right now so I make sure I take the clothes I want and need. And I’m constantly checking the weather in London so I know I’m ready.

I am excited, but nervous too. This is definitely a brand new experience for me. I’ve never lived in a city. I’ve been a suburban girl my entire life! My brother is already telling me how to get from the residence hall to my classes and I’m getting so confused. It will definitely be an adjustment in the beginning, especially with the time difference. My dad and I are scoping out places to watch the Outback Bowl because we cannot miss a Penn State football game! So much to do and so much to look forward to in so little time. I better get going before I miss my flight in three days!


Location: Bethlehem, PA