Tag Archives: Packing

Wait, I leave for Ireland in a Month?

Hello everybody!  My first geoblog entry.  Yay!

My name is Melanie Versaw, and I am a junior at the Penn State University majoring in both Marketing and Advertising.  I will be traveling to Ireland for the spring semester to study at the University of Limerick.  I chose to study abroad because everyone who hasn’t says they regret it.  Oh, and I didn’t want to graduate early. 

I leave relatively soon (January 18th, to be exact).  I am not prepared.  And that’s fine.  I like spontaneity. 

Most of my posts on here are going to include a lot of photographs.  Though I am not a photography/arts major, I am the Photography Editor of Onward State (an excellent PSU news blog), and I want to focus a lot of my time abroad taking photographs and bettering my photography skills. Also, pictures speak louder than words.  So hooray for photo blogs!

I tend to be a rather sarcastic person, which can influence my writing quite a bit, so watch out for that.  I do think this will be a fun experience, though.  I used to be a creative writer, but since I joined so many activities at Penn State, I hardly have time to write during the school year; I’m excited for this little blogging opportunity.  Random fact: I am obsessed with semi-colons. 

Today it is snowing in State College.  I wonder if it’s snowing in Limerick.  Does it snow in Limerick?  …like I said…SO unprepared.  But I cannot wait to go.  It will be a blast. 

I’ll update you on the fiasco I like to call packing sometime in the near future.  First, I must fight through this week (I am throwing a $30k concert tomorrow) and finals week.


^this is me

^this is where I am going

^sample of my concert photography and me hoping there is good music in Limerick.

I will hopefully get fancier with my photography as I learn. To bring up an awesome nerd moment:  the geoblog website isn’t letting people upload photos via the image uploader.  My immediate reaction:  “You can just use the HTML coding.”  Excellent, Mel.  Excellent.

Cheers,
Melanie 


Location: State College, PA

One More Week!

Just wanted to update since it’s been awhile. 

Since the last time, I got my COE/Visa, got a new camera for taking lots of pics/vids to share, spent WAAAAY too much on clothes, and got to working on all the packing I have to do. 
We were assigned ePals to email back and forth for awhile before we left so as to know someone as soon as we arrive as well as to get some extra practice with the language. My ePal’s name is Nanako, she’s 19, and majors in English. It seems like IES tries to match you with an ePal who has similar interests (at least that’s been the case with everyone I’ve talked to). I highly recommend participating in the ePal program, because it’s a great way to meet natives.
I was pretty happy that my visa came back early, because it takes so much time to process and you only get it 2-3 weeks before you leave. I’ve heard that some students didn’t get theirs until the day before they had to leave! D: My plane leaves from Pittsburgh this coming Monday the 30th and I’ll arrive in Tokyo the afternoon of the 31st.
We all received our housing assignments as well. Everyone I know is in a dorm, except for one friend who got a homestay (as well as two ePals), and we’re all about a half hour (including walking time) from campus, so that’s really nice (they said it could be 30-90 minutes). I don’t know the exact position of my dorm (GoogleMaps is failing on that account), but I found some blogs of people who stayed in similar housing and it looks pretty nice.
I also found some housing for over winter break (end of Dec till end of Mar), for pretty cheap. I used http://www.sakura-house.com/ to find places to stay. If you have someone to share a room with, the guest houses are pretty manageable.
Next time, I’ll probably be updating from my hotel room in Tokyo that we’ll be using for IES orientation, and I’ll try to get some pictures/videos up of the scenery. If there are any requests for things to look for when I start traveling around Tokyo, let me know and I’ll do my best!

Location: Brockway, PA

In anticipation

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

The Pre-departure Plan

Somehow, summer flew by and now I’m finally able to focus on leaving the country.  Two more days before I head off to Australia!  The biggest challenge so far has been packing.  It’s so hard to figure out what I will need or want for the next 5 months!  Here’s the plan for the start of my trip:

My sister and I will be flying from State College to Sydney on Tuesday.  We’ll get there on Thursday morning (this time change thing is realllly going to mess with me), and then the real adventure starts.  We’re going to be staying in hostels in Sydney for a few days so we can explore the city, then we’re hoping to travel up north along the coast to the Gold Coast area (where a lot of surfing happens), and eventually the Great Barrier Reef.  Hopefully it won’t be too cold to snorkel, dive, or surf!  We’ll also be heading to the Blue Mountains to see that spectacular area.  Then, 11 days later, I’ll be hopping a bus for Canberra and become a true student at ANU!!

Check back in a couple weeks to hear about the first leg of my adventure.  I’m hoping to have pictures up too!

Until next time…


Location: State College, PA

Packing for Japan

I leave for Japan in three days (including today) and I have not yet packed.  However, I have collected all the items I need to bring along (or so I think).  There are some things you might not think of…. I had to buy a purse that could go over my shoulder and had a zipper so items could not be stolen easily; I bought new socks since, during the homestay, I will be walking around the house in my socks and having ‘holey’ socks is not overlooked (it is a bad reflection on a person); I bought long lasting batteries for my camera since my battery charger would not work without an adapter in Japan; I also bought a phone with Piccell Wireless.  This phone is meant for international use and can be returned to Piccell once I get home.  It was the cheapest option for using a phone that I could find – still international calls are extremely expensive so I will be using Google Talk if I want to have a ‘phone’ conversation with anyone (the 13 hour time difference will make real time conversations difficult); and of course I bought new clothes although I am not quite sure what will be considered fashionable or not in Japan (side note: some people still believe people in Japan wear old traditional clothes like Gis and Kimonos everyday, and although they do wear traditional clothes for some events and holidays, they mostly dress similar to Americans).  The most important step I took was to print all the information I need – the schedule for my program, my health insurance information, a copy of my passport, the information for my phone and the charges, contact information for the program supervisors, etc.

There is alot more to consider than one would think and electronics (that need converters and adapters) can cause the biggest problem at the ‘planning for the trip’ stage 

For any girls out there who are looking to head to Japan – don’t pack a hairdryer, buy one in Japan.  It’s a bit of a hassel, but to bring your own hairdryer would take room in your suitcase and would require an adapter (which is about 80$). 

Now I have to pack all of this – in a suitcase that can only weigh 44lbs!  I have to be sure to stay under the weight limit when I pack because I know I will be bringing back souvenirs!  Packing may prove to be the hardest part of the trip!


Location: Orefield, Pennsylvania, United States

Day of the Flight

I am getting ready to catch my flight later today. I have to leave to drive to the airport very soon. I live in southern Pennsylvania, and I am getting on my flight in JFK, so I have a bit of a drive.

All of my stuff is packed, and I am nervous. I am not sure if I have all of the stuff I need, and I hope I did not forget anything. I also need to stop and get a baggage tag on the way to the airport.

This will be the first time I have ever flown, so I am even more nervous, because I do not know what all I have to do at the airport.

I will be flying Turkish Air, and will be taking a direct flight to Turkey. I should arrive in Turkey around 9am tomorrow! I can’t wait to get a view from a different part of the planet! I am excited to be so high in the atmosphere.


Location: 58 Buck Rd., Dover, PA 17315, USA

Introduction: Pre-Flight to Turkey

My name is Nicole Lau. This fall I will start my senior years at PSU, studying Anthropology. I love anthropology, and I hope after graduation to focus in cultural Anthropology. However, this summer I will be participating in the C&I Landscape Archaeology program to Cilicia, Turkey. This program is a hands on trip which will cover concepts for Landscape Archaeology and gives an introdution to the GIS program. The program lasts from May 23rd until June 18th and I am extremely excited to go.

In a little more than a week, I will be getting on a plane to Istanbul, Turkey. We will be spending the first three days in Istanbul before getting on another plane to Hatay. We will spend the most of the trip in Iskenderun, if we are able to get research visas for archaeological research. We were not able to obtain research visas before leaving for Turkey, due to a change of administration in the Ministry of Culture. Because of the reorgainization, there have been delays in all matters dealing with archaeological projects. If we are unable to get the research visa, we will take an 11 day tour of Central and Eastern Turkey, going from archaeological site to archaeological site. While l like both plans, I do hope we get a hold of a research visa, so that I can get some hands on practice for archaeological survey in the field. Last semester I took Forensics Archaeology with Dr. Dean Snow who had taken us outside to practice some of the procedures dealing with an archaeological dig, but it was informal (yet very fun). With this trip, we would have field practice that doesn’t involve a lawn outside of the Carpenter Building at Penn State Main.

I am getting ready to pack soon. I have been going around trying to get all the stuff that I will be taking with me to Turkey. I still have to buy myself some insect repellent. I have also been informing different people of my trip, ranging from my bank to my boss for my summer job (trying to explain why I will be coming back from school so late).

I am extremely excited to be going to Turkey. This will be my first trip abroad. While I am excited, I am also nervous about getting through the airport security and flying to Turkey, because this is also the first flight I will be on. I hope to get through all the processes fairly smooth, and not cause too much of a back up. I am also starting to wonder how much stuff I have to pack, and how difficult it will be to take around Turkey.   


Location: 58 Buck Rd. Dover, PA

Leaving on Friday

Hi everyone!

Well, I’m finally started packing.  I fly out of Pittsburgh International Airport to Charlotte and then on to Mexico City on Friday.  I think I have to be at PGH around 5:30am for my 7:00am flight, and I live about an hour away, so it’s going to be an awfully early morning for me.
On the brighter side, though, packing has been going well so far, and I think I’m going to be able to fit everything into my two purple suitcases and my red carry-on bag.  So that’s good.
While in Mexico I’ll be doing all kinds of touring and stuff that I’ll be trying to keep you all updated on, but I think my first Mexican blog post might take awhile to get started.  I think I’ll probably need a few days to settle in with my Mexican “mother” before I’m back posting here.
I’m a little scared and overwhelmed about how fast everything is moving, but I’m also incredibly excited about this trip.  It’ll be my first solo airplane flight, and my first time “alone” in a foreign country.  
2 days to go…  ðŸ˜€

Location: 6068 National Pike, Grindstone, PA, 15442, United States

2 DAYS TO GO

So, I leave in less than 48 hours! I still haven’t packed or done anything yet, though. I’ve been much too preoccupied with finals. However, as soon as my Physics final exam is over tomorrow afternoon, it’s packing time!

I’ll be arriving in Rome on Saturday, May 8th around 8:45 AM local time — I’m then going to get a ride over to my hotel, which is DIRECTLY across the street from the Pantheon. That will be sweet. The hotel is called Al Pantheon con Thomas Mann. I’ve heard that it’s not that nice of a hotel, but it was fairly cheap, and it’s very close to the place where I’ll be permanently living. We have that whole weekend free for the most part, in which I guess my friends and I will go exploring! I’m hoping to see a lot of Rome before my classes really start. I definitely want to check out a lot of the famous buildings and get them out of the way, because tourist season starts in June, so all of the really touristy places will be less crowded early in May.

Anyway, I will be permanently living in a former convent on the Piazza Navona. If any of you have read or saw Angels and Demons, It’s the plaza where the Cardinal almost gets drowned in the fountain, but gets saved by Langdon. (People seem to know exactly where I’m talking about when I add that description to it) I heard that the place is basically like a very small dorm room, which is totally fine because the window is going to look over the Piazza, so don’t pity me at all. I don’t plan on spending any time in the room anyway, since I’ll have so much to do while I’m over there!

My parents got me a digital camera, so I’ll be able to take a lot of pictures when I get over there. I’ll try to post them directly in this blog, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll figure something else out. It seems like the other Geobloggers were able to figure out how to get pictures on their blogs, so I bet I can do it.

Well, that’s all that I have for you guys for now! I’ll try to post another entry a few days after I get there and get settled in — and I’ll have much more cool stuff to talk about, so check back then!

Ciao!


Location: 520 E Calder Way, State College, PA 16801

Still in the States…

Hey Everyone,

My Name is Daniel McGee and I am going to Rome this summer through the Architectural Engineering Rome Program. I am a second year AE and I am looking forward to a great time this summer! These past few weeks have been filled with packing and planning for the summer abroad, as well as finishing up my current semester. I find it is getting harder to concentrate in school right now since I am getting excited for it to end because that will mean the start of my stay in Rome!

I am leaving for Rome on May 7, the friday of final exams week, and I have a ton to do before that! I am hosting a dinner on Monday night to finalize our plans and preparations for the trip with a few of my friends. It will be fun to collect as a group to talk about everything that we all want to do and experince while we are over there. We have a ton of plans for the 7 weeks — Venice, Pompeii, Florence…The list seems endless. I hope I will have time to post everything I do!

I just got back from the first Geoblog meeting where we learned how all of this works — Afterwards I met a lot of cool people with great study abroad plans. I really look forward to reading about their adventures abroad, so I can see what some other cultures are like. So far, this Geoblog sounds like a great program. Even though I will be going through my own adventure in Rome, I will get to chat with other Penn State students each on their own adventures. It will be cool to swap stories and experiences with all of them.

Anyway, I have some goals for the future posts of my GeoBlog —

1. Discuss the Architecture of Rome. Since I am an Architectural Engineering major, in my opinion there is no better place to study abroad than Rome because of the rich architecture that I will find there. All of my classes involve architecture in some way, so I will be fully immersed in the architecture aspect of the culture. I hope to discuss with my blog readers some of the things that I learn about the architecture here as I go.

2. Share the foods that I will eat. I am planning on gaining about 20 pounds (or should I say kilos?) while I am over there since I am expecting that I will have some of the best food that I will have eaten thus far in my life. I plan on sharing some of these dishes with all of you in hopes that I can convince everybody to come to Rome.

3. Create a guide for future AE’s going on this same program. I hope to write about some daily activities and schoolwork that I will do while I am here. Hopefully I can create a good guide to what is expected and what kinds of things future AE’s will experience on this trip. I will write about great places to visit, great restaurants to eat at, and so forth.

4. Learn from other Geobloggers. Even though I will be having a great time in Italy, I hope to use this Geoblog as a tool to connect to other study abroad students across the globe. As I said earlier, I met a bunch of other people today who have great trips adventures planned. I look forward to reading about those adventures.

Well, that’s all I have for now — I will probably write another blog post before I leave for Rome when it gets closer to the departure date. So for now, Ciao!


Location: 520 E Calder Way, State College PA 16801