One Week

It is official, I leave a week from today.  I honestly cannot believe how fast the past few weeks have flown by. From working and meeting up with friends to packing and making numerous lists of items to buy and bring with me, I am beyond ready to celebrate my departure and arrival in Cape Town.

I still don't think that the trip itself has hit me yet which is surprising since my living room is currently being taken over with suitcases and backpacks along with my trust peanut butter.  Call me crazy but I need that stuff to live, that and oatmeal.  Packing has been such a challenge but something that I need to work on if I am going to be a world traveler as a side job. 

My essentials include peanut butter, oatmeal, a journal, trusty book to read on the plane, ALL of my stomach meds (haha), work clothes, pillowcase, things that remind me of home etc.

Yesterday I added to this list with a new maxi dress and jean jacket.  Okay so maybe the jean jacket is a bit outdated but I swear they are back in style and look great with a maxi dress...I tested this theory out today and actually got quite a few compliments!  Can you say goodwill $20 for a like-new gap jacket? I can!

I also went and picked up this book at Barnes and Noble:

I was contemplating between In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen and another book called Why We Get Fat which discusses the issues of food in America but I decided those were too technical or "rant-y" for me.  Healthy Tipping Point seemed like a good easy read that takes you through clean eating, exercising and mental success--a little self help-y but i'll let you know how it goes.

I also picked up a new moleskin journal to write down more personal thoughts and experiences.  I figured that this blog probably won't be online for the rest of my life and I wanted something a bit more concrete that I can look back on down the road when I am older.

So let's start the countdown, less than 7 days since today is halfway over.  I am so extremely excited to meet everyone on my trip and have the experiences of a lifetime. 

The Countdown Begins

Let the countdown begin... This past saturday was the official two week mark of leaving.  My parents and I went out to dinner at Casa De Pasta, a great hidden gem of our town that specializes in great traditional pasta dishes.  I ordered the Chicken Rosina, a spin off of Chicken Caccatoire--yum!

Now that the two week hump has passed I am officially counting down.  Trying to spend as much time with friends and family as I can and make sure that I have everything that I need for the trip (I will not forget the peanut butter!).  The pile in the living room is slowly starting to expand and rise as I throw random articles of clothing and necessary items into the heap.

12 days left of little upstate new york and then we are off to Cape Town!

On Packing and Lists

I am a big fan of making lists.  Needless to say I probably get this quality/ trait/ curse whatever you'd like to call it from my mother.  I make lists for school assignments, grocery store trips, mall trips and just about anything that I can make a concise bulleted list for.  Call me an OCD freak or simply organized, I cannot live without them.

However, I find myself with a huge lack of lists for Cape Town.  What to bring being one of my biggest dilemmas.  Weather is in the mid 60s and can either downpour cats and dogs (to the point of flooding) or be sunny and spring like. I am not just rambling about whether or not to bring three pairs of shorts or how many rain coats I need but also about how I should dress while working with locals in the townships and exploring the national parks.  I want to be presentable and prepared for what I encounter and not stick out too much as a little white girl from some random small town in Upstate, NY. 

Maybe it is my nerves that has gotten me to this breaking point of having NO CLUE where to start, I really could not say, but I am hoping that it clears up soon.  I have a suitcase, a hiking backpack and a whole lot of camera equipment but that is just about it.  Hopefully my friends and family will have suggestions in the coming weeks since I am leaving so so soon!

Until next time when I hopefully have some more ideas....

A Little Background

Today is a pretty significant day in my book--exactly one month from today (almost less than a month now since I am writing this at almost midnight), I will be on my way to Cape Town, South Africa.

I wanted to start this section of a blog as a place for me to share my adventures with friends, family and loved ones back at home while I am off experiencing all that Cape Town has to offer. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I plan to share my greatest moments here as a way for me to remember and a chance for you to keep up with me while I am gone for six weeks.

A brief history on how I came to choose Cape Town:

While I was attending HWS for freshman and sophomore years of college I had dreamt of studying abroad in some lovely european city with easy access to numerous other cities--a way for me to see ALL of Europe in one semester so to speak--isn't that every students dream while studying abroad?

I applied to three programs in the fall of my sophomore year (an Honors program in Maastrict, Netherlands; Galway, Ireland; and Copenhagen, Denmark).  I was accepted to the honors program and decided that it would be the most academically rewarding program and a special opportunity for me to represent HWS.  However, I did not feel the excitement I was hoping to feel upon receiving my acceptance letter.

Since I ended up transferring to UR this past fall I gave up my spot on the Netherlands program--a decision that took much consideration since I have ALWAYS known that I wanted to study abroad.  I was left with the excitement of starting at a new school but also serious confusion over if I was missing out on a major part of college and letting go of one of my biggest dreams.

Come this past winter I knew that I had to go abroad.  The travel bug had bitten again (not to sound completely ridiculous) and I decided to apply to an internship program in London, England where  I would expand my work in public health by working with local hospital administration.  I was dead set on studying in London and told everyone I knew that I would most likely be going. While applying I came across the IES South Africa program and on a whim decided to apply as a backup.

By the time I had finished both applications and awaited a reply from the abroad office, I had this instinctual feeling that I belonged in South Africa not London.  My acceptance letter came a day or so later and I can remember the feeling of joy, excitement and the strong desire to go up and yell to every person I passed that I was accepted--this was the feeling I had always thought I would have and I knew at that moment that I would accept South Africa despite my acceptance to London.

So here I am, one month out from boarding a plane to South Africa.  I am beyond excited (though I'm sure you know this already) and cannot wait to pack, board and arrive!