Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Excitement

Well, things are actually beginning to happen now!
First of all, there was loan paperwork to finish. This included some excitement, both in rounding up whatever was required for the paperwork I was supposed to do, and when I accidentaly signed up for another loan in the fall via VIP (due to a misread), and had to do a bit extra paperwork to fix my mistake. The entrance counseling was a hundred different ways of saying that I understood that a loan is not free money and I did know I'd have to pay it all back. I am very grateful to the wonderful people of the USC Financial Aid office for guiding me through it all.
Enough with money matters, it's time to talk about the fun stuff.
My study abroad travel group has its own FaceBook group now (kids these days and their computers, lol), and we've been having fun introducing ourselves and learning about each other. Unsurprsingly, we all like books. Everyone ready to go and happy to be traveling with one another, and some discussion has already started about where to go while we're abroad. Abbey Road, 221B Baker's Street, a few extra museums...We're going to be pretty busy!
Those of you who have known me for quite a while probably know that my favorite animal is the elephant. I've loved elephants since before I can remember, and I can't tell you how many photographs my mom has stashed away of me in various ages and stages by the elephant exhibits of whatever zoo we visited. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out about the Elephant Parade London 2010! Sponsored by Elephant Family, a "small but hugely ambitious charity, working to save the Asian elephant from exctinction and abuse." This Summer, a total of 260 (artificial) decorated elephants will be scattered all over London. They will then be auctioned off to benefit the efforts of the Elephant Family. I don't know for sure if they'll still be there in July when I arrive (the reports I found were somewhat vague), I'm hoping to catch at least a glimpse of the elephants. Meanwhile, here's a closer look at a couple of the elephants now being put on display throughout London, and a map of the Elephant Parade "Route," where each elephant is stationed. If you want to find out more about Elephant Family, here's their FaceBook page, and the link to the parade route is a map which is on their official site.
Other exciting news: I have successfully applied for my first ever passport. Did you know that there are two different kinds of passports? There's the old-fashioned passport book, and a newer passport card. The difference is that you can't fly with the card, only go by land or sea, and you can only go to certain countries using the card. The application, either way, is as big as a large-print travel guide, only it is of course still filled with small print. Besides the passport there are a number of various documents you must have with you when you apply, and thankfully I had remembered them all, unlike a few unfortunate others in line. My passport photos aren't too bad, except that since they had to enhance the color a bit so that my pale skin and light hair would show up more, my hair looks like it was an interesting shade of light orange. My consolation is that I will of course look worse when I am actually traveling.
Also, I have recieved my Student Handbook from the sponsor university. I admittedly not read all the way through it yet, but I have at least skimmed through most of it. It's nice to have details.
Well, I must be going. Thanks for reading!
TTFN! (Ta Ta For Now!)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Coming Along

Well, I am proud to announce that I have completed all the neccesary paperwork for both my home university and the host university of the study abroad program. I have also done the online study abroad orientation successfully. All that's left is my student loan paperwork and getting down to the post office and obtaining a passport, which up to this point has been complicated by the fact that the hours during which the local post office processes passports are during the time I'd have classes.

This will soon change, however, because I have now finished classes for the semester as of this last Monday. I have had most of my finals this last week, and have only one more to go before I am finished with the entire semester! That will be nice.

Also, after much research and a few trips into various local bookstores to price-check, I have ordered and obtained my travel guides that I'll be taking with me. They are: Frommer's London Free & Dirt Cheap, Frommer's Best Daytrips from London, and Let's Go: a Student Guide to London, Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh. My reasoning is that the "London Free & Dirt Cheap" will help me get around London itself, the "Best Daytrips" book will help in exploring other areas, and the "Let's Go" student guide will add the student budget aspect into some of the specific places to which I know I will be going. All three of these books are newly published in the last month or so. I am more than happy to take personal recommendations from friends and family as well.

I've been trying to calculate what shoes to take with me, because I think I'll be doing a good bit of walking and unless I wear the right shoes I'm hobbling along by the end of the day. Have also been thinking over what clothes etc. to take, although what keeps throwing me for a loop is that it will be nothing like the summer weather I am used to--which reminds me, I'm still researching umbrellas.

That's about all of the updates I can think of right now.

I will write again once more incidents occur.