D-Day

Today is the day that I begin the most difficult and rewarding experience of my life. I can't believe I am finally just hours away from boarding that airplane for another continent and will be living there for fifteen weeks.
Two and a half months ago, I sat in the hospital after my accident and told my dad that I think I am going to have to cancel my plans for London. He naturally told me I was crazy, but for days afterwards, I did not think I would be able to do much of anything normal let alone leave my family and friends for months and explore the world. I have never been more proud of my parents and my brother for helping me get through such a difficult time in my life and pushing me to do something that is going to make me so incredibly happy. Thank you to each of them and all of my friends and family who supported me and got me through it.
I'm finally ready and can't wait to tell everyone about it!!

Stats

I have a feeling I am going to be obsessed with this feature. I'm already excited about my view in Germany. Even if it was only once...

Packing

My packing is done!! It may be a lot of stuff, but my mom is right, if I am paying the extra money for an extra bag, and I can maneuver around the airport, why not bring the biggest bags I have?

Here is a list of what I packed (or what I can remember at least). I wish I would have made a complete list because I think it would have helped me when I got there; I hid a lot of random little items in all sorts of nooks and crannies.

Jeans
Shirt
Sweaters
Sweatshirts
Bathing Suit
Dresses
Tights
Pajamas
Socks
Slippers
Robe
Flip Flops
Trench Coat
Hat
Blazer
Tank Tops
Shorts
Pillow
Sheets

Blanket
Duvet
Towels
Pillowcases
TOMS
Sneakers
Boots
Heels
Flats
Backpack
Laundry Bag
Hooks
Shoe Organizer
Hangers
Steamer
Laundry Detergent
Deodorant
Toothbrush

Toothpaste
Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Lotion
Baby Oil
Shaving Cream
Razors
Vaseline
Listerine
Face Wash
Nail Clippers
Nail File
Tweezers
Perfume
Makeup
Digital Camera
Film Camera
Laptop

New camera

My parents bought me a camera for my birthday. It was a Nikon, and I thought I was going to love it. It turned out to be the worst camera I have ever owned, which is saying a lot considering its my 6th one. So I wanted to return it, but of course my dad threw away the receipt. So to make a long story short, I exchanged the Nikon for this baby, and I am obsessed.

Going away...

This is really happening. I had my going away party last night and talking about it to so many different people made the reality of this experience sink in a little more. I will be away from home for four months. There is no other way to say it. I will undoubtedly miss my family and my friends, but this semester is going to fly by.
If there was one thing I learned at my party yesterday, it is that I have some very good people in my life. Thank you to everyone who came; I felt very, very loved.

Free time

I've really been imagining what my daily life is going to look like while abroad. About how much time I am going to have to myself. It is going to be a completely new experience to, one, live in a dorm, and two, live in a city. I'll be able to pack up when I am bored, and just walk around, take the tube wherever I want, find some place to hangout, do some shopping. I've walked around New York alone for an hour or so, but I have never had free, independent reign of a city. I think that experience is going to be absolutely liberating; allowing myself to be completely dependent on my ability to navigate and explore. And I'm not trying to make anyone worry; I will wait a few weeks to get acquainted with London first before venturing out solo. I have to admit though, it is one of the things I am looking forward to most.

#1

People don’t take trips – trips take people.
-John Steinbeck

New books

I spent 45 minutes in Barnes and Noble trying to think of how to start my collection. Wanted an Amsterdam book, but settled with Paris.

Cat

One final matter of housekeeping, I would like to thank Mr. Cat Stevens for the title of this blog. Its rather fitting seeing that he is a Londoner.

How this works...

COMMENTS
I just wanted to explain this whole blog situation to everyone so you know how it works. I will post a paragraph or a picture regarding my trip and you can comment on it by A) clicking on the title of the post, in this case it would be "How this works..." B) clicking underneath the post text on "comments".

If you do not have a GMAIL account then you will not be able to post. I have made a fake account for this reason. When you want to post, put in this email address and password and you will be able to do so. But MAKE SURE YOU SIGN YOUR NAME TO ALL COMMENTS, otherwise I won't know who it is from.
Just message me on facebook or email me at kimberlyburnett29@gmail.com to get the username and password. I was going to put it on here, but Marcus scared me out of it.

EMAIL
I added an email feature the the top right of my blog, above the information about my past posts and myself. You put in your email and follow the steps in the pop-up. Then you MUST go to your email and follow the link in the email from  "FeedBurner Email Subscriptions". This will allow you to receive an email update every time I post something, and only when I post something, so that you can follow me every step of the way.

Thanks guys and I hope this helps.

Beginning...

Hello World!

I was hesitant in beginning a blog for a couple of reasons. One was because of the unfamiliar. I didn't know if I would keep up with it, or what I wanted to write, or if anyone would follow it, but then I remembered a fortune cookie my brother gave me a few months ago. He was passing it along to me like a father passes along life's most important lessons to his children. It said, "Don't spend time stringing and tuning your instrument. Start making music now!"

Also, to me, a blog is very personal, or at least it can become very personal. Facebook allows you to post pictures and put a status about what you are thinking or doing, but I knew this blog would be way more personal than Facebook could ever be for me. I will be writing about my life for fifteen weeks: my feelings, my fears, and my anxieties. I have the ability to write something on here about how I am feeling at that moment and have my family and friends read it and hopefully comment on it is what made me change my mind. I know that I can write about missing my family and someone will comment on here and know the right thing to make me feel better. So in the end, I have convinced myself that the personal aspect of this blog may be what helps me get what I really need out of it. 

So with the words of a Chinese fortune cookie, I throw away all of what is stopping me and begin my blog. It is about everything I discover over the pond during my 15 week study abroad experience including every place I visit, person I meet, and obstacle I overcome.

I am hoping those who follow can live vicariously through me. And do not hesitate to comment. 

Enjoy!

Kim