At this moment in 5 weeks [8:30 a.m. in Germany, July 3, 2012], my flight will land in Frankfurt, Germany. I'll get off the plane, take a train to Bonn, and begin my year abroad!
Some mail from the University of Bonn was delivered today. Included in the package was the student handbook for study abroad (pictured below), as well as a checklist of things to do pre-departure and things to pack. I was both surprised and glad to read that there's nothing major that I've forgotten to do in preparation for this trip. The biggest thing that I had forgotten about was purchasing outlet converters for my electronics... So far, so good.
I decided to go ahead and start packing today. I know it might seem a bit soon, but with my birthday coming up and several related trips in the next couple of weeks, I thought it'd be better to have a head start, so I piled all the sweaters I plan to take into the one suitcase (<50 lbs., thank you American Airlines) that I'll be trying to cram my life into for this year. I'm cheating the system as much as I can: I'm allowed one suitcase, one carry-on bag, and one 'purse'. My carry-on bag is actually a small rolling suitcase that is carry-on sized, and my 'purse' is actually a carry-on bag, so hopefully I'll be able to get everything that I'll need into those 3 pieces of luggage.
I'm not necessarily unhappy about only being allowed one "suitcase". Like I mentioned before, I will have to take a train from Frankfurt to Bonn, and in the process, I'll have to walk a few blocks to wherever I'm living with all of my things. Better to be forced to pack lightly than to have to lug a lot of unnecessary things around the entire country when I'll likely be jet-lagged and starving.
So today I say... let the packing begin, and may the odds be ever in my favor...
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