All My Bags are Packed...

You know that little feeling of glee you get when you check everything off that list you've have for eons...that's what I'm reveling in right now. As stated, the academic stuff (well, at least the preamble) is finally over; government visas and banking- check...and finally, packing (well, at least the stuff I'm taking with me) is done - just need to wrap the boxes that I'll have shipped to me.
Tomorrow, I take off just before midnight which puts me in London at noon tomorrow - where I'll have two hours to make my way through customs and baggage and then I'll be met by the university to drop me off on campus - so I can FINALLY get an address.
And why the excitement over address? Once that happens, I can get clothes and shoes mailed to me, AND here's the REALLY exciting part....I can get bedding and hangers and pots and pans and cutlery and mugs and all those other exciting things that will keep me off sleeping on a bare mattress and living off a suitcase for the next 9 months or so.

For those of you interested- I've packed 'The Slap', 'Eat, Pray, Love' and a variety of magazines for on flight entertainment - I'm looking forward to plane movies...and lots of sleep (it's actually a perfect time to leave if you think about...

So one more night, and off I am...to be finally over the pond, and into the rain.

And those were just the first set of essays...

Final essay: check - so that means, here I sit, after two weeks of observation, a good 40 interrogative question, a final summary task, a pupil aspiration task, two hefty textbook and a good 5 essays under my belt. Success! I forgot how easy it is to procrastinate- I spent a good two days perfecting my score on Bejeweled only to learn today that it's a weekly tournament and my score got erased- perhaps a lesson learned to spend time doing more productive things.

So what's left: well, about 4 days, a trip to the bank to get a draft, a thorough clean of my room, packing decisions, and goodbyes. I've got a goodbye dinner everyday this week- it's great to have such encouragement. Goodbyes don't seem so sad now though with the dawn of the skype age and facebook- i'll still see the photos, and talk to people - which is WAY more than I got in Ecuador a few years back. I can contact my world at my fingertips so goodbyes are just an opportunity to make yet another memory and get the troops together.

So count on me procrastinating a bit longer - from packing and cleaning, and uploading stuff to my external so my computer doesn't crash on my while I'm there - the warranty is only good until boxing day.

And, as soon as i'm actually in England, i'll post some pictures- trust me, you've got better things to do with your time than check out the mess that used to be my bedroom floor.

All Packed Up?

Last night, I took it upon my oh-so-organized self to pre-pack. What does this mean? Deciding what clothes I'll be living in for the next ten months. After eliminating piece, after piece, after piece, I sat on my suitcase, spent a good 5 minutes getting it zippered tight, and then lugged it off to the scale. 125 lb. Horror. This was intended to be one of two suitcases.
The deal is, thanks to my oh-so-budget-conscious booked flight, I get downgraded to only take 41 lb total with me. My luggage itself weighs 20 lb...so someone over there at Air India has decided to punish me. No big deal, you might think. People pay excess fees all the time. Why can't you? Well, when the excess fee is 20 Canadian dollars per each extra two pounds, you may understand why I'm cringing. I spend another hour, and only manage to eliminate an additional 30 pounds. This still isn't going to work...
After much frustration, I'm grateful for friends in high places with big discounts at fed ex. They'll now be shipped to be (hopefully in their entirety) at some point in October...

Adding to airline frustrations, my return trip at Christmas on January 2nd got cancelled- so as of now, I'll be getting in on the 3rd and probably getting back to the city around 2 am to be bright and bushy-tailed for my first day of class.

It's all not air woes however. I've spent the last few days back haunting my old highschool, listening in on religion classes. Uniforms have changed so much they're unrecognizeable - with racing stripes down the side of the arms, and the school logo emblazened on tan dress pants, so the 17 year olds no longer squeeze themselves into yoga pants, pretending it's a uniform- the practice being ever so highlighted when a grade nine theology student was asked to draw a picture of his favourite thing, and you guessed it, drew an apple bottom. Gold star for creativity.

And So It Begins...

It's been a long time coming-a year and a half of retail work, budgeting, getting files in order, dealing with government agencies, and familiarizing myself with the educational system I'm attempting to become immersed in. And now, the final two weeks: a finished placement with grade eights, and a soon to be started one week placement in the high school re department - 20 questions, 6 essays, 2 reflections, and a bank appointment left on the to-do list.

Am I excited? Perhaps, if one can be excited without that butterflies in the gut of your stomach feeling. I think that what's more apt to say I'm feeling is preparedness for the challenge. New beginnings are being made and I'm drawing lines in the sand for myself - defining who I am, polishing the stone. There is so much to be learned.