Only four days left in the United States. Wow. The past few months it hasn't felt real to me, it's been hard to imagine that soon I will be living in a completely different country. But now, it's definitely becoming real.
This past week has been crazy. I've been trying to fit as much in as possible in such a short time frame. My best friend Rowan, who moved to Los Angeles the summer after we graduated high school, came home to visit for a few days, and I can't explain how great it was seeing her. She's planning to come visit me in Leiden over her spring break, and since she loves traveling as much as I do (probably more, actually), we're going to have some awesome European adventures in our future. I've also been spending as much time as possible with my boyfriend, Ben. Being away from each other for four months is going to be very hard, since we live together and are so accustomed to being around each other all day, every day. I'm so thankful for Skype, Facebook, and modern technology, and we've already booked his flight to come spend a week with me in March! He's never been out of the country, and I'm beyond excited to show him around the Netherlands. My Aunt Kirsten is hosting a going-away brunch for me tomorrow morning, and it will be great to see most of my family again before I leave. Last week my grandparents on my mom's side took my boyfriend and I out to lunch, and even though seeing my grandma cry was really hard, I know she's excited for me (and excited for me to come back).
Now I am trying to get all of the little details in order. I've made a few trips to Target to stock up on last minute things I might need, such as a travel toothbrush & toothpaste for my 14 hour journey overseas (the flight was cheap, but it also came with 2 layovers - yay!), and Excedrin, since I get pretty bad headaches sometimes and I have no idea what kind of pain relievers will be available to me over there. I've also been debating for the last two days whether or not to renew my Netflix subscription. I got rid of mine a few months ago because I never used it anymore, but seeing as how I won't be working while abroad and I'll have more free time, I'm wondering if having all of those shows and movies at my disposal will be worth it. The first month is free anyways so I'm thinking I'll give it a shot.
I spent about an hour yesterday exploring my soon-to-be home, Leiden, on Google Maps. I've successfully located my dormitory building, the buildings I'll most likely be having classes in, and my abroad program offices. I was also able to take a look at Leiden University's library, and a local church, Pieterskerk, both of which are beautiful structures. I also found Leiden Centraal, the train station, which is luckily only a very short walking distance from my school. This will make getting around the Netherlands and the rest of Europe pretty convenient :) However, although I have everything figured out from an aerial view, I'm sure I'll be pretty lost when I'm trying to find my way around from the ground.
This probably my last post before I leave, so the next time you hear from me, it will be from Leiden! Take care everyone :)