Pre-departure jitters

Hey everyone!
The purpose of this blog is to write down all of my concerns, learnings, etc. I hope that someone can come across this blog and find it entertaining as well as informational.

Alright, that's a formal start.

For the past few weeks (the last 2-3 in general), I've been having pre-departure jitters. I've just worried about anything and everything. However, I've kept this in mind and it has really helped me out:  everything will turn out ok! Worrying excessively about something won't help you or the problem out. The best thing is to a) leave the situation alone if it's out of your control, b) actively find a solution, and quickly if there is one, c) STOP WORRYING; worrying won't fix anything!

Anyway, now I will actually talk about my study abroad in Germany!

First and foremost, I've been wanting to study in Germany for a while now. About a year and a half ago I applied to study there. But the plans to study there fell through. Long story short, things just didn't work out with the program. Now, fast forward to around February 2012. I was still tinkering around with the idea of studying abroad. I visited the page for the study abroad office at the University of Houston and found a few programs that offered summer and fall opportunities. I decided to go with USAC since they were so prompt in answering my pre-application questions. So far, i'm glad I have gone through their program. I've heard very good things about the program and they've been very receptive to most of my concerns. Now, with all of the applications done and tickets booked, it's time to play the waiting game!

My departure date is set for May 22nd, 2012 at 4:20. My first stop is Heathrow airport in London, England. I intentionally set an 11 hr layover there so that I could explore the city. I also wanted to make sure that British Airways wouldn't leave my baggage behind and I would be stuck in Lüneburg without a change of socks. I planned an adventure before my adventure and I'm hoping to see a big chunk of London, even if it's for a few hours. I will arrive in Hamburg at 9:20 local time. My expectations of scheduling a mini-adventure were also in the hopes of being very tired once I arrived in Hamburg, so I would awake with the other citizens; I will update later if this plan works (trial and error, right?).

Everything is finally starting to come together. I received my housing assignment early yesterday morning. The verdict: I will be living in a shared apartment with 4 other international students, next to a river and an irish pub! I'll try not to hang out at the pub too much, since my goal is to assimilate to German culture and not irish. But a few international dinners there wouldn't hurt either.

My new home for the summer!

Well, that's it for me. I can't wait to arrive in Lüneburg!