One week

Well...the countdown has officially begun. It's hard to believe I depart the states one week from today. I moved out of my room in the apartment I share with 4 friends in Dinkytown this afternoon and immediately unloaded and started organizing/packing my belongings once I got to Maple Grove. I'll be shipping one box...one very large box that is..directly to Corrymeela (the organisation I'll be volunteering with) in Ballycastle and bringing solely a carry-on for the first 12-day leg of my journey. I'm crossing my fingers that
A)My box arrives safe and sound in Ballycastle
B)I'm not over-estimating my packing abilities for my carry on bag. It's one thing to pack clothing for 12 days, and it's another thing to pack clothing that will keep me adequately stylish and comfortable among the English.

Maybe I haven't thoroughly explained my travel plans to anyone who may read this. I'm flying out on Monday, January 18th, enduring two layovers in Chicago and London Heathrow, and finally after a grueling trip touching down in Newcastle, England (a city in the northeast of England, nearly bordering Scotland) around 2:00 pm on January 19th. A friend who I met last year in Northern Ireland took a job in Newcastle last summer, and coincidentally airplane tickets to London were much cheaper than Belfast or Dublin. Hence, I am killing two birds with one stone by saving money and getting the opportunity to stay in England for a week or so before I head over to Northern Ireland. The friend I'm staying with is employed as an optometrist/optometrist in training at the moment, so I'll most likely have a lot of time to meander around Newcastle and see the sights. Eep!

I'm getting antsy now that one of my good friends, Alicia, just touched down a few days ago in her semester-long Caribbean destination and started blogging away. Also another friend, Missy, is spending the semester in Cork, Ireland and began blogging a few days ago as well. It's definitely my turn, and it is long overdue!! Ahhh! Please just let all my planes be on time and my bags and boxes make it to where they need to go.

One more week of organising, packing, probably stressing, and saying my goodbyes.

Ta,
Karen