Back to Square One

This afternoon, when I checked, the all-time blog total was 5744 different readers in 15 countries.

Now, it's back to zero.

I was quite angry about this for a solid five minutes. Now, I'm not a religious person, but I do kind of think of things as happening for a reason. And I guess this is a reminder that I'm supposed to be writing a culture/travel/study abroad blog because I really ENJOY writing a culture/travel/study abroad blog. Which I definitely do... but I was also definitely getting wrapped up in having thousands of readers around the world.

Anyways, I'm done with stats. I'm not going to look at page views anymore. I'd love it if you guys would comment, so I could have a chance to see who is reading, but I'm not going to track statistics anymore.

Instead, I'm going to sum up my packing experiences so far. (Yes, I know it's still a couple months in advance, but I can't help myself! I'm that pathetically excited!).

First of all, we're required to bring two sets of our own sheets and pillowcases, and strongly recommended to bring our own blankets. Easy enough if you live on the continent of Africa, but for an around-the-world flight, already fighting with airlines over a tuba as luggage, it's not the easiest thing to just stick into a suitcase. I considered forgoing the blanket, but seeing as how the dorms aren't heated, and you never know what the blankets there are like, I figured that I should just bring my own. This is two years of sleep hanging in the balance!

So, after a few minutes of wrestling with two flannel pillowcases, a flannel sheet, a normal sheet, and a  quilt, I managed to jam everything into a 9x9x9 inch plastic cube thing that one of the sheets came in. I then fell to the ground in happy exhaustion.

Then, realizing that I still had to worry about weight limits, I weighed my backpack with the cube in typical fashion - weigh myself, then put on the backpack and weigh myself again, and subtract. it turned out to be nine pounds with the sheets and blankets, leaving me with about ten more pounds before I surpass the carry-on limit.

But that's not the important part. The important part is that I put on this backpack, and it kind of freaked me out for a second. It hit me that I'm not bringing a suitcase to Swaziland with me, just this backpack and my tuba. Seriously? I thought. You seriously think that you're going to fit your entire life into this backpack, and the extra space in a tuba case? Have you gone INSANE? At that point, I kind of paused, tossed the backpack to the ground, and attempted to kick it across the floor. It didn't go very far.

Yup. Definitely insane. But, as I decided a long time ago, sanity is relative. Regardless, sanity is also boring :)

Pack-a-knick-knack... and a tuba.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, packing looks like it's going to be a much bigger hassle than previously expected. I will be packing in two bags. The first is a medium sized backpack that will be stored in the overhead bins on each flight, and due to restrictions on the second leg, cannot weigh more than 18 pounds. The second bag is the space inside my tuba case around my tuba. Whatever I put in that space cannot weigh more than 19 pounds, as the weight limit for the tuba (as checked luggage) is 50 pounds, and I'm already paying the oversize fee. There's no way I'm paying the oversize and overweight fee. And I'm not checking a second bag, because it stresses me out to check any luggage at all, much less two bags.  I like to pack ridiculously light.

Probably shouldn't have picked the tuba.

Anyways, instead of the normal "how do I fit my life into two bags for a year abroad" dilemma people have when getting ready to study abroad, I'm having the "how do I fit my life into a backpack and the space in my tuba case around my tuba" dilemma. These are the sorts of problems that just make me really happy to have :)

BOOKED MY FLIGHT!

I JUST BOOKED A ONE WAY TICKET TO JOHANNESBURG! :)

Life is so wonderful. This is so exciting. Chicago to New York, where I get to spend a lovely twelve hours in the airport, and then off to Johannesburg. I take a bus across the border into Swaziland and to the campus. I'M SO EXCITED!

Also, it's a little strange to have booked a one way ticket. By the time I leave, I'll have another ticket to come back to the States for Christmas, because of rules with the visas and such, but THAT will be a round trip ticket, getting me back to Johannesburg in the end. It's weird - I just booked a one way ticket to Africa. Also weird, that later on, booking my round trip ticket for Christmas, it'll be a round trip ticket to Chicago and back, not from Chicago and back.

WEIRD! I'm so excited. Beyond excited. I'm at that five-year-old-girl stage, clutching my new pony coloring book like it's the most amazing thing ever. Except that my coloring book is... A PLANE TICKET TO AFRICA! And as far as it goes, I'm pretty convinced it's the best thing ever!

On another note, my parents didn't laugh when I started going crazy that I have a one-way ticket to Africa.

I'm terrible at writing when I'm this excited, but I just had to document this momentous occasion when I was still being weird about it! :)

To Iowa!

I leave today to go to Iowa for the rest of the summer (I get back August 18th), where I'll be working to earn some money to pay for my plane ticket to Swaziland.

While Iowa isn't the most exciting destination in the world, there are some parts about travelling there that are much more exciting than my travels to Jordan.

While yes, I will be driving through cornfields, at least I'll be driving, compared to flying, where you're herded around with hundreds of other cranky passengers, and nobody talks to each other, and everyone just wants to get there already. When you're on a plane, you pass over so much - you see airports during your layover, and only get off the plane at your final destination. While driving, if there's something on the side of the road that seems fascinating, I can stop and look around.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that it should be an interesting journey this time, and even while the destination isn't as exciting as Swaziland or Jordan, I'm looking forward to the ride. And even though the destination isn't as "exciting," I'm still looking forward to it just as much.

Packing Tips for NSLI-Y (and other study abroad)

So, there has been a little (lot) bit of freaking out about packing, and how much to pack, and what to pack. This is a run-down, in a handy dandy Q&A form, for everyone who is freaking out about packing. I mean, come on guys. You're capable young adults, going abroad for the summer/year. You can handle filling a suitcase.

(Note: NSLI-Y official rules of packing (at least my understanding) - summer guys, you get one checked bag. Year, you get two. Fifty pounds (MAX) for each. Plus your carry-on.)

Q: How much should I pack?
A: One (two, for year, if you need it) suitcase(s) that weigh less than fifty pounds, plus a carry on bag. Rule of thumb? You have to be able to carry all your luggage (BY YOURSELF) up a mountain and back to get to and from your house with it. Oh wait... that was reality in Jordan. Still a good rule of thumb!

Q: Is 50 pounds going to be enough?
A: Yes. Although shoot for 30 or 40 if you can, just to leave plenty of space for souvenirs and such. If you're a book person, or are planning on getting a particular heavy object, leave more space, as these items weigh more than you'd expect.

Q: Do we have to wear long pants/skirts if we're going to the Middle East?
A: Yes. You're ambassadors of the United States, like it or not. That's what you get for accepting a US government sponsored scholarship. Therefore, be modest, and learn to love the long pants. I promise, when you get back to the states, you'll be in shock at the haraam clothing of American teenagers ;)

Q: How do you pack for a whole year?
A: The same as you pack for the summer. Laundry exists, you know. You don't have to bring another outfit for every day!

Q: How big should my suitcase be?
A: Rule of thumb? Don't be an idiot. You'll know if your suitcase is too big if you can't carry it out the door by yourself. Just make it big enough to bring what you need, and no bigger. (Although, if you're a big shopping/souvenir person, leave extra room. I had enough room for souvenirs after giving my host family their presents, but that might not be the case for you).

Q: How many outfits should I bring?
A: Enough for one week - you can do laundry. Or follow the "rule of fives." Five tops, five bottoms, five pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, and so on.

Q: How do I make all these clothes fit?
A: Don't fold pants, just put them flat at the bottom of the suitcase. Roll t-shirts like this. Put anything that's not cooperating in a Ziploc bag, and zipper it when you're sitting on it to squish out all the air. Put your socks and underwear inside gym shoes so that you don't waste the space.

Q: What do I put in my carry-on?
A: Heavy things, because your carry-on isn't weighed, but your checked bag is. This includes books, and any sort of large metal jewelry, if you have a lot of that.

Q: What should I do for luggage locks?
A: You really don't need to lock anything, but if you want to you can buy a luggage lock at Target or Walmart. Just make sure it says that it's TSA approved on the package.

Q: What about bringing back souvenirs?
A: If you know you're a big shopper, leave room. If you're not, the space that "opens up" after giving your host family their presents should be enough, depending on what the presents are.

Q: What will I bring back to the States when I'm done?
A: Souvenirs, of course. But most likely you'll end up leaving a lot of your clothes that you brought with to the host country, in the host country. In some cases it's to make more room for a souvenir that you now like more than that old t-shirt, or because you're just barely over the weight limit. Our group created a significant pile of clothing items that stayed in Jordan after we left, so don't be surprised if ou find yourself leaving lots of clothes behind. As such, pack accordingly, and try not to be emotionally attached to every piece of clothing you pack :D

Q: AHHHH WHAT ABOUT _________ ?!?!?!?
A: Do you need it? Yes? Bring it. No? Don't. Easy as that.

HAVE FUN PACKING EVERYONE! Even though I'm not going with NSLI-Y this summer, packing just makes me excited. Plus, I still have to pack for eleven weeks of camp this summer, and packing to go to Swaziland is right around the corner!

Things I'm Wondering

I'm sure that all of these will be answered soon enough, assuming they'll give me a packet of information about the school and everything. It's strange - I thought I knew SO much about the school when I was at the interview, but now it's been occurring to me that I know oh-so little about anything. So, here goes!

In no particular order... and this is definitely an incomplete list...

1. How exactly do you pronounce Mbabane? Em-ba-ban?
2. What classes have the best field trips? Best teachers?
3. How many suitcases do people bring?
4. Would it be better to ship or check my tuba as luggage?
5. What exact day are we leaving?
6. WHO IS MY CO-YEAR? 
7. Do I even have a co-year from the US?
8. If I do, who are you, and can we coordinate flights?
9. Who are my roommates going to be?
10. Are those "traditional Swazi huts" on the UWC website dorms?
11. Do I get to live in one?
12. What am I going to do this fall before I go?
13. What am I going to do when I get back?
14. What is class going to be like? Small? Big? Aliens?
15. Will I like it there?

Psh, that last one is silly. I decided before going to Jordan that homesickness and comfort in a new place is a choice. All you have to do is decide that you're not going to be homesick, and that you're going to love wherever you're going. And POOF - you love it there. It works, at least so far, at least for me. I figure it's a mindset thing. We'll see if it works again. As of now though, I'm just really, really excited, and thinking that January is simply too far away. I've had people ask me if I'm nervous, and I guess I'm just not. I see no reason to be nervous - I'm starting at a really awesome school, with really awesome people! What's there to be nervous about?

I wish I knew the exact day I was leaving so I could start a countdown! I LOVE countdowns... 

Facebook is like a diary I forget that I'm keeping.

I’m not quite sure what prompted me to do this. Actually, I know exactly what prompted me to. The first post in this long list of posts popped up on the side of my Facebook, and while usually I ignore those posts, it kind of struck me. I mean, I posted it before I went to Jordan, before I met anyone there, before I knew anything about the Middle East, before it all happened. And that’s a little weird. So I ended up going through my statuses since then, and making a grand list. It’s strange, seeing life laid out like this, but kind of fascinating at the same time.

And so I present to you, a list of my exchange program related status updates on Facebook from December 21, 2010, to February 23, 2012. It’s a long read, but hey. If you’re up for it :)

December 21, 2010
“semi-finalist for this exchange program scholarship! so excited!”

March 31, 2011
“Will know in the next two weeks whether I'm spending the summer abroad. I don't think I'm going to be able to focus on much of anything else :)”

April 12, 2011
“WILL BE LIVING IN AMMAN, JORDAN THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”

April 16, 2011
“Countdown to Jordan - 58 Days. Countdown to AP Test - 30 Days. I should put down the Arabic book and pick up the review books.”

May 31, 2011
“Packing for the Middle East is easy to do in advance: none of the shorts and t-shirts I wear here are getting packed, and I'm not planning on wearing any of the long sleeves and long pants here before I leave. Sounds like a plan :)”

June 12, 2011
“In about 12 hours, I'll finally been leaving. It's been 64 days since I got my acceptance letter, I'm so ready for this.”

June 15, 2011
“Leaving for the DC airport in a couple minutes, had some extra time for Facebook. Apparently houses in Jordan don't have street numbers, so mail doesn't work. So, I can send letters home, but not recieve them. BYE! I'LL BE ON A A A PLANE FOR LITERALLY THE NEXT THREE DAYS, WITH THE WAY THE TIME CHANGES WORK. It's insane, actually. But it's fun, I'm loving it so far.”

June 18, 2011
“At the Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan. My host family is amazing, but they don't speak English at all - I'm learning so much Arabic”

June 30, 2011
“Ana 3ndi wajb kiteer. Ana mish baheb wajb. Laken ana 3ndi al urdun, so life is good :)”

July 1, 2011
“Dear deep dish pizza we're making tomorrow,
Please work despite the fact that we couldn't buy cornmeal in the middle east. There's 25 jordanians expecting pizza from this little adventure. Don't make me regret opting for crust from scratch.
Thanks, see you tomorrow morning,
Diana”

July 2, 2011
“Pizza is success so far. Crust and sauce from scratch are good, hopefully this works. Hopefully the middle east appreciates this.”

July 5, 2011
“Spent the 4th of July in a cafe on "shar3 rainbow," and then went and got schwarma. I feel un-American :)”

July 7, 2011
“Leaving for our weekend trip south tomorrow morning. Supposedly I'm not supposed to post where we're going for security purposes, but honestly, there's only three places where people go in the south of Jordan, and we're going to all of them. Today is our last day with our host families though... I'm horribly sad. I'm going to visit them pretty much everyday when I'm living in the apartments when we get back.”

July 7, 2011
“Our family has declared that we are not sleeping tonight because it is our last night with the host families. I am going back and forth between sobbing and having a good time.”

July 11, 2011
“Yesterday I woke upin Wadi Rum with the beadouins. This morning I woke up in an apartment with a broken washing machine, and the bunch of sketchiness everywhere. Figures. I want my host family back :)”

July 16, 2011
“Protests at the mosque downtown yesterday. Some police used clubs on people, so it was international news. There's rumors of people hurt and dead, but I'm fine. I was at the mosque downtown yesterday, but I wasn't in a protest and I'm fine. Don't worry.”

July 18, 2011
“Arabic teacher is operating on Jordanian time, meaning she's currently one hour late and counting. Rock on, yanni.”

July 21, 2011
“Happiness is...”

July 23, 2011
“Exhaustion. But I never want to come home :)”

July 25, 2011
“When I say home home, I mean Dhahiat al Hussein. When I say home, I mean Tila al Ali. America is just being referred to as "back."”

July 27, 2011
“Woke up, and went to the Jordanian police station to try and pay our way out of getting a blood test because we overstayed our visas and broke the rules. Funny how things work here.”

July 27, 2011
“taxi min shar3 rainbow ila tila al ali, sab3a dinar??? la, shukran, m3salaama.”

(Back in America)

September 25, 2011
“Bidi al-Urdon. It's one of those days.”

October 22, 2011
“I wish that I could still use this as a reason to be tired: "I made a trip fi al-balaad and lost a small Asian girl in the fruit market and had a taxi driver who wouldn't take me home the right way, and now I'm out of shai and the hamaam is broken again and ya haraam, there goes the door handle again, and I just spent fifteen minutes stuck in the elevator with some random kid wearing boxers on his head, holding up a firecracker discussing some sort of bomb with another kind wearing a pink hijab. And then I just wanted to sit on the roof but there was some creepy kid asking whether boxer man's wife had a boyfriend, and then I wanted to go to bed but there was a fan that kept threatening to fall on my mattress, and I was just exhausted." Tisba'ala khair, world. If only I'd wake up in Tila'a al Ali tomorrow morning.”

October 28, 2011
” Priority list for the weekend: NSLI-Y app, NSLI-Y app, NSLI-Y app.”

October 29, 2011
“Sooo... anybody want to edit my NSLI-Y essays?”

October 30, 2011
“"Why do you want to study Arabic?" Why WOULDN'T anybody want to study Arabic? :) If only I could make that my entire essay.”

November 21, 2011
“Bidi al-urdon... it's one of those days.”

November 28, 2011
“Looking for full-ride scholarships for exchange programs. Found one that's two years, and somehow my mother likes that one more than the one that's just one academic year. Strange world...”

November 29, 2011
“" Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence." Oh, how I love personal statements for applications...”

December 20, 2011
“Looking through all of my Arabic books instead of doing homework :)”

December 23, 2011
“Driving out to Pennsylvania for Christmas, and then back to Chicago for New Year's with all my habibtis”

December 28, 2011
“Remember that night in Til3 al-Ali when we were joking about having a reunion for New Year's? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ALL COMING TOMORROW! Ba7ebek, bishofik mbukra!!!!”

December 31, 2011
“New Year's with the best people ever... And I bought pita, so life is good :)”

January 21, 2012
“NSLI-Y Interview! :)”

February 22, 2012
“Compulsively checking my email every 50 minutes :)”

February 23, 2012
“Dear UWC National Committee,
Please just tell us already :)
Thanks,
Diana”

February 23, 2012
“Got an interview for UWC! :)”

Strange, this Facebook thing. Status updates… hm… strange.

And so now, I wait. To hear about whether I get to go on NSLI-Y again. To hear about when my interview is for the UWCs, and then to hear whether I get to go to a UWC. But for these sorts of things, I suppose it’s worth it J

Last Few Hours Home

So my plane takes off around one o'clock, which translates into leaving my house at ten or ten thirty. Which leaves about two more hours at home. I'm all packed and ready though, so I would totally be ready to leave now though. I suppose waiting two hours here is better than waiting two hours at the airport though.

I'm ridiculously excited. I don't even know how to say how excited I am. I'm flying to DC, and then we spend tonight and tomorrow night in DC at orientation. Wednesday evening, I think it is, we leave on a plane to Frankfurt. We arrive the next morning, and then have the entire day as a layover. The flight to Jordan leaves that evening, and lands in Amman around two in the morning. Which I think ends up that we get to Jordan on Friday, but by that point my brain is going to be so messed up I don't even know. And if the times listed on my schedule are in local times, it'd really only be Thursday afternoon when I get to Jordan in the early morning. Or so I think, but it hurts my brain to think about being in the future. Amman is eight hours ahead of Chicago, so with that flight schedule and then jet lag, it should be interesting. Adding in the fact that I can hardly sleep when I'm think excited anyways.

I'm freaking out. In a fantastic, really good way. I can't wait.

Packing List Extravaganza

This is probably way more than you ever wanted to know about what to bring to the Middle East. But maybe you're like me, and got really annoyed about not knowing what to pack. Obviously I haven't gotten there yet, so I might end up posting later about everything I packed wrong, but we'll see.

I have a strange fixation on having as little luggage as possible, and for this trip, it meant that I felt the need to put everything into one small suitcase and a backpack sized bag. And by small suitcase, I mean one that I think could be carried on and not checked if I wanted to.

But that doesn't necessarily mean I travel particularly light, it just means I know how to fold clothes to make as many fit as possible. I just finished packing, and at last count, I had around eight t-shirts, one dress shirt, four button down shirts, four tank tops, six long sleeved shirts, one pair of jeans, one pair of khakis, two pairs of special travel pants, and one floor length skirt. (If you're thinking that I can't wear short sleeves and tanks tops in the Middle East, you're right. They're just useful for layering). And on top of that all my other stuff somehow fit in there two, after about thirty different arrangements in the suitcase. The secret is rolling up your clothes in tiny little balls like in the military, not folding them. Seriously.

The stuff that actually took up the most room was the gifts for my host family. Most of it fit pretty well, an I didn't have a problem with most of the gifts, except for the baseball hats. They kind of bothered my perfectionism of having everything fit flat and neat in the suitcase. They're not box-shaped, and they're not flat, but they're not rolls, so they can't get stuck in with my shirts. They're this awkward shape, and the brims wouldn't stay flat, and they frustrated me! They just ended up on top.

Okay, as far as toiletries go, that's honestly not something I want to discuss. Bring whatever you need, and remember that you can always buy more there if you run out. There's no need to bring the extra-large bottle of shampoo. Toothpaste is the one thing I bring a lot of. I get kind of freaked out by strange toothpastes. And then there's always the thing about three ounces (100 mL) of liquid/gel or less in a carry on bag. At least that's what it is right now, maybe it changes. So make sure that most of your stuff is in your checked bag, because you don't want to have to throw out whatever liquid you felt you couldn't be separated from for a few hours.

Now that I'm on the topic of checked versus carry-on. Usually my family and I try to carry on everything. I actually don't remember the last time we checked anything. But, on this trip, I will be checking baggage, mostly for the reason that not all of my liquids are three ounces or less in my bag. So then comes the challenge of what to put in your carry on bag and what to put in your checked bag. The general rule of thumb, which they also reminded us of for this exchange program, is to put anything you need in your carry-on, and other stuff in the checked bag. That means passport, identification card, tickets, visas, that stuff needs to be in your carry on. (Also, if you're travelling internationally, extra photocopies of your passport are sometimes useful should something happen to the actual thing. And extra passport photos if you need a visa).

Also, bring whatever you need to live for a few days in your carry-on. Two shirts, a pair of pants, a hairbrush, and so on. And extra glasses, if you wear them. Buying new glasses on vacation  is not cool. Packing this is your carry-on is where the military rolling comes in handy, so they stay in neat little rolls in the bottom of your bag, instead of coming unfolded and taking up half your backpack.

You mean you don't know how to military roll clothes? Gasp! Click here,and be enlightened.

And then there is some stuff that I'm bringing just because I have a host family there. I already talked about packing the gifts for the host family, but as far as having gifts for host families, make sure you do. Stuff from your area seems to be the best bet, from what I've been able to read ahead of time. The fact that I live near Chicago makes that an easy choice, at least for me.

Also, bring a photo album of "home." I haven't been yet, but people I've talked to who have done similar trips before have said that it helps if the family doesn't speak English, to start conversations, and so they can see your family, and so that you have something to look at if you get homesick. I've never really gotten homesick before, but we'll see.

And electric adapters. Bring one. I have one that can be used for almost any outlet, which is nice. My mother has a set of a bunch of them, and you just have to figure out what to use. Just have something, because you don't want to get stuck without it.

Oh, and if you're a woman, bring a couple large scarves that could be used as headscarves. I've heard varying reports on how conservative different regions are, but everyone seems to agree that long sleeves and pants are necessary, and having a headscarf in your bag is smart. That way, if you feel like you're getting too much attention, or for any reason, you can simply put it on, and you'll be good. I'm not sure how it is in Jordan, I've read different stories, depending on the area and people they were with. I'm guessing that for me, it's going to matter most on my host families preferences.

I'm not sure how useful this is going to be, but I also stuck a little memo book in my  bag. I figure there might be situations where it could help to write a destination for a cab, or to write down a new word so I don't forget. Or something. I feel strange not having a paper and pen on me at all times.

Well, that's pretty much it. I packed other stuff too, but this is long enough. 73 hours until I leave!!!