Cornell and Beyond

back in a flash and gone just as fast

Thanksgiving Break went by like that.  I arrived at home at 10 PM on Thanksgiving Day, and enjoyed a late night Thanksgiving feast, making up for the Thai wrap I had for lunch at the airport.  Complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed taters, sweet taters, and cheesecake.  Yum.  The rest of the week I spent relaxing with family and going to Barnes and Nobles to do some studying.  (I know, I know, but if you had 3 biochem units due and a genetics test in one week, you would want to get ahead too!) I also got to see some old high school friends, who caught me up on all the gossip. The one thing that’s interesting about college is that (in my case at least) I don’t see high school people that often while I’m home at all.  That’s OK though, it just makes it more fun when I do see them.

On a completely unrelated note, I realized that today I took my last class as a Cornell University junior.  OK, technically I will still be a Cornell student while I’m in England, but it was still a little sad and very unreal.  College has gone by soooooo fast. They say these are the best 4 years of my life.  I want to know, where did the first two years go? College has been great, but it’s going by too fast in my opinion.  Let’s figure out how to slow time.  Or better yet, let’s stay in college forever, and never leave to face the so-called “real world.”  With me? Yeah!

oh so lonely

I love Cornell, but when it gets empty, it gets empty.

This is how it goes every Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks.  One second, everyone is right alongside you, laughing and having a good time.  The next, everyone is gone.  Everyone. 

It’s as if there is some machine in Ithaca that says, “Oh, it’s two days before break already? What have I been thinking?” And then it magically makes everybody on campus disappear. 

There are some good things about being on campus when everybody is gone.  No more fighting for the prime library seating, it gives you an excuse to order in, you have the dining halls/bathrooms/dorm all to yourself.  (If they’re open, of course.)

But mostly it’s a little lonely.  I would easily say that one of my favorite things about Cornell is the huge number of wacky, lovable people who go here.  And when they all leave, it’s like a little piece of Ithaca is missing : )

How poetic, right?

Anyway, I will not be getting home till 10 PM Turkey Day.  Ugh, I know.  Let this be a cruel reminder to you all to get your tickets early, and don’t let owning a “travel voucher” lull you into compliance.  I had one from being bumped off a flight last year, and thought that all I had to worry about were blackout days.  Nope.  Apparently there are reserved number of seats for “voucher passengers” which basically means if you are planning on using it you need to make your reservation 6 + months in advance.  Live and learn.

I have some exciting plans for Thanksgiving Break, such as studying, studying, and studying.  I’m also planning to squeeze some cuddle time in with my cat MiMi.  I suppose I’ll see some family and friends also.

Just kidding, family is the best part of going back for break!  You may not believe me now, but go away to college for a couple of months and you’ll be changing your tune.  Home will never look so good.  Seriously : )

I know you were waiting impatiently…

Pirate, Dalmation #1, Cruella, Dalmation #2, Tooth Fairy, Santa’s Helper, Santa
Better late than never, I say! We are all kids at heart <3

Wombat Traps and Bob Saget

This past weekend was wacky, and I’ll tell you why.

beyond the fish and chips

So today I made it to my General Orientation Meeting for Study Abroad. Let’s just say now I am even more pumped!

When I got there, we all received packets of information. Hefty packets of information. Really hefty packets.

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? This thick. I’m not even kidding you.

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I have several different brochures (Pre-Departure Guide, Study Abroad Handbook, Cornell Brown Penn Center Guide, United Kingdom Handbook, the list goes on) at this point, several forms still to fill in (insurance, “I promise not to leave early,” “I promise not to hold Cornell liable for anything,” permission to release information, etc.) and countless other flyers on everything from avoiding pickpockets to saving money while living in London. It was a little intimidating browsing through all the material, particularly since I don’t think I’ve seen so much paperwork since I was applying to college! It’s also intimidating because you realize there are about a billion things you need to do ASAP. Things I hadn’t even considered. Such as

-Purchasing insurance for a laptop or other valuables

-Registering with SOS, which helps you out in case of an emergency. This is actually pretty cool because Cornell automatically provides this for you, which is a relief since they mentioned an emergency medical evacuation could otherwise cost upwards of tens of thousands of dollars. (Can you say gasp?)

-Learning about the country by reading online newspapers and finding out about their national sports culture.

-Even more surprising: Learn more about America. Turns out it would be nice if we didn’t look like ignorant Americans who don’t even know what’s happening in their own country.

-Getting a visa! I still have no idea how to go about this, but will let you know how this goes.

-Turn in about 93784329874 different forms to the CUAbroad Office. OK, maybe more like 5. Still a lot to keep track of.

-Consult with a physician before going abroad.

-Figure out how my university is doing housing, and when I will get more information about it.

-Get my plane ticket. (Maybe this one was a bit obvious.)

-Figure out if I’ll be able to open a bank account once there.

-Figure out if I’ll be able to work when I get there. To do this I need to figure out if I have “restricted” status or “prohibited” status. I have no idea how I would be either.

Everything is so overwhelming, yet also so exciting. By the end of the meeting, my excitement was increased quadruple fold! England, here I come!

PS- Favorite warning from all the papers, found in ‘Don’t be a victim’: “Blend in…this means not wearing those oh-so American articles of clothing: white tennis shoes, white socks, white T-shirts with “funny” logos.”

Favorite Random Fact: 50% of the terrain in the UK is meadow and pasture.

I swear I think this packet has every single factoid about studying abroad I will ever need to know!

fish and chips, and all that jazz

I just wanted to say, I’m feeling much better!

Although the sore throat is still there, a little, the fever, headaches, and constant fatigue are gone.