A Little Over 24hrs to Go

I'm almost packed. It's a miracle. I keep freaking out over which clothes to bring. What if I need a nice dress for something or what if I leave these shoes at home and then I need them? These hypothetical unknowns are killing me. And then again, part of me thinks I'm overpacking. I  should make up my mind already. I'm leaving early Sunday morning for Pete's sake. I really should have started taking my Xanax several days ago...

Sunday/Monday is going to be a really long travel day. Flight to JFK, sit around for about 8 hours, then get on a plane to Paris, then sit around for 4 hours, then fly to Berlin. I'm beside myself with joy over how much travelling I have to do...not. At least it gets better from there. I get to visit Berlin; Wroclaw, Poland; Brno, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; and Regensburg, Germany. My itinerary is pretty detailed and some of it sounds pretty cool. Others, not so much. A gypsy museum doesn't sound too exciting to me. Anyways, I'm traveling from August 22-September 3, so I will have limited internet access. Once I get to Strasbourg, I'm unsure if I'll have internet in my home.

A good sign about my internet chances though, is the fact that my host mother emailed me. I was super excited to hear from her, because we don't officially find out our host families until the 3rd, when we reach Strasbourg. Her name is Rosette and she is a grandmother. Her house is 8 minutes (!) on foot from the Syracuse Center, where I will take my classes. She said she hosts one or two other girls during the year from different programs/countries. Hopefully I'll make some new foreign friends!

This post is getting long-winded, so I'll wrap it up. I'm very excited/nervous for my trip. Hopefully everything is amazing and that I never want to leave (even though I have to).  Everyone wish me "Bonne chance!" (Good luck).

Packing and Panic Attacks

So I'm sitting on my bed, surrounded by travel guides and packing lists, and all I can think about is how utterly unprepared I am for France (and the rest of Europe). I'm just so afraid I'm going to forget something back home or miss seeing something awesome in Europe because I have no clue what's going on when. In case you don't know me very well, I'm a planner. I like knowing what I'm doing and when, and I like to schedule things so I can maximize my experience. Well, on this trip, I have to go with the flow. I don't just go with the flow very easily. No plan= panic attacks. And trust me, the last thing anybody wants is me, a crazy American, freaking out in the middle of Europe. There is going to be a lot of serious adjustments I'm going to have to make.

Anyways, back to planning (or lack thereof). My main concern is what the heck I'm going to do with my free time in Berlin, Wroclaw, Brno, and Vienna during my two-week seminar. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also need suggestions on where to visit in Europe during weekends when I want to explore and leave the fabulous city of Strasbourg. I'm pretty sure I'm making a visit to London, but other than that I'm pretty open.

This is my first blog post so please forgive me if it is boring/rambling/neurotic.  Oh, and please leave me comments. Otherwise I'll feel like no one loves me and that I'm just talking to myself :)