The Final Stretch

Well, tomorrow is the beginning of the biggest adventure of my life thus far. To prepare for it, I finished packing today and spent the rest of the day spending time with loved ones. I finished the book I was reading, made some cornbread from scratch and packed some more.

Tonight, my church family held a bowling party at Super Bowl Lanes. As it was my last night in this country, I found that hanging out with the church family was a good way to say goodbye to a lot of people at once. Now, I am a horrible bowler, probably the worst in my family. I'm not called the "Gutter Queen" for nothing. To make matters worse, pretty much all of my family members are bowling champions. It was rather embarrassing the last time we went bowling all together. But with the group that I was with tonight, skill certainly didn't matter. In fact, I won two out of the three games that we played, and even broke 100 on the second game (which is amazing for me).

The most exciting part of bowling is not really my story, but I'm gonna tell it anyway. A girl at church, Bethany, ended up bowling five strikes in a row and getting a total score of 202! As someone for whom this feat would be practically impossible, I was literally in awe.

After leaving the bowling alley, we all went to the Svacha's house for food and fellowship. I hyperventilated several times, which I tend to do when I laugh. When I got home, my older sister and Avery had arrived; they came in solely for the purpose of seeing me off at the airport tomorrow. We are currently watching the third and final movie from Blockbuster, Hancock. All in all, I think that today has been practically ideal.

Down to Two

Today was much more interesting, mainly because I actually had several things to do! :) I went grocery shopping and ran an errand later in the afternoon. Most importantly, I have started packing for France. After all, I am only two days away until takeoff. I figured that packing earlier would leave me more time, so that I don't freak out as I am prone to do sometimes. At the moment, I have a full suitcase at the foot of the bed and the toiletries are all packed as well. By my calculations, tomorrow will be a packing day where I finish with plenty of time before going bowling with some people from my church. I truly hope that all goes well!

While packing, my mom and I watched Get Smart. I haven't seen the movie before, but it was sure to please me, as it is a comedy about spies, which is one of my favorite combinations. I was rather surprised that Mom liked it as much as she did. She was laughing just as much as I was, if not more. So now I'm down to two more days until I leave, and one more movie to watch as well!

Three to Get Ready

I think that this post will probably be my shortest thus far, simply because practically nothing remotely exciting happened today. I woke up to a regular Michigan winter: snow, and I simply sat in the living room and read for nearly the entire day. I didn't even have the TV on for background noise.

Around two I got to talk to Jess via Skype--it was about 7 her time in England. As she had just left yesterday, there wasn't a whole lot of information to trade. Even so, she told us about her plane trip and her first day in Kingston. I must admit that we both got a little bit teary-eyed, her because of exhaustion and homesickness and me because...well, because she was crying first, and I am always more prone to be emotional when I see someone whom I love with tears in their eyes. And of course, I missed her.

I honestly think that my parents are working hard to distract me for the next few days. Mom suggested that we rent out a few movies to watch, so we went to Blockbuster this afternoon and got three movies that neither of us have seen: Ice Age: the Meltdown, Hancock, and Get Smart. Of the three, I am most looking forward to seeing the latter, as I have heard that it is incredibly funny. Dad in his turn keeps on suggesting TV shows--mainly Jeopardy. He also has the tendency to follow me around the house and strike up conversation, but that's Dad!

And so this post turned out to be longer than I expected. I'm not really sure whether this will be considered a good thing or a bad thing, but oh well!

Four Days 'Til Takeoff

Today was, of course, the day that Jess left for England. She spent the morning packing last-minute items such as her laptop. And then we did an online Bible study with a few of our college friends. In the middle of that, our Grandmother showed up. Now, I know I should have expected it, but I didn't. I was pleasantly surprised. Not long after she came, Jess turned to me and whispered "I think Michele is coming in too." And she was right. As a surprise, Michele and Avery came in to town so that we could all see Jess off at the airport.

We arrived at the airport around 3:45, which meant that we had quite a bit of time to wait until Jess's plane. We simply walked around the terminal until around 5, when Jess had to go through security. Of course, the rest of the family couldn't follow her there, so we had to say goodbye before we joined the line.

I knew that it was going to be difficult to say goodbye; after all, Jess and I have been pretty much inseperable since birth. Even so, I did not really expect the waterworks that occurred. It was even harder than I expected to say goodbye. I'm not one to cry easily, though Michele does (She's the first to admit it). Dad is another one who gets emotional rather easily. But by the time Jess went through security, all of us--including Mom--were misty-eyed. Mom was the one who really surprised me; I have only seen her cry maybe twice before in my life. The only one who really remained dry-eyed was Avery, and I think that this was because she didn't really understand what was going on.

So Jess is gone. By this time tomorrow, she will have been in England for nearly a day. And me? I'm still waiting for my takeoff.

Five Days and Counting

As promised, here is the first of my countdown posts. Tomorrow is the day that Jess is supposed to leave for England, and at the moment we're both in our room. She is packing and I am taking turns reading and typing. In the background is the sound of the Broadway soundtrack of The Little Mermaid. Unexpectedly, this CD has become one of the most listened-to CDs over the past few weeks. I think that this is probably because it is familiar with the traditional Disney songs, but with several additions that are simultaneously hilarious and powerful.

Today was rather uneventful, as usual. Jess and I did visit several teachers at Romulus High School, our old school. We visited with some of our favorite teachers, including three of the four English teachers--Mrs. Williams, Ms. Sterling (now Mrs. Hanes) and Mrs. Kessler. We also saw Mrs. Pagel, who was our AP Government teacher and class advisor. It was even more fun than I expected. We caught up on a lot of things, though it seemed like I was always answering the same questions over and over. Sadly, a few teachers who we had hoped to see had left before we could visit, but oh well.

And now I am simply sitting on my bed listening to Jess pack and occasionally offering advice. In the meantime, I am also waiting for some of my college friends to get online in order for us to talk via Skype--which I must admit I have become addicted to in the short time since I have downloaded it. I honestly don't think that I will have any trouble keeping up with my friends and family while in France; we speak online now even when we're in the same room!

My Flying Companion

I have found my 'roaming gnome', or rather, my roaming bat. It is a bat stuffed animal that I found my senior year of high school in a dress shop--of all places. It was probably left behind by some little kid tagging along with his older sister or something. Anyway, I figured that with a history like this, it was only natural that this stuffed animal shall be my roaming gnome.

I have named her Echo and so far she already has a big fan in my niece, Avery. I accidentally left Echo on the side table and before I knew it, Avery had her in her hands and was playing with her. It was pretty comical seeing her flying Echo around, having her kiss Nikki, the dog. The kid takes after me--rather than being scared of bats like so many people, she seems to like them.

Needless to say, I am rather relieved to have found my little flying buddy, especially since I'm due to leave Saturday at 4. Now I don't have to worry about being lonely on the flight! :) At any rate, remembering to take pictures to keep everyone updated might be easier if I actually have something solid to remind me. Echo will be my reminder--the string on my finger, if you will.

Speaking of Saturday, I have decided that I will make it my goal to try to update every day this week, kind of like a countdown to the Big Day. I'm posting my intentions as an attempt to keep myself accountable. Most likely, my daily posts will be rather short and boring. Even so, this will give me something to do amidst my boredom. After all, my sister is leaving, which means that my movie-watching partner is gone. Most likely, I will end up killing a lot of time on the computer this week, so I might as well be doing something somewhat productive.

Close A Door, Open A Window

Hallelujah and praise the Lord! I have finally received a response from France...though not in the way that I expected. Apparently, a girl is staying with my host family, a study abraod student from Belgium. Said girl saw my letter on the kitchen table and took it upon herself to reply and answer some of my questions herself. YES!!!

So I received her email yesterday morning and was on a personal high all day. Of course, not all of my questions were answered. I still don't exactly know whether someone will be able to pick me up at the train station or whether I will be able to pay all my rent upfront. Still, getting a response at all has taken an entire load off of my shoulders. At the very least, I know that they know when I will be arriving, so when I show up on their doorstep on February 1st, at least they won't be completely surprised!

Getting a response from France--even if it was from a completely unexpected source--has brought such relief. I immediatly sent a reply stating how much I appreciated her thoughtfulness...including about a million thank-yous and several more questions. This whole response has been an answer to prayer. I had just about given up hope of getting a response at all. I guess this just goes to show that even when God closes a door, He opens a window!

My Own Roaming Gnome

For this weekend, my sister and I visited Grand Valley for the last time before going abroad. We went up Friday and came home earlier today. Our original plan was to come home Sunday, but the weather was against us and that plan was scrapped.

My first impression in visiting GVSU was how weird it felt to go on campus without actually living there. Since school started several weeks ago, the semester is well underway--without me. I hadn't realized how odd it would be to be a guest in my own school.

So anyway, this weekend was a lot of fun, though not as relaxing as I'd hoped it would be. Friday was my friend Ryan's birthday party, which was a themed party. The theme? Crossdressing opposites--mixing up both gender and social groups. I went as a dumb jock, and Jess was a partying frat boy. Also at the party we had a country hick, a game-addict, and a hippie. The costumes themselves were quite interesting to say the least. I'll try to upload some onto the blog if possible.

Saturday was actually supposed to be the relaxing day, but that was another plan that didn't follow through. We ended up having a game night with some girls from last semester's Bible study. It was fun, but Apples to Apples can sometimes get rather intense at times. This game in particular ended with an upset victory--mine!

Sunday we got together with several of Jess's friends from her American Lit class last semester. Among other things, we discussed the upcoming trips. someone--I can't quite remember who--suggested that along with our blogs, we should have our own 'roaming gnome'. That is, we should find something, like a stuffed animal, and take pictures of it visiting famous landmarks while in Europe. Crazy as this seems, it is right up my alley. I love the idea and as soon as I find a little buddy that I like, I will let you know! If pictures are not found here, then they will definitely be posted on Facebook!

Boredom. Complete and Utter Boredom.

I have always realized that I am someone who prefers to have a rather full schedule in lieu of a lot of free time. Why? Because boredom never fails to drive me bonkers. I have been sitting in the house with practically nothing to do for several weeks now, and I still have a few weeks to go. I have resorted to doing chores around the house to keep me occupied. Example: today was declared a laundry day, and my sister and I cleaned out the fridge. We also made homemade salsa and tortilla chips, which we then promptly devoured. So you see, boredom also leads to overeating--at least in my case.

Another even worse symptom of my boredom is the amount of time that I have spent watching TV. Normally, I only watch for a few hours a week at most--to catch my favorite shows (Heroes, Supernatural, Top Chef). When I'm bored, however, I randomly turn on the TV for background noise while I read. As a result, I have probably watched more TV in the last few weeks than in the last half a year combined.

I have also been able to watch quite a few movies. I am a big fan of movies, so this is not really a big sacrifice. Saturday was a Lord of the Rings marathon, where Jess and I watched all three movies with no interruptions. Sunday was a Chronicles of Narnia marathon, and I am currently watching Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (which I must admit is one of my favorites).

At the rate this is going, January 31 can't come fast enough for me. Anything to save me from this endless monotony!

Just a Dream

So I warned all of you at the beginning that I probably wouldn't update very regularly, so I won't apologize. At this rate, my plan is to update when I have time and actually remember--which is a tall order for me. Not to mention, I don't really plan on posting just for the sake of posting; when I write something, I want to make sure that it's actually somewhat interesting.

Though I still have several weeks before embarking for Europe, it is finally sinking in that I am going to a different country. Up until last night, France was still a distant thought. What made the difference between yesterday and today? I had a dream about studying abroad. No kidding. With everything that I have done so far to prepare for my trip--filling out applications, getting my visa in Chicago, buying supplies--the thing that ultimately makes my trip into reality was a dream.

Normally, I am not one to remember my dreams. I know I have them, as everyone does. Sometimes I even wake up feeling emotions that may have been influenced by a dream. Even so, I have not actually remembered my dreams since I was thirteen, when I dreamt about Frankenstein chasing me around the middle school, followed the next night by one where I teased a snake by pushing him off a branch. It is possible that this is the reason why having--and remembering--a dream for the first time in years has become rather momentous for me. Added to this, of course, is the fact that studying abroad will be one of the biggest steps in my life.

The dream itself wasn't anything special. In a way, it was a recap of what I've had to do to prepare for studying abroad. The only thing that actually deferred from reality in a big way was the part of the dream right before I awoke--and right before I actually left for France. Over the past two weeks, I have been trying to get ahold of the family that I will be staying with, to introduce myself and ask some questions. This almost felt like a homework assignment, since I had to translate everything into French. This process has worried me, since I have had no response for my emails as of yet. Just yesterday I sent out a letter, which will take much longer.

Anyway, in my dream, the response to my emails finally arrived. I immediatly had to send another telling my family to ignore the letter that I sent by snail-mail. The return email answered most of my questions and included an introduction to the people that I will be staying with for the next five months--something that I have been eagerly anticipating.

Such a simple thing to dream and yet I was unbelievably disappointed when I woke up. I immediately checked my email, but in vain: the response wasn't there. So I am still waiting--and panicking slightly at this lack. In the meantime, all I can do is count down the days until I takeoff to Europe. And I finally know that, though the letter arriving was just a dream, France is not.