Note: this post is copied here from one of my early blogs, and recounts parts of my trip to study abroad in India in 2007!

TOMORROW! Holy moly, holy moly, holy moly, is the only thing going through my head right now. I would say that I am packed, in a thrown-everything-in-the-suitcase-and-will-reorganize-it-later kind of way. My room is moderately cleaned out and ready, except for all those things that I’ll be throwing last minute into a carry-on bag. I’ve said goodbye to pretty much everyone so far. (If I’ve missed you, sorry about that! It’s busy moving out of the country, and heck, it’s only for a year, right?) Tonight we had a nice dinner at our neighbors’ house, (thanks a bunch, it was really great…) and then I returned home to resume my packing. For the past two hours, though, I’ve pretty much just sat here. I feel like I have a million things to do, but I can’t bring myself to do any of them. It just feels so……. weird! I’ll be trying to stay up as much as I can tonight so I can grab some sleep during the 40 hours worth of travel. (NYC-London-New Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai). As Dad reminded me though, worrying about forgetting stuff is mainly silly, since there’s really nothing that can’t be found in India that I would need. Anyhow, it still feels incredibly weird to be preparing for this sort of thing, and my stomach is feeling fluttery. I’d better start doing some productive things and stop thinking about the weirdness of it all, because chances are I’ll want more time to be dealing with the excitement tomorrow, and less time having to deal with logistical stuff. Goodnight all!

Note: this post is copied here from one of my early blogs, and recounts parts of my trip to study abroad in India in 2007!

Well, today is Wednesday, July 4… I’m one week from my journey. Some updates on my progress include: I’ve taken my first dose of Mefloquine (anti-malarial) which, thankfully, doesn’t seem to cause the possible hallucinations or dizziness like the warnings say. I’ve also bought bug spray (40% deet!) and some other small items on my packing list.

Cali came home last night, and Dad, Marly, Cali, Liz, and two of her friends and I all hauled out on the boat last night to see the lake fireworks, which was a very fun and entertaining way to spend the night. In the next week, I will be seeing some friends and family and enjoying my last week here in NJ.

Note: this post is copied here from one of my early blogs, and recounts parts of my trip to study abroad in India in 2007!

Hi family, friends, and anyone else who’s interested,

Well, in about two weeks, I will be leaving for Pondicherry, India to study for one year. I will spend the first semester (July-November) at Pondicherry University, taking some courses in Indian culture, Tamil language, and some science courses. From January until May, I will be living on Andaman Island, studying with professors from PU’s Centre for Marine Science. In between semesters, I will do some traveling. All of the credits from the year will transfer towards my studies at Montclair. So far, I’ve got a suitcase with nothing in it, and have lots more to do to get ready. We’ll see if I end up scrambling the night before to pack what I need!