Hey guys!

So....I move to France in 4 days. I can hardly believe it!! My room is rather chaotic as I am packing and putting the rest of my life in storage for a year. Hope you all are doing well. Just wanted to say hello before I ship out. God Bless.

Loni

It's Official...

I'm headed to Korea next fall!!!

I picked up my letter yesterday, and should be in Korea by August 22!!!

Whoot whoot, time to celebrate!

Sun

EURO CUP

Hey everybody!

I just wanted to remind everybody going to Europe that the European Cup is taking place right now. If you are going to Europe anytime soon it will be a major topic of discussion so check it out. The teams are some of the best in the world. 

I hope everybody is having a great summer!

Chelsea 

P.s. go Espana!

I MADE IT TO THAILAND!!

I've been in Thailand for a little over a week and I've done so much. But there's so many more things to do! The harderst part of travelling has to be figuring out which sites youre going to see or miss. Hopefully I see more than I miss. My favorite places in Bangkok as of now are Khao Sahn road (google this its so awesome) and Wat Po (the reclining Buddha). Food's cheap, the beers good, and the people are great. Here's a picture of me on the Chao Phrya river with the temple of dawn on the background, and one with me and some group students at khao sahn road and another of me with the reclining buddha. I've decided to also travel to Ankor Wat Cambodia, Hanoi Vietnam, and Manila Philippines while I'm in southeast asia. Travelling is my new passion in life!

Look Who's Looking...

One of the interesting things about a blog is that you never know who might end up checking it out. In the few short weeks that our blog has been in existence, we've attracted viewers literally from around the world who are interested in our plans, tips and adventures.

Official Offer!

Hey everyone!
I'm really excited, I got my official offer letter...finally! Now I have to speedily fill out all the required forms, get my health insurance, get my visa, and finally book my plane ticket!! It's all so stressful right now, but hopefully will be worth it. I went into STA travel the other day and the staff working there was great and very helpful. The lady I was working with even looked up another student who was going so we could hopefully get on the same flight so we don't have to travel alone. My ticket estimate was around $1800...which was expected, but I don't actually think it's that bad. I was really scared there wouldn't be any flights because of the late notice. I leave early July. Orientation is July 14th. AH! Almost two months away!!
Ok kinda weird sidetrack...who watches LOST??
Well I do, and on the show, this plane crashes on a flight from Sydney to LA...which is the flight I'll eventually be making. Kinda funny...I know, it's fiction, but still!
Anyways...
I have a lot of prep and a lot of questions I need to get answered before I leave.
For example...what about furniture? I know that's weird to think about, but seriously, what about furniture? As far as housing goes, we are left to find our own, whether it's an apartment or house somewhere. So I wonder, if they're for students if they're already furnished.
What about bed sheets and towels? Haha, do we bring our own? Or do we buy them there? I assume buy them there...
I'm still really nervous, but I know it will all be worth it and I would regret it if I didn't go.
Has anyone else gotten their letters since class?

VESPA!!!!

The one thing that I am most excited for when I study abroad in Italy is riding a Vespa. I have always wanted to ride one, they look like so much fun. I checked out the prices and I think I can rent one for the day and it is $25. I do not need a license though, I just need to show them my I.D. I cannot wait, I just hope that they are easy to ride!!!

-Lindsey Marx

Italian Language

I just found this great website that I am going to start using to help me learn Italian. I have already taken 2 years of Spanish and hear that the languages are similar. I think that if I start learning the language now, it will be much easier for me to learn it while I am over there. The program that I am going on requires me to take 1 Italian class, so hopefully this trip will help me to be fluent at Italian. I will just keep my fingers crossed. If anyone wants to check out the website, the link is posted here. Good luck!!!!

-Lindsey Marx

Traveling across Europe? -By Jamye Sharp

Hey everyone! I found this cool website if anyone is planning on traveling through Europe while you are abroad. CLICK HERE. It tells you everything you need to know from transportation to rules and regulations to hotel and hostel booking.

Extra Travel Tips from Jamye Sharp

Hi everyone! i found a few great links for some extra travel tips while abroad. This site is from the US dpartment of State. it has a great little last time check list on it. If you want more medical information and tips you could check out this site here also by the US Department of State. Hope everyones travels go well! good luck to everyone!

21st Birthday in Italy!!!

So, it looks like I will be spending my 21st birthday in Europe. This is the first time I will ever be away from my family and friends for my birthday. 21 probably won't be as big and exciting of a birthday as it would be here in the United States. I'm still looking forward to it. I actually have my spring break with my program during my birthday and I would like to visit in Spain to meet up with my friend who is studying abroad there. This website has a bunch of different events that are happening during the month of March in Italy, which happens to be the month of my birthday. I am looking forward to my 21st birthday, but especially to be celebrating it in Europe!!! I cant wait!!!

-Lindsey Marx

Christmas in Holland

For my 21 years of existence, I have never once spent Christmas away from my family. I've always either been at home or visiting my grandparents in Seattle for the holidays, so it'll be quite a challenge to spend Christmas and New Years abroad for the first time. However, it'll be wonderful to see the Dutch's unique holiday traditions. Lonely Planet's site on the Netherlands describes: "Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) is the white-bearded patron saint of children who arrives "from Spain" in mid-November. He is accompanied by a host of mischievous servants called Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters). On the evening of December 5, people give one another anonymous gifts, accompanied by poems about the recipient, written by Sinterklaas. The Dutch sensibly have two Christmas days (on December 25 and 26). Fireworks are only allowed to be sold in the days preceding New Year's Eve- there are hundreds of injuries each drunken, crackin', bangin' December 31." Obviously my typical traditions of "mele kalikimaka" and christmas luau's at the beach are going to change a bit this year! :)

 An overview of events throughout the year:  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/netherlands/events

Goals

Obviously, I have many goals for my experiences overseas. One that is most important to me,  however, is utilizing the opportunity to explore the region of Europe, being I've never been there. Although I know the Netherlands will offer much to see and I'll be spending the majority of time there, I'll definitely want to travel. Given I am financially able to do so, I plan to travel extensively outward from the "Gateway to Europe" (aka: the Netherlands) to sight-see and experience various other cultures, people, and languages, in at least 3 other countries. It's hard to say specifically which countries I'll visit, being once I'm there, certain opportunities will arise depending on who I meet, but I have some favorites in mind for sure. I've heard from many how beautiful Italy and Greece are, so they top my list. I'd also love to explore the UK, hitting up Scotland and Ireland for a few beers and beautiful landscapes. It'd also be really cool to get in touch with my historical roots in Sweden and Germany as well. 

Aloha!

Hi there world! My name is Amanda, and I've just completed my 3rd year as a psychology undergrad at SDSU. To finish out my last year of college, I plan to spend the fall semester at the Vrije University of Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. I've been accepted to the university and will leave sometime in mid-August, and return to the States in January. In anticipation of the trip I am both nervous and thrilled. Although I have experience leaving home and going to an unknown place not knowing anyone (leaving Hawaii and coming to San Diego for school), I have never lived in a foreign country, let alone spent the holidays so far from home (on the other side of the world, for that matter). However, I am really really excited for my upcoming travels as I've never been to Europe, and know I will love the easy-going lifestyle the Dutch have. I hope all of you have wonderful adventures abroad too! 

Truly Useful Information: Help for Beverage Budgeting

While verifying some of the budget numbers in students' travel plans, I ran across this website - Price of a Pint that allows you to look up the price of a pint of beer around the world. While I don't want to encourage excessive drinking, I think it provides an interesting benchmark to help you get a feel for the relative cost of various items around the world. Sort of a beer index, if you will... ;-)

TSA- Ralph's 5th Post

While packing, I became really concearned about what I could and could not carry with me on the plane. It's been a little over 5 years since i've travelled overseas. And even then I had my parents telling me what I was suppose to bring and not bring. With all the recent restrictions and all these new different terrorist color codes who knows what permitted or prohibited these days. I found the TSA website to be very helpful. Heres the link for everyone else who's curious!

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm

Other Opportunities for Learning Abroad

In addition to traditional university exchange programs, there are lots of volunteer opportunities for people wishing to travel overseas for more than just a vacation. One that I am familiar with (I have family members who have participated in their programs and found them very rewarding) is Cross-Cultural Solutions which has a variety of volunteer options for students including some that offer college credit. Programs last from 2-12 weeks in one of a dozen countries from Costa Rica to Ghana. They also have scholarship and fundraising opportunities that can help defray the cost of the program.

Packing my luggage! ralph's 4th post

I turned in my last Final (a 10 page paper) this morning, now i can finally fully focus on my trip! I just bought a lonely planet travel guide for thailand, and it has a lot of good information, facts, and even maps. It breaks the country down into sections and those sections into popular attractions. It should be a great read during my long flight from lax to bangkok. everyone else was doing it so heres a picture of where i'll be studying...

Music lover???

I heard about this great festival that they hold in my city in France. As an avid music lover and would love to attend but I found out it is held in July and I wont be there in time but I might ahve to make a special trip back during my summer in Europe in 2009. 

I found this awesome website about it and here's the link for it.  "As Edinburgh is Festival City in Britain, so Aix-en-Provence fulfills this role for France. Founded in 1948, the Lyric Festival bring the very best of music and opera to historic venues throughout the town."

I am really hoping I can make it to this. French festivals seem to be where it's at. :D

~Loni 

Fun French Facts:

The French do things a tad different....

1. Wine is free with most meals (including lunch) but you have to pay for milk for your coffee. 

2. Public toilets usually have no toilet seat, and you have to pay to get it!

3. The streets run in every possible direction, and the intersections are circular. Have fun navigating!!

4. There are almost as many motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds as cars.

5. Most of the cars are small, and 2-seaters are not uncommon. 

6. The student dorm rooms have a sink and a bidet, but no toilet. It's up to you to figure that one out.

7. Beer is considered a luxury drink and saved only for special occasions. (Imagine my horror.) Wine is essentially everywhere, often free.

8. When you sit down at a restaurant, they do not offer you a drink. When you order your meal, they do not offer you a drink. After your meal, they do not offer you a drink. It's just assumed that you will drink water and wine with every meal. Soda, juice, and beer are like special requests.

9. The coffee is like rocket fuel. Imagine espresso, make it taste more like crude oil with some camphor in it, double the size. After 2 or 3 of those, it's near impossible to type.

10. It is often hot, cold, rainy, sunny, storming, drizzling, windy, calm, and dry several times in the same day. Makes dressing in the morning the most complicated task of the day. 

I thought these were pretty entertaining and several of these I had no idea about. Just goes to show that it's a good idea to do your homework before you leave. 

~Loni

This is an excerpt from Austin at www.groundstate.ca/node/256