This is my last week in Brooklyn before I leave for Rome! Preparing to leave is one of the most boring, stressful and important parts of study abroad—that and packing up at the end. There are endless little tasks that need to be carried out before you can leave when all you want to do is go: calling the credit card company to tell them you’ll be away, sorting out your cell phone plan for when you’re abroad, checking that your visa is in order and that you have the proper documentation for residence in your country of destination, and then of course packing as much clothing as you can fit in the largest legally allowable suitcase money can buy.
All of this can seemingly cut into the romance of study abroad a bit. It’s certainly not Fellini and gelato and walking along the Tiber on a sunny day. The thing is though, when people talk about study abroad helping you grow and change as a person, all of this planning is a big part of that as well. When I studied in London last semester I had to deal with these bureaucratic type issues on my own for the first time, although I did always have the lifeline of calling my parents and my study abroad advisers at GW (and of course at my host institution in London). Dealing with those issues—most monumentally trying to get a visa for Italy as an American in London—gave me more confidence in myself and my ability to deal with issues in the future. So embrace it a bit, as much as it can be boring.
Still, for all that making mistakes is a growing experience I will give some packing tips that I learned from my last semester abroad to finish up this preparation-post:.
1. Bring adaptors! This is so important because you do not want to arrive at your hotel/dorm/home-stay etc. and realize that your phone is dead and you have no way to charge it!
2. Bring something that reminds you of home for that one week where you might be feeling a little bit homesick.
3. Bring shower shoes: you don’t know what the shower situation will be like. Be prepared.
4. Also about grooming: there is a chance that the country you’re going to will not sell your usual hair products/make-up etc. so if you swear by something it might be worth it to bring it. Still, suitcase space is a precious commodity. Use it wisely.
5. Check what the weather/temperature situation will be like where you’re going to study. You’ll likely need warm and cold weather clothes which is a pain because it means you have to bring less of both to fit into your already bursting suitcase.
6. In relation to #5: don’t over pack. I really did when I went to London and even if your parents are bringing you to the airport and people are picking you up, two barely-legal-they-are-so-ridiculously-Americanly-big suitcases are not fun to lug around when you’re trekking through the airport on your own.
Hopefully some of that will be helpful! In the meantime I’m trying to get my fill of home time before Rome—as well as parse together some really pathetic Italian. Till next week!