So I have a little over four weeks until my departure from San Diego and about five hundred little things left to do.
The emphasis should be on "little." While it's true that I may have employed a slight hyperbole in the actual number of activities I need to complete, the fact is I have a tedium of chore after chore to accomplish before I depart for London, and no one warned me about all of the minutiae involved.
Oh, sure. As a student, I was warned well in advance to gather the documents needed to secure a visa. I was told to apply for housing at King's College - my host university - and to sign up for classes. I was even told to find a sturdy umbrella because it rains a lot in London.
My mentors conveniently left out, however, the paperwork you need to fill out if you wish to pick up a four month's supply of your medication in advance. I wasn't told about the struggle to find a UK cell phone or SIM card in the United States that you won't have to pay for until you land in the UK. And don't even get me started on the myriad of wall adapters I have to order online so I can actually charge my cell phone whilst I'm in the UK (yeah, that's a thing).
I suppose I'm starting this journey at a slight disadvantage; I've never been out of the country on my own before. It's a common enough reality, until you realize I mentioned earlier that I'm from San Diego. I'm literally an hour and a half away from Mexico, and I've never been. When I was a child, I was too young to warrant such a trip. By the time I grew old enough to truly appreciate the experience, Tijuana had become far too dangerous for naive white Americans to arbitrary venture across the border.
We went to Canada twice when I was child, but I never had to deal with the trivialities of travel; I was young enough that my father took care of it all, and I simply had to show up.
Perhaps I just have poor timing; my driver's license, credit card, and passport were all set to expire whilst I'll be away, and I had to spend days renewing these documents. All I know is there are a litany of little, seemingly innocuous things to deal with before going abroad. If there's one thing I can't stress enough to anyone considering to travel, it's don't skimp on the details. Pay attention to everything, and make sure all of your affairs (insurance, bank statements, cell phone, appropriate clothing, etc) are in order before you depart. Don't wait until the last minute; some things take three or four weeks to be processed, like medication forms.
I still have a few more things to cross off of my list before I go. Wish me luck.