Now that Winter term is over, I am beyond excited to get to London. There is only 2 more days left and I'll be on the plane to fly to London. With that said, everything I have must be packed soon. After spending 5 hours today trying to unpack and repack repetitively, I have accomplished this mission.
I called my packing experience a mission because it is impossible to pack for 3 months with only one check-in luggage, one carry-on luggage, and one bookbag. (I still did not pack my bookbag yet, since I am packing last minute items in there, such as my laptop and paperwork.) When there is 3 months to pack for with so little space to put everything in, you would not know where to start. I found myself taking out all of my clothes out from my closet to analyze which shirt or pants that I will wear. Ahaji, the London program coordinator, advised me to not pack anything that I would not wear. This is a bad habit that I always do!
With so much to pack, I guess I was forced to not pack something I would not wear everyday, like dresses. (I only packed one, instead of five.) For future study abroad students, I recommend bringing one of each item. For example, I packed one pair of heels, one pair of sneakers, one pair of slippers for lounging, one pair of ballet flats, and one pair of Tom's shoes. Also, slippers, ballet flats, and Tom's are light-weighted shoes and are very easy to pack. From this packing experience, I learned to be very careful with packing shoes because unlike flats and slippers, sneakers and heals are very hard to pack because they take up much more room.
After packing my clothes, I still had to pack essentials. Since other countries do not have the same type of medications that we have, I had to pack many medications. Some medications I packed were advil, claritin, eye drops for allergies, and cough drops. I also had to pack my inhaler, since I have Asthma. Another tip that I would suggest to future study abroad students is to pack enough medication for the 3 months. For example, I packed 3 bottles of Vitamin Gummies to last me for 3 months since it is something that I take everyday. Other essentials are also important to pack, such as shampoo or any special products that you use that would not be found in other countries. Packing essentials, after packing clothes made it so hard for me to do because essentials take up a lot of space, too. This required me to take out more clothes, which is why I kept repacking and unpacking.
But, after hours and hours of frustration with packing. I am finally done with two days left to enjoy my spring break at home. I am beyond excited to visit Europe for the first time in my life. However, I am also nervous to be not just visit a different country, but to live in a different country for 3 months. Although I am nervous, I know that I will be overjoy when I'm there and making the best of my study abroad experience.