19 days until departure!

I am currently sitting on the lanei of this beautiful ocean front condo in Maui, over looking Kaanapali Beach as the sun is about to set. It is almost time to get ready to go into Lahaina for dinner with my mom and Brittany. So far, it has been a beautiful two days, full of beach, tanning, and fun...but that is not all. For the past two days my mom and I have been shopping online at Lands End for warm jackets and boots. Just this morning we made our purchase: black boots and a mid thigh lined jacket with a hood, suitable for weather conditions as low as -10. Yet, the fact that my plane for Amsterdam is leaving in 19 days still has not quite hit me. Perhaps once I return to Southern California on Saturday, January 10, I will start to believe that I am actually not returning to USC for the average Spring semester. Once I return to California, I plan to spend much of the next week at UCLA visiting my sister and USC saying farewell to friends, and to Theta, three things that I have not consistantly been away from since my start at USC in August of 2006. Similarly, after my week in Los Angeles, the next, and final week of my time in the United States will be spent at home in Newport Beach with my parents and other friends. Although I went away to summer camp when I was younger, to college almost an hour away(!), and to Europe last summer for a few weeks with complete strangers, I still cannot quite imagine having my parents much farther than an hour's drive or a mobile-to-mobile phone call. However, this does not mean that I am not capable of stepping outside of my comfort zone and separating myself from my friends, family, school, sorority, and usual lifestyle.

As I said, I can barely believe that Spring semester of Junior year has come. I have known for the past two and a half years that this particular semester will be spent differently than those before and the ones to come after, but I still cannot believe that the time is here. Cassie is already in Hong Kong safely and has started school, while Katie leaves in six days, while many other of my dear friends will be venturing on European/Asian/Austrailian adventures as well. But I know if Cassie can do it, I can, because she is one of the most home-bodied people I know =]

Once I return home later this week, I will begin to make piles of clothes and decide what to bring...one suitcase worth...the same suitcase I squeezed shut for my four-week European trip last summer. FOUR WEEKS compared to FIVE MONTHS!!! Oh that should be interesting. My sister has a friend that lives in the Netherlands, and he reported the weather today at 5 degrees. That is cold- this whole layering thing better work! Most of my shopping is complete, so now it's just the question of which jeans to bring, how many, and this and that. Luckily I have just over two weeks to work out the kinks and figure it all out. I practically cannot believe that the time is almost here, but my sister is booking her flight to Amsterdam for her spring break tonight...so I guess I better get ready!

That's all for now...