Artist: MAE
Song: Say Anything
Lyric: "Say anything, say what you mean."
9 Days!
I have a little over a week before I'm on a plane heading to New York and then London. I have to admit that I'm finally getting excited about my trip. I started reading this guide book that Robby gave me for my birthday and it got me really pumped for my trip. It described the city and the 6 most popular regions to visit. It outlines all the great places to go sight-seeing, shopping and eating. It wasn't until last night that I took the time to sit down and read through half of it that I realized how central of a location I'll be living in. Literally all the heart of London is about two Tube stops away from my dorm. It's really pretty fuckin' awesome. I also started reading up on the best pubs, clubs and bars to hit up while I'm there and again they aren't but a Tube ride away. Picture this...if London were a target anything worthwhile is the bullseye. I'm just on the outer region of the bullseye.
I've also managed to learn alot about the geography and lay out of the city in which I'll be running around in for 5 months. I picked up where the Queen lives, where Big Ben is, the Tower of London, Picadilly Circus (which is like their times square). I thought that all the familiar sights of London, like the London Eye, were all found in the same general vacinity, but its actually all pretty sprawled out. I figured I have ample time to get to know my new playground so there's no rush to get to do everything.
It's finally hitting me that I'll be traveling half way across the world to a large city where I know absolutely no one and I couldn't be more excited!
Friday, December 30, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
AHH!
Artist: Incubus
Song: Aqueous Transmission
Lyric: "Further than the river..."
12 Days
I have 12 Days until I am ready to head out to London and I'm realizing now that my trip is becoming pretty stressful. Right now I'm so frustrated with the fact that I may have to apply for several visas in order to enter the various countries throughout Europe. You see- I'm a United States Resident and therefore I don't hold an American passport. I'm a Colombian citizen and therefore carry a Colombian passport. What does all this mean? It means that for every separate country that I want to visit I have to apply to their specific visa. EVEN IF I'M ONLY VISITING FOR 3 DAYS! For instance, in order for me to go to the Eiffel Tower in France I have to fill out a shit load of paper work to get clearance to enter their country. However, if I wanted to visit Ibiza, Spain (one of the countries top 10 party cities) I won't have the least bit of trouble. I'm so aggravated with all these little requirements because now I feel restricted by what I am able and not able to do when I'm abroad. I wanted to travel and get to absorb from all the different cultures and coming across this information just pisses me off. I didn't consider all these hurdles when I decided I wanted to study abroad and just when everything seems to be OK something else arises. I feel like I'm only meant to stay with in the confines of England. Grandted there is still a lot to see while in England, but come on! The thing that really gets me is that I can't apply for a U.S. passport because as of right now i'm just a permanent resident (i.e. Alien)... I have to wait up to five years until I can apply for my U.S. citizenship and then I'll be able to have my American passport and travel freely. I mean sure this is just a small hiccup in my huge endeavor but I really didn't anticipate this to be so stressful and I hate being restricted from things!
Moreover, I've managed to star worrying about the amount of luggage that I plan on carrying with me overseas. I just bough this piece of luggage that should fit everything that I'll need, however I'm only allowed two 50 lbs bags on the flight and since its winter that is not enough to hold all the jeans, jackets and sweaters that I will need to keep my ass warm. The other things is I'm trying only to bring one large 50 lbs bag, a carryon, and my laptop backpack. The plan is when I arrive in Heathrow Airport (the world's largest and busiest aiports) I'm left to fend for myself and jump on the Tube (a.k.a. subway) in order to arrive at my final destination (my dorm). Well word has it that the Tube is tiny and packed and crammed at all hours of the days for for me to lug around two 50 lbs bags, a packpack and carryon in a city that I have no idea where the hell I'm going will be ridiculous. In a way I welcome the challenge because part of the fun in traveling is getting lost and fending for yourself, but no matter how open minded and adventerous you may consider yourself you still have som apprehension about the possibilities. Not to mention that my flight pattern is already a little fucked up. Get this... because I'm traveling a week after New Years all the direct flights to London from Miami were booked. The university told me to fly into Heathrow Airport because it would be easiwer to arrive at the dorms than if I flew into Gatwick. It was alsot a lot cheaper to travel within London from Heathrow than it would have been from Gatwick. So, the only fight I could find departs from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport on Sunday January 8, 2006 at 11 a.m. and arrives in La Guardia Airport in New York at 2 p.m. From there I have to take a shuttle, or taxi to JFK airport (quite a distance from La Guardia). I have a four hour lay over, but it really isn't much when I have to commute from one aiport to the other and check in for an international flight so the lay over time isn't so bad. From JFK airport I fly out to Heathrow and arrive in London at 6:35 a.m. their time so approximately 1:35 a.m. U.S. time. The time difference will probably have an affect on me, but as of right now that is the least of my concerns. I'm just still really pissed about all the regulations the fucking French have in order to get into their country!
I guess it's all in the experience of studying abroad.
Song: Aqueous Transmission
Lyric: "Further than the river..."
12 Days
I have 12 Days until I am ready to head out to London and I'm realizing now that my trip is becoming pretty stressful. Right now I'm so frustrated with the fact that I may have to apply for several visas in order to enter the various countries throughout Europe. You see- I'm a United States Resident and therefore I don't hold an American passport. I'm a Colombian citizen and therefore carry a Colombian passport. What does all this mean? It means that for every separate country that I want to visit I have to apply to their specific visa. EVEN IF I'M ONLY VISITING FOR 3 DAYS! For instance, in order for me to go to the Eiffel Tower in France I have to fill out a shit load of paper work to get clearance to enter their country. However, if I wanted to visit Ibiza, Spain (one of the countries top 10 party cities) I won't have the least bit of trouble. I'm so aggravated with all these little requirements because now I feel restricted by what I am able and not able to do when I'm abroad. I wanted to travel and get to absorb from all the different cultures and coming across this information just pisses me off. I didn't consider all these hurdles when I decided I wanted to study abroad and just when everything seems to be OK something else arises. I feel like I'm only meant to stay with in the confines of England. Grandted there is still a lot to see while in England, but come on! The thing that really gets me is that I can't apply for a U.S. passport because as of right now i'm just a permanent resident (i.e. Alien)... I have to wait up to five years until I can apply for my U.S. citizenship and then I'll be able to have my American passport and travel freely. I mean sure this is just a small hiccup in my huge endeavor but I really didn't anticipate this to be so stressful and I hate being restricted from things!
Moreover, I've managed to star worrying about the amount of luggage that I plan on carrying with me overseas. I just bough this piece of luggage that should fit everything that I'll need, however I'm only allowed two 50 lbs bags on the flight and since its winter that is not enough to hold all the jeans, jackets and sweaters that I will need to keep my ass warm. The other things is I'm trying only to bring one large 50 lbs bag, a carryon, and my laptop backpack. The plan is when I arrive in Heathrow Airport (the world's largest and busiest aiports) I'm left to fend for myself and jump on the Tube (a.k.a. subway) in order to arrive at my final destination (my dorm). Well word has it that the Tube is tiny and packed and crammed at all hours of the days for for me to lug around two 50 lbs bags, a packpack and carryon in a city that I have no idea where the hell I'm going will be ridiculous. In a way I welcome the challenge because part of the fun in traveling is getting lost and fending for yourself, but no matter how open minded and adventerous you may consider yourself you still have som apprehension about the possibilities. Not to mention that my flight pattern is already a little fucked up. Get this... because I'm traveling a week after New Years all the direct flights to London from Miami were booked. The university told me to fly into Heathrow Airport because it would be easiwer to arrive at the dorms than if I flew into Gatwick. It was alsot a lot cheaper to travel within London from Heathrow than it would have been from Gatwick. So, the only fight I could find departs from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport on Sunday January 8, 2006 at 11 a.m. and arrives in La Guardia Airport in New York at 2 p.m. From there I have to take a shuttle, or taxi to JFK airport (quite a distance from La Guardia). I have a four hour lay over, but it really isn't much when I have to commute from one aiport to the other and check in for an international flight so the lay over time isn't so bad. From JFK airport I fly out to Heathrow and arrive in London at 6:35 a.m. their time so approximately 1:35 a.m. U.S. time. The time difference will probably have an affect on me, but as of right now that is the least of my concerns. I'm just still really pissed about all the regulations the fucking French have in order to get into their country!
I guess it's all in the experience of studying abroad.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Let the countdown begin...
Artist: The Starting Line
Song: This Ride
Lyric: "It says hold on and take this ride and set aside memories of all the times."
21 Days
As of today, I officially have 3 weeks until I am boarding a plane to London. It feels as though its still a ways away, but as it gets closer I start to realize how amazing of an opportunity this is. I mean how many times can I say that I lived in London and worked for a music label in England when I was 21-years-old. The answers obviously once, so I want to make sure that the experience doesn't blur over. Sometimes people have a tendency to just live through life and before they know it they look back and say "Wow, did I really do that?" "Did that really happen?" "It feels like so long ago!" I don't want to come back struggling to hold on to everything I saw and did. I want to say "Yea, I was there and I did this and I remember it vividly."
So... as the countdown begins I can't sit here and say that its really hit me yet. Everyone around me has been really supportive and enthusiastic about my trip. Especially Laura, but that's just the amazing, caring person that she is. I wouldn't be leaving her if I knew she couldn't handle it. She's going to learn and grow just as much as I am while I am gone. As for my friends, the ones that I can call friends, are the ones that I'll miss. The ones that make an effort to see how my journey is going, give the occasional drunken call despite the time difference and have been around for the highs and lows. They're the ones that are going to make this blog worth updating and writing to. Normally, I'd think spilling myself out to a website seems a little too "Emo" for my taste, but sharing my experience with all of them will be like bringing them along............ for the ride.
Song: This Ride
Lyric: "It says hold on and take this ride and set aside memories of all the times."
21 Days
As of today, I officially have 3 weeks until I am boarding a plane to London. It feels as though its still a ways away, but as it gets closer I start to realize how amazing of an opportunity this is. I mean how many times can I say that I lived in London and worked for a music label in England when I was 21-years-old. The answers obviously once, so I want to make sure that the experience doesn't blur over. Sometimes people have a tendency to just live through life and before they know it they look back and say "Wow, did I really do that?" "Did that really happen?" "It feels like so long ago!" I don't want to come back struggling to hold on to everything I saw and did. I want to say "Yea, I was there and I did this and I remember it vividly."
So... as the countdown begins I can't sit here and say that its really hit me yet. Everyone around me has been really supportive and enthusiastic about my trip. Especially Laura, but that's just the amazing, caring person that she is. I wouldn't be leaving her if I knew she couldn't handle it. She's going to learn and grow just as much as I am while I am gone. As for my friends, the ones that I can call friends, are the ones that I'll miss. The ones that make an effort to see how my journey is going, give the occasional drunken call despite the time difference and have been around for the highs and lows. They're the ones that are going to make this blog worth updating and writing to. Normally, I'd think spilling myself out to a website seems a little too "Emo" for my taste, but sharing my experience with all of them will be like bringing them along............ for the ride.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Leaving Town
Artist: Dexter Freebish
Song: Leaving Town
Lyric: "The world is your playground."
This is it. The beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning. It's true when they say that when one door closes-- another opens. I'm getting ready to pack up room at 15 fraternity row and it's hard to say what it's like. All I've known the past three years is this house and the people that make it up. More than anything the people that have gone in and out the front door are the ones that I have the most memories with. The ones who have chanted my name during power hours, carried me up the stares when past out from drinking and thought about naked ninja me and Laura. So now that I'm leaving all of that behind-- I can't say that I won't miss it. You really don't realize how much you're leaving behind until you're forced to pack your shit and get out, say your goodbyes and hit the road. I will miss hearing the skateboard roll down the hall late into the night, the tampering with the thermostat for just the right room temperature, the familiar stench of pot as you walk down the hall, dinner time when everyone in the house for the most part sat together and Pi Lam really felt like a fraternity. If I could live in these conditions... I can pretty much handle anything London has in store for me. The hostels won't be so bad.
I'm looking forward to the adventure I'm about to embark on. I can't say that I'm sad nor excited, but comfortable with the idea of going abroad. I know the experience will open my eyes to things that Gainesville could never teach me about the world or myself. It is however hard to leave behind the people who have given me ridiculous memories and left me with hundreds of pictures to look back at.
It's been fun, but I'm ready for something new.
Song: Leaving Town
Lyric: "The world is your playground."
This is it. The beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning. It's true when they say that when one door closes-- another opens. I'm getting ready to pack up room at 15 fraternity row and it's hard to say what it's like. All I've known the past three years is this house and the people that make it up. More than anything the people that have gone in and out the front door are the ones that I have the most memories with. The ones who have chanted my name during power hours, carried me up the stares when past out from drinking and thought about naked ninja me and Laura. So now that I'm leaving all of that behind-- I can't say that I won't miss it. You really don't realize how much you're leaving behind until you're forced to pack your shit and get out, say your goodbyes and hit the road. I will miss hearing the skateboard roll down the hall late into the night, the tampering with the thermostat for just the right room temperature, the familiar stench of pot as you walk down the hall, dinner time when everyone in the house for the most part sat together and Pi Lam really felt like a fraternity. If I could live in these conditions... I can pretty much handle anything London has in store for me. The hostels won't be so bad.
I'm looking forward to the adventure I'm about to embark on. I can't say that I'm sad nor excited, but comfortable with the idea of going abroad. I know the experience will open my eyes to things that Gainesville could never teach me about the world or myself. It is however hard to leave behind the people who have given me ridiculous memories and left me with hundreds of pictures to look back at.
It's been fun, but I'm ready for something new.
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