"Summer."

What's with the quotation marks you might ask? Well, I put them there because my real summer has begun and it is not exactly what you would think of when you talk about what you do in the summer. My weekly schedule includes around 35 hours of working my job at a clothing store as well as taking general chemistry five days a week. I have lecture three days a week for three hours each day, and then lab on the other two days, which can last anywhere from an hour to three and a half hours. I have to plan my work schedule around my classes, so I am the lucky sales associate at the store anywhere from six in the morning to eleven at night. I absolutely love my job, and since most of my friends are in DC this summer, I love going to work and getting to hang out with the friends I have there. We probably have too much fun... if that's possible when you're folding polos and sizing denim walls. But anyway, so that is my life right now!

I have been getting reminders about filling out my info for my abroad forms, but to be honest that's not what I'm thinking about at all! I finally got my passport info in (actually only about a week after I realized I really needed to asap). Now I have to wait for it to arrive so I can finish my paperwork. But going abroad feels like it's on the back burner. I have been talking about it recently because at work we've been talking about school, but I haven't been stalking websites like I was. I'm too busy with school and chemistry class to think about everything! I guess that's it for now!

Oh and I'll be watching The Bachelorette this summer since Ashley is from Maine! I hope she finds someone who's right for her (because the bachelorette always ends that way...)! xoxo dwh

Mission Accomplished!!!...

I finally renewed my passport today! I know, I know... I should have done this weeks ago, but the man at the post office said it would go through in 3-6 weeks, which gives me plenty of time until I go to Denmark. Buuut the abroad program might be mad at me if I wait until the last minute to fill in all my info... Oh well. But I can't believe I did it so quickly! Also as a side note, I went to LL Bean today and I will definitely need the extra large rolling duffle for one of my suitcases. The thing is huge, mammoth even. I'm still deciding on a color (either navy or royal blue... it can't be too bright but still spottable on the luggage belt). Now I just need to find a carry on suitcase and I'm good to go! On a side note, my sister is visiting home for the weekend/late week and my mom is closing on her new house on Friday, so I'll be moving soon! Wish me luck, I'll be sure to post details. Other than that, I've just been working all week and start my summer classes next week! Possibly more to come when it's not so late at night... dwh.

Pre-Departure Fun...

So although I won't be stepping down in Copengagen-town for another three months (plus a little bit), I still need to get my pre-departure checklist completed. Most things seemed pretty easy, and I completed them right away. Others are seeming very challenging. First, I realized when I applied to go abroad in the fall (there will be a blog about that I promise) that my passport expires December 11th. Well guess who is in Denmark until December 20th. So I have to renew my passport before I can go, which is now a mad dash to get to the post office and fill out the paperwork (I'm going today). Other than that, the airline prices spiked right when I got accepted to the program, so we paid an arm, two legs and a neck for my flight there and back. But knowing I have a way of getting to and from my program makes me feel a little better. I entered all my flight info into the pre-departure checklist and now all I can do is wait while my passport gets processed. And of course, I have other things I need to prepare as well:

• SAVE MONEY. All summer I will be taking $50 out of my paycheck for weekly spending (gas included) and will put the rest in savings. Hopefully I will have enough to last all fall...
• Buy luggage. Right now I have one bag that keeps about a week's worth of clothes in it. I have to get a duffle bag on wheels (yay for having LL Bean down the street - literally) and a suitcase I can bring on weekend trips. The challenge will be carrying all three in the airports with me...
• Get in shape. I know this sounds really odd, but it is a serious goal of mine since I will be living in the land of danishes (where'd you think they got their name!?). I know I will like the food in Copenhagen, so I need to prepare myself by getting back in shape in a way I can maintain when I'm abroad. Even though I skated for years, I don't think skating again will be the best option, since I won't be able to skate there (skates are very heavy, I'm still deciding whether they will win a spot in my bags or not). Hopefully some fitness classes and running will work as I can do those abroad!
• Buy a camera. This is an absolute must since my camera dates back to late 2006. I think I am going to ask for one for my birthday, to cut down on costs, but I might buy it myself to make sure I get the right one. Any suggestions?
• Fix my laptop. Right now my isight isn't working on my macbook. I was a lucky buyer of a silver and black MacBook. Not a macbook pro, just a macbook. It came out right before the macbook pro silver and black edition, and is basically the same only without a few things and horrible speakers. So if I want to skype at all when I'm abroad, I should probably go to the apple store and see what's up.
• Pass chemistry!!! I can't go abroad unless I pass gen. chem one and two. So I will be taking it this summer and hopefully will pass both sections with a C or better to be able to go abroad and do the program I want (if I don't pass, I will just do the public health program and take different classes). Wish me luck...

So that is all I can think of now, but I'm sure there's more. In about half an hour I will have a whole list going! I know I still have three months to go, but I feel like being over prepared isn't something you can be when you go abroad! And the pre-departure continues!!! dwh.

The First Post.

Yes, I have cleverly named this as "the first post". I know it's a little boring and quite possibly the worst start to a blog I've ever had, but I'm a little out of steam. I didn't exactly create this blog tonight, I had to hunt it down in my zillions of unfinished blogs I have created over the years. I guess you could call me a blog hoarder. I have about five and never use any of them (I'm sure you could find some if you googled hard enough). But so tonight when I wanted to start my abroad blog, I was caught in lots of red tape. About an hour and ten emails to and from Google later, I finally had my account back and am able to log in without it telling me I'm nonexistent. Now that I have my blog, I just need to tweak it and figure out how to make it pretty like the others I've seen abroad students make. Because right now it isn't so much...

But enough with that! Why am I making a blog so soon? Well I figured since I am home in Maine for the summer people will want to catch up with me and hear what I'm up to way up here by Canada (in all fairness it's about a 5 hour drive from where I am - not that close). My flights are booked and that means I'm going! I am very excited, but also a little nervous. I have never gone abroad for so long, but I have been to Europe many times before and have spent the past month googling Copenhagen, so I should be good! I am a little tired of blogging now (I better train my hand for longer blog posts soon) so I am going to leave this one here, but look for much more in the future!!!! xoxo dwh