It’s mid-January, and I’m about three-quarters of the way
through my excruciatingly long winter break.
I’ve gotten to the point where bumming around the house has lost all of
its appeal and yet, despite my ample amount of free time, I have not even
cracked open a suitcase with intentions of packing for the 5 months I’ll be
spending in Groningen. I’ve done all of
the other big things-booked my plane ticket, signed up for classes, paid for my
housing, applied for my residence permit in the Netherlands-but the thought of
actually having to make a decision about what to bring has been something I’ve
been attempting to avoid.
It’s not like I really care what I wear, but it’s a big
decision to decide what 50 pounds of stuff you’d choose to sustain you for 5
months in a foreign country. I have a
vague idea about what the weather’s supposed
to be like when I get there, but I also have an inkling that it’ll vary a bit
over that span of time. I realize there
are things that I can get when I’m there and that, in reality, this should not
be a big deal at all. However, the task
seems too daunting to tackle until I absolutely have to.
My brother claims that all I really need is a
toothbrush and
that I should be able to play it by ear from there and not need anything
else
for this expedition. If I don’t start
making some decisions soon, I might be getting off the train in
Groningen with
nothing but my passport and a toothbrush.
I think the problem is that the idea of studying abroad has for
so long
been a fantasy or a dream. They claim it’s
really going to happen now, but January 31, the day I’m leaving, has
been so
far off for so long now, that I still have had trouble really believing
that I’m
going through with this. Well, seeing
how everybody else is already back at school and I’m biding my time
until the
end of the month, I’m going to need to start drafting a list.
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| Upon closer inspection, it appear I have lied. I do have some things packed. If you look closely you can see both some tissue paper I never removed and a couple of packets of beads that are provided but that you can't eat. |
