But, Mum, I NEED those shoes...

I started packing on Monday and I felt so organised. I whipped out the suitcases, put a couple of items inside them and felt on top of the world! Come today, I found myself staring at the suitcases, procrastinating just at the thought of packing.

I really don't know what it is about packing that makes it so... unpleasant. Is it the effort of taking clothes off hangers? Having to fold neatly ironed tops? Is it having to plan outfits 2 months in advance not knowing how the weather will be? I even came to the point where I typed in "why is packing so hard?" in Google - yup, that's desperation alright.

But it's at times like these when you realise how important family is. Without my mum here to talk some sense into me, I would have packed my whole wardrobe. I'm being serious. I thought the university experience of packing/unpacking/packing again taught me a valuable lesson of how many clothes I need in a certain amount of time. I thought wrong.

I mean, it reached the point where I packed everything and my mum (rather cleverly I must add) asked me what I'm wearing tomorrow to the airport. Whilst throwing all the neatly rolled dresses and tops out of the suitcase and on to the floor, one thought came to mind - why can't we just go back to cavemen days and all be naked?! Crazy? Or rational?

Can't someone just dress me too? Please?

After zipping up the suitcases and applying the padlocks (plus struggling to remember the combination code), the time came to weigh it all. Using my newly-bought digital luggage scales, my suitcases were waaaay too heavy. Great. After removing a couple of pairs of jeans and some hairspray, it was getting lighter, but not light enough. And this was my reaction: "Mum, I don't care how much it's gonna cost, I'll just pay the fees".

So now I have two packed suitcases and a purse that will be much lighter come tomorrow evening - get it?

Some good news is that I have a window seat on the plane, so I hope to snap some great shots on my new camera (thanks dad!). Now I just have to smile, stop worrying and enjoy my adventure...

There is no better role model.

Lose a limb in Latvia and I'll be covered - good to know!

Everything is starting to come together for my journey to Latvia in just 11 days. Flights, check. Most of the paperwork, check. Suitcases, check. Combination locks, check. And travel insurance, double check!

I have just received my travel insurance policy in the post, kindly arranged and paid for by my university. As I have never seen one before, I decided to read it thoroughly. Some obvious things popped up like the loss of my passport and an unexpected travel delay of over 12 hours. But some I read just didn't seem that obvious and wondered why the company felt the need to include them. Okay, accidental death, I get that. A plane being hi-jacked, I kind of get that too. But the most random clause in this policy was the accidental loss of an eye. Enough said.

The reason why I said "double check" to travel insurance is because I've just realised that I am also covered by my bank's travel insurance as well. So that means I can lose both eyes and I'll be okay (well, financially anyway)...

Does it say anything about tripping and falling off a lovely Latvian mountain?

Talking of finances, I recently spent a ridiculous amount of money on new pretty clothes and shoes. Online shopping is my guilty pleasure! I am quite stingy with my money but have managed to convince myself that I will NEED these summery dresses and WILL wear them when I get to Latvia (hmm, we'll see!).

Now I've just got to figure out a way of packing it all in one suitcase, a thought that keeps creeping into my mind as the big day gets closer. Wish me luck...

Soft or hard - how do you like 'em?

I'm not an expert or anything, but I think suitcases are quite important for going abroad. There are so many things to think about when choosing one - 2 wheels, 4 wheels, non-wheeled, soft and hard-sided, trolley cases, telescopic handles, combination lock... My strategy is to buy the largest suitcase I can find!

I looked all over and ended up going to Argos (typical!). Me and my mum pulled open a catalogue each and wrote down the potential candidates for the perfect suitcase, a healthy mixture of the soft and hard varieties. I must admit that I did have to Google the pros and cons of each kind. I came to this reasonable conclusion: although hard would protect my belongings when the airline carelessly throws my suitcase on board, a soft suitcase can expand and I could therefore fit more clothes in.

We asked the kind Argos lady if we could see all 10 suitcases before making any rash decisions. After hauling these suitcases onto the counter, ripping the neat sellotape from the cardboard boxes and putting up with my temperamental yes-no-maybe decisions, the sales assistant was actually very patient. Eventually I found the one I wanted. But even after spending an hour rooting through Argos catalogues and opening all the boxes to have a peek, I still wanted to go home and buy it online. This gave me more time to feel sure about my decision.

I went back to Argos yesterday to have a look at the smaller suitcase of the one I was going to buy for my matching hand luggage. Instead of buying online, I bought them both, there and then, taking another juicy bite out of my student budget.

Still, I would very much like an upgrade to a Louis Vuitton luggage set - who wouldn't?! In time... Maybe when I'm a proper seasoned traveller and not a poor student!

3 days and I'm still living out of my bags!

After all the effort that went into packing up my uni room - okay, slight exaggeration there - and shoving/throwing it all into the back of my dad's car, I haven't really unpacked anything. I've decided that I don't mind living out of these bags until I have to pack to Latvia. I mean, what's the point in unpacking it all when most of it will end up being transferred into a suitcase? Well, that's my justification for my sheer and utter laziness anyway! Good news. I've booked my flights for my Latvian adventure beginning in under a month's time now. I must admit that it wasn't easy. Every now and then I started stressing out a bit when trying to find the "right" flights for me, especially as a first time flyer (excluding the 1 hour trip to Glasgow). So many thoughts were going through my mind as 20 different airline sites stared me in the face:

"I have to find cheap flights!"

"I can actually use travelsupermarket.com for once"

"Gosh, where would I be without the internet and Google for that matter?!"

"Okay... why are these flights so cheap? Must be dodgy." 

"I wonder what the seats look like on their planes..."

*Google's images of seats for one airline* "Mum, they look so unsafe!" 

And when I'd asked every question going, probably the most important one came to mind... 

"What on earth is baggage allowance?"

Yep, definitely over my 20kg allowance.

Taking a strategic approach and looking at both the financial and quality sides of the airline, I eventually bought what I think are the perfect tickets. Going abroad for my internship is definitely starting to feel more real, like it's actually happening! This is probably because I've had to spend a wad of cash from my tender student budget, but it had to be done.

Another victory dance is in order I think. JD, you are my hero!

Hmm, can I pack my procrastination?

That wonderful time has come when every student must finally tidy their room... and then pack it all up. I feel like I've been living in this room for more than a year (or 7 months to be exact) and, yes, it will be sad to go, but France awaits me.

BEFORE (Saturday 17th September 2011) 

I made the typical Fresher mistake by packing everything I would ever need in any situation, emergency and British weather condition - the kitchen sink to put it frankly. I just about managed to transport everything from my house to Oxford, boxes and bags hunched together with clothes sprawled over the top. As we drove up the motorway, the rear-view of most cars looked the same as ours - "yup, definitely Freshers" was said a lot. I've been telling myself that it will be easier to pack everything up from my room than when I was choosing what to bring to university, but it actually seems harder. Procrastination is an epitomising word here. I will find anything to do but pack (including writing this).

AFTER (Friday 4th May 2012)

Whilst blasting my music as loud as I can and eating everything I can find in my room, my mind keeps wandering off to when I'll have to pack for my 3-month stay in Latvia and then another 4 months in France. Hopefully it won't be that hard. I will have the restriction of a few suitcases and deprived the freedom of living a 45 minute drive from home. Better get on with this "packing" then...

Life's a beach

I have handed in all my paperwork (bar a couple of things) so I'm now definitely feeling more and more Latvian and French by the minute... or to be precise vairāk un vairāk latviešu un franču ar minūte / de plus en plus letton et en français à la minute. Isn't Google Translate amazing?

Someone who was reading my blog asked me if I write much yesterday. Without hesistation or much thinking, I listed out all the things which entail using my brain and words (excluding university assignments, shopping lists, random doodling) and realised that I actually write quite a lot in my own leisure and without anyone telling me I have to.

The reason why I'm mentioning this is because I just got an email about a travel writing workshop in London, which then reminded me of something else. An established travel writer came to talk to my class in a publishing seminar a couple of weeks back. Despite the fact that I was stunned by the fact that she gets paid to travel the world and write about it (amazing!), I managed to take one other thing away from her talk. She said that people who write for a living usually do it, not for the [rather poor] money it brings, but because they have to - it's their talent, what they truly love and the only thing they want to do for a living.

Photo from Google - I'll take my own when I'm on a sun-kissed beach.

So this small divergence from thinking about the practicalities of the next 6 months have led me to think of myself as a kind of amateur travel writer (but with no commission whatsoever, just the riches of a once-in-a-lifetime experience). Well, at least I will be when I'm 35000ft in the air... Note to self: book flights.

Too early for a victory dance?

Yet again, I have had to endure another day of dealing with paperwork... okay maybe "endure" is a bit of a strong word. I mean, it isn't that bad really. I just have to keep reminding myself that there will be benefit at the end of the long trail of form-filling and running all over campus like a mad woman trying to get that one celebrity autograph they've been looking for their whole life.

One good thing is I get to talk to academics on a one-to-one basis. Admittedly, this is some people's idea of an absolute nightmare but not for me. It gives me the opportunity to meet individuals "high up in the hierarchy of the academy" as they say, people that I wouldn't normally meet on a daily basis - and plus I'm meeting them whilst still in my first year!

Today, after the last signatures were added to forms for Latvia and placed in a plastic wallet, I have finally handed them in to the relevant person to scan and send to Latvia for them to sign. FINALLY. Although there is so much more to sort out (flights, accommodation in France and not forgetting the suitcases!) I do feel that a small victory dance is in order...

And I must admit that it is likely to very much resemble the renowned works of Master Carlton Banks (thankfully, I am unexposed and behind a screen).

Victory dance over, if there's one thing I've learned from this whole experience so far is that, although very clichéd, patience really is a virtue.