Packing might be a good thing to start thinking about

ONLY 6 MORE DAYS!!!!
Have I started packing?
Nope.
Have I gotten all of my stuff together?
Nope.
Have I gotten everything done and bought, etc.?
Nope.
Bottom line - I feel REALLY prepared right now. Good job, Melissa. :)
At this point, all I can really do is laugh and know that in less than a week, I will be soaking up the sun! I finally got my departure packet from ISA, which included info about my host families in both countries. In Argentina, I'm staying with a single lady in her 50s who is the manager of a company. I will have a roommate - and get this! - my roommate is a girl who goes to CSU! How crazy is that?! There are going to be 3 people in my group who are originally from CO (including me, of course). In Peru, I'll be with a family with a Mom, Dad and a Daughter. And a different roommate.
On my flight to Houston, there's a guy in my group who's on the same flight! Apparently he's coming from Wisconsin and has a layover at DIA, and from DIA to Houston. I've been in touch with a few people from my group so far - Facebook is good for something.

But by getting ready to leave, there are definitely a few things I've learned in the past couple of days/weeks:
*NO place sells shorts in Fort Collins in the middle of January.
*International plans for cell phones have alot of restrictions and underlying stipulations. Forget that.
*CSU doesn't care if you pay an arm and a leg for your study abroad program - since I'm not a 'fee-paying' student, I can't use the student facilities for free. Fantastic.
*Certain people and places are better left behind. Good riddance.
*I have alot of amazing people in my life who I'm really going to miss.
*There are SO many things to do before I leave the country for 5 months.
*I've spent alot of money in preparing to leave - where I will be spending alot more money.
*Cleaning out closets and getting rid of stuff is very liberating.
*Picking and choosing what to take with me is more complicated than I thought it would be.
*I forgot how easily I get stressed out about stuff. Don't worry, I've been reminded.
*Everything is going to be so different when I come home - alot is going to happen in my friends and family's life in 5 months.
*This is really happening!!

So I'm just taking it one day at a time right now and slowly but surely getting things together and done. There are alot of little things to remember - and the little things are what keep adding up. I just downloaded SKYPE today so that I can talk to people through that while I'm gone, too. ...if I can figure out how to use it - and my webcam.
I've loved seeing alot of my friends in the past couple of days, and I still have a few days left to say goodbye to people.
*sigh*
There's still so much to do...
I think I'll start packing.

Getting ready to leave...kinda

It hasn't quite hit me yet. 

I only have 25 more days before I get on a plane and leave for 5 months. I haven't brushed up on my Spanish yet (which will probably come in handy), haven't even thought about packing or what I'm going to bring, and I'm still waiting on information about my host families and finalizations concerning my program. The only thing I've done so far is quit one of my two jobs, which, knowing me, is a pretty big step in and of itself. 

All of that aside, every time I think about leaving I just get overwhelmingly excited - I would get on a plane tomorrow if I could! Not many people get the option to visit 4 different countries in 5 months and I plan to take full advantage of this opportunity. My itinerary is as follows:

1/29 - get on a plane to Houston and from Housont to Buenos Aires, Argentina

1/30-3/28 - studying at the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires

3/28 - go to Lima, Peru!

3/29-5-23 - studying at the University of the Pacific

5/24-5/31 - staying in Peru for an extra week b/c my mom is coming out

5/31 - flying to Madrid, Spain to meet my friend Kira - Viva Espana!

6/1-6/12 - spontaneously traveling around Spain

6/12 - going to Rome, Italy!

6/12 - 6/24 - spontaneously traveling around Italy (good thing we speak English and Spanish)

6/24 - flying back to Colorado

It's definitely going to be the trip of a lifetime and I couldn't be more ready for it. However, in these next 3 weeks I plan to work a little, but set aside more time for me. I don't know how many of you have told me I haven't done enough of that so I'm going to give it a try before I leave. We'll see how it goes :) I'm also going to spend more time with family and friends since I won't be able to for a while. 

I am planning on downloading Skype and getting a webcam so those of you who have that should let me know! My roommate needs to teach me how it works though... but it will be one way for me to keep in contact while I'm away. I should also be updating my blog quite a bit to keep people informed of what I'm doing, where I'm going, who I'm meeting, what I'm eating and other random adventures! 

For now, though, I'm going to work on getting everything together and squared away (which could be difficult considering how much of a procrastinator I am), and enjoying my time not spent at work. 

It should all start to sink in pretty soon.