More Pictures

Here are more pictures my graduation weekend including the party.

Lots of the family showed up.




And some of my friends stopped by




I also got a copy of a picture taken at the graduation.

Now onto London...

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

The Final Countdown

Cue the music: My choice is "The Final Countdown" by Europe. How appropriate.

There are only three months remaining until I am off on my European adventure.

Graduation was last Friday. It was very fun, especially since we got to sit by who we wanted to within our department. I followed the ceremony up with a party on Saturday which was a blasty-blast. Lots of the family came and Andy came down from Portland which was fantastic. Also a lot of my friends came which was fun. It was cool having the open house style so one group of friends were there and as they left another would show up. Now time for pictures.







More pictures to come later of the celebrating.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

I'm Flying

I bought my airplane tickets today.

This is super exciting, but also scary. There is no backing down now.

I am a little nervous to fly international by myself. I recently flew alone coming home from Walt Disney World and I have flown internationally to and from Ireland. But this is the first where it is combined. Though I am confident I will be able to do it.

The excitement is building everyday.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Will You Take My Picture?

While in London, I will be taking 12 units, which works out to 4 classes.

1. British Life and Culture - This class, every Monday, continues through both sessions. Most days it includes a field trip to a London landmark like Parliament or the Natural History Museum. Basically we will be learning everything that home-grown Brits already know.
   
2. World Cinema - I am very excited about this class. I enjoy world cinema as it is a snapshot of the state of the world/nation at the time the film was made. The style, narrative, tone of a film are very telling.
   
3. Internship - This should be super cool. At the moment, it seems I will be able to work at a small production company in London. This should be excellent and juxtapose nicely with my experience at HBO.
   
4. Independent Study - I talked with my sponsor professor today and am looking forward to my project. I will be doing a photo essay of London , ultimately creating a still photo "movie". I do not want to ruin the surprise of the end result, but it is going to be very awesome. I can't wait to start working on it. I already have some ideas of what I am going to do.

I eagerly look forward to London. My excitement changes to fear and back again every time I think about it. Going to London will be a scary, new, exciting adventure for me and having an end goal (my course work) will help me focus on why I am there when the fear creeps in.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie

Step 2

So Friday I went to the Pre-Departure meeting. It seems a little early to me since I don't leave for another 4 months. I guess it is easier while school is still in session. I learned many thing that should prove useful for my adventure. I also met some of my fellow adventurers.

I learned:

1. Pack light. There is little storage space in each room for each person. Instead of two large suitcases, they recommended one medium size suitcase and a knapsack. Basically bring two weeks of clothing. Everything I can buy. Especially things like toiletries and a hairdryer. I hope I can fit all my clothes (including work attire) along with shoes and bags in a medium bag. I have put 5 days worth of clothes in a carry on size with extra room, so I have faith.
2. Use a debit card. Credit card companies charge a 3% finance fee to every purchase. Ouch!
3. I am a resident of London, not a tourist. This will be my city for 4 months. Especially when I am interning, I will be commuting 3 days a week.
   
4. More girls want to study abroad than guys. At the meeting, 15 out of 20 present were female. Drama could ensue, but I am Switzerland and I will not let some other's disagreement affect me.
   
5. I am quick to (mis)judge people. I hope this adventure teaches me to not judge people. I am quick to make a decision. Sometimes I am right (being a film student I can usually spot an ego) but many times I am wrong and pleasantly surprised.
   

I left the meeting very excited. Everyday closer, it feels a little more real. This meeting answer many of my questions and changed some of my thoughts. But I still have more question, which I will share when I have more answers.

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Step 1

I turned in my application yesterday. I am going. I think this makes it official.

Today is the meeting where I learn everything, all the details.
- Excursion schedule
- What to bring/what not to bring
- What to expect
- How the classes will work
- Etc...

This should be exciting!

Until we meet again,

-Maggie the traveler

Must Get Out

Lately I have been coming across a number of reasons to leave The States. None are political or deal with the current administration or even how Americans are viewed. Mostly they are examples of how crazy (but lovable) America is and how awesome Europe is:

1. CNN Headline T-Shirts - I am sure they mean well, but some of the headlines chosen are kind of lame. "Church steeple is cell tower gold mine", really, what kind of statement is that? I love cell phone signals while I worship? Poor CNN, great idea, poor execution.
2. "Lego" Eggo Waffles - Great idea, about 20 years ago. How long have the commercials been saying "Let of of my Eggo'? Sounding more like 'Lego my Eggo' Someone must have felt very good about themselves to land this sponsorship.
   
3. Turkmenistan reverts to old calendar - Okay, I know, technically Asia, but close enough. Back when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Turkmenistan gained independence. The new president, Niyazov, changed the name of a number of months and days to honor his mother. Now that Niyazov is dead, the names have reverted back to the original Turkish and Russian names. This would never happen here. Imagine if President Bush changed
   April to Laura and Saturday to Texas Rangers.
   
4. Royal lands helicopter on girlfriend's lawn - So this is how the royals woo potential soul-mates. I cannot wait to meet one for myself. This story broke in the gossip rags and the Defense Ministry issued a statement about the legitimacy of the training exercise.

More to come.

Until we meet again.

-Maggie the traveler