Hi from Houston, one last time

Hi, and thanks for stopping by my blog!  I never thought I would say that because I’m not really a blogging kind of person, and I’m not the best writer and definitely not the best photographer, but I thought this would be the best way to share travel stories and photos from my semester abroad with friends and family who are interested.   At 3:40 PM today, I will be leaving Houston on a really big plane headed for Amsterdam... and I can’t believe it!  I’ve been dreaming about and planning for this for almost a year, so it’s crazy that the day is finally here.  Of course I’m a little nervous (okay, fine- a LOT nervous) because I’ve got travel jitters combined with first day of school jitters combined with making new friends jitters.  So, all of that makes for one jittery girl!  But at the same time, I’m completely excited, because I know this will be such a wonderful adventure.   For about the next two months I’m going to be studying in Maastricht, which is at the southern tip of the Netherlands.  Only two months?!  Yes!  One of the great things about this study abroad program is that classes only last until the end of October, and then we will get three weeks of independent travel around Europe before we all come back to the US as a group right before Thanksgiving.  Also, classes are only three days a week, which leaves four days each week during the first two months for MORE travel around Europe.  It won’t be easy though- it’s a pre-med trip and I am taking 15 hours of upper level biology and medicine-related classes, so there will be tons of information packed into our short class time.  The Baylor professors going with us like to say that we work hard and play hard.  I can’t wait! 

I’m up early this morning in hopes that I’ll be tired enough to sleep on the plane… we’ll see about that.  My wonderful Nana and Aunt Kee Kee and cousins Cooper and Sarah Grace came from Louisiana to see me for the weekend and help with my preparations, and they have indeed been SUCH a huge help!  Kee Kee taught me how to pack super efficiently, and seriously, you should see my suitcase.  It has vacuum bags involved.  And my new backpack… oh my goodness, it’s huge.  I feel like I could use it to go on a two-week hike through a forest in the Rockies and be perfectly comfortable and well fed.  And who knows, maybe eventually I will.  But both bags have (hopefully…) everything I’ll need, and are under 50 pounds, yay!  Thanks, Kee Kee!  And thanks Nana, for all the “oh, I just need these three more things, and then I’m REALLY done” trips to Target and Katy Mills.   So last night we had a huge family dinner with all of my grandparents, plus Kee Kee, Cooper and Sarah Grace in attendance, complete with a huge cake- my last thing I will get to bake for quite a while (if you know me, you know that’s a big deal for me… I will miss baking so much!).  I felt so special to get such a grand farewell!  After everyone heads back to Louisiana this morning, I’ll finish up a few last things, then ride out to the airport with Mom, Dad, and Nick.  We may even stop for one last delicious tex-mex meal on the way, because that’s one thing I’ll miss about Texas!  And then I will be off to Amsterdam, and then by bus to Maastricht- I’ll talk to y’all when I get there!