I Get by with a little help from my Friends

Why pay for what you can get for free? I've always thought this made logical sense. Thanks to my family, friends, and teachers I've got everything I need for my trip! (7 days! woohoo!) Granted I did work my butt off for two summers, two Chrismas breaks, and even Spring Break and semester after semester of working the desk. Hard work and help and support from people who love me have helped me get to where I am now.

My lovely sister who's already experienced the wonder that is Europe has given me a crucial appliance for any traveller who is female. Yes- the ever helpful flat iron. My parents have provided me with a roof over my head, transportation, love and a million other countless things that only parents can provide. Friends who have been overseas have given me advice, travel books, tips, and information that is going to help me have a great time in Europe.

I can't begin to describe how excited/nervous/giddy I am about my pending adventures! But I know that without all of these people I wouldn't be able to even think about going to Europe for a month. These people who have supported me and loved me and took care of me for my whole life are so important to me and vital to my success. I can't even begin to thank them enough for all they've done for me.

Trading Up

In our society people are always trading up. Oh that iPhone is starting to lose some of that new phone shine? Here's a new iPhone4! Nevermind that it has a lot of problems. It's new! Here have one! Oh, you say you bought a dress last summer? Well now it's this summer so clearly you need to get this extremely similar-yet omigosh clearly different dress for this summer! And don't even get me started on shoes and other accessories that seem to have a shorter lifespan than fruit flies. What happened to high quality goods that last longer than a year or two? why has the attention span of Americans gotten so short that we cannot recognize that our consumer goods are no longer meeting our standards for quality?

I acquired a pair of Dockers plaid pajama pants. These pants are comfy and roomy and just about everything a gal could want out of pajama pants. I've had these pants for two years and golly- i still love them. However, about a month ago I noticed a large rip in the butt part (naturally) of the pants. Being the sentimental and resourceful girl (or woman I should say) I didn't let a little tear get me down! I took a needle and thread and sewed the rip together. Granted the plaid design was slightly more crooked than it had been before but at least my favorite pajama pants were once again intact. Sadly, tonight the rip decided that the stitches I painstakingly (okay...maybe that's an overstatement) stitched into the fabric, were useless, and the rip re-opened once again.

I'm faced with a dilemma. To repair or not to repair? That is the question. I feel that the two years that I have had these pants is obviously past the intended time of wear. I'm sure the people at Dockers are just waiting for me to run out to the stores to grab up more pajama pants to fill the void of my beloved, yet torn, pair. However, I feel as though I've been cheated out of my favorite pajama pants. Don't misunderstand me. I understand that clothes cannot last forever, but is it too much to ask that things last just a little bit longer? Why not make consumer goods more durable. Sure these pants weren't top-of-the-line pajama pants but still. It's a sad day that I'm letting this pair, that has served me well, go to that place where all discarded and torn and out-of-date clothes must go.

Getting Ready

For the past two weeks (months, really) I've been burying my nose in several travel books. I've taken leisurely strolls through Barcelona and Venice and the French Riviera and Amsterdam, and Belgium. I've read about the countless museums and churches and buildings that have been around for centuries. I've seen pictures of the canals in Venice and the skyline that can be seen from the London Eye. I'm captivated by all of the things that I've read and by the pictures I've seen and I almost don't believe that I will (in 17 short days) see many of these things FIRSTHAND! I'll be in Europe (London mainly) for 30 days and I hope to see everything and go everywhere that I possibly can.

In addition to relying on the ever helpful Fodor's guidebook to just about every imaginable destination, I've also been diving into the representation of the great city of London from British fiction writers. I've read about five books in the past week that take place in London. They highlight not only the vastness of the city but also the eccentricities and cultural differences that can only be understood through experience.

This trip is not only intended to feed my desire to see the world but also to help expand my knowledge of the career field I've chosen: Marketing. I'll be taking classes and hearing from prominent business professionals from the UK in order to learn all I can about International Business and Marketing in particular. The current economic turbulence that's going on in Europe right now with the Euro and the European Union makes for an interesting time to be studying European business.

On top of being totally excited (woo hoo!) I am beginning to get nervous. I'm trying to just make sure that I'm as prepared as is humanly possible. I've planned for various temperatures and weather (I just got a cute new rain jacket), I've gotten a pair of great walking shoes, bought a new backpack (so I'll really be able to say that I backpacked through Europe) and I've read everything I can get my hands on about all of the places that I'll be visiting. I know that even though I feel prepared that there are going to be so many things that I haven't anticipated but I'm ok with that. Part of the fun of travelling is getting lost and learning about your new surroundings through firsthand experience and I can't wait!

17 more days! woo hoo!