The dog days are over

It's sad to say, but summer is winding down. Has it really been more than three weeks since my last post? Wow, so sorry but things around here have been CRAZY, caps required. My little sister leaves for college tomorrow and I leave for Peru in less than two weeks, so my house is a swarm of suitcases and check lists for packing (we don't mess around).

I have decided to compile a checklist of necessary things/pre-departure activities for those of us who are studying abroad. I'll start with the practical items:

1. PASSPORT-Make sure yours does not expire during your travels, and especially make sure that you do not realize this a month before you leave like I did. Expediting passports are expensive, this $60 could have been much better spent elsewhere.

2. Get an International Student Identification Card (ISIC, for short). For only $22 they provide emergency medical coverage and tons of discounts in more than 100 countries. Half-price entrance at Machu Picchu, here I come!

3. A good travel book. I bought the Rough Guide to Peru. Now, I'm not sure if my experience will be "rough," but it is a great source to look for transportation, food, and packing advice.

4. The necessary gear. New culturally acceptable clothes, because not everyone likes flannel and jeans like SMC does. An external hard-drive incase something awful happens to your computer. Electronic adapters. And for my new favorite things, I bought wonderful, multiple day backpack and hiking boots. Wanna see?


5. Indulge in your favorite things. For me this means marathon movie watching and mass ice cream consumption with my sister. I've also been doing a lot of magazine reading, just because newspapers are dying doesn't mean mags aren't alive and strong!

Well...hiking gear is not cheap, so I'm off to coinstar to convert all my spare change to buy a sleeping bag for below 15 degree temperatures! Enjoy all the lemonade and sun while you still can!!