Marie's Guide to Packing Like a Pro (?)

This post comes to you compliments of my abiding beliefs that a) I am a packing pro and b) one should share knowledge with the ignorant masses whenever possible.

Seriously, though, I am good at packing. For real. I was the lightest traveler in our group during this summer's Euro-adventure, and successfully dressed myself in semi-socially acceptable clothing for seven weeks using only a single, regulation-sized rolling carry-on suitcase. I also had my not-big-enough-for-my-MacBook purse. I even had reasonably good personal hygiene for the majority (majority = at least 50% of the time. Or just about 50% of the time.) of our trip. This is impressive.

(Also, sometimes, foolish. For instance, I spent three weeks in New Zealand wearing almost exclusively four pieces of UnderArmor gear. When the study abroad website said pack four shirts and two pairs of pants, I took that nonsense to heart. As a result, I still occasionally hear about how I looked like I was sponsored by UnderArmor and a ridiculously dressed human. Be careful about the decisions you make.)

Packing for the move to Dublin is not quite the same as this. While I bet I could pack for the semester using only a carry-on bag, I would be reduced to being one of Those People - you know, the people in class or at work who either have a cartoon-style closet or who legitimately only wear two shirts in their whole life - and I would likely freeze to death and/or melt from the infamous Dublin rain. So. I'm not even trying. In fact, I am packing as many bags as I can, and I am going to the max on weight and size requirements. Again: I really, really don't want to freeze to death.

But I still have a method for maximizing packing efficiency, and I still have tips and tricks to help you, dear reader you, make it to your foreign destination with as little hassle and stress as possible.

best of the best

Now that the trip to end all trips is done and we are all home safe, sound, and in one piece, it is time to reflect on some of the very best moments of the whole shebang. Behind the cut (look! Even my lingo is technologically savvy.), you will find photographic evidence of fantabulous, fairly foolish, fantastically... fantastic? fun. (Alliteration is for the cool kids.)

There is no particular order or segregation by geographical location, because Blogger added them willy-nilly and I am too lazy to attempt to exert order, but the collection was carefully curated for representation of maximum awesome. If you really, desperately need to know where a picture was taken, or under what circumstances, ask me and I guarantee I will know the answer, something I can only do rarely. However, I very much doubt that you will have questions, seeing as NO ONE EVER COMMENTS EVER, BUT WHATEVER, I'M NOT BITTER. (Just kidding about the capslock.)

Enjoy.

(And try not to be too jealous.)

(I was just kidding. Again. Be jealous. It's a reasonable reaction.)

Brighton!

BRIGHTON

SUN AND SEA AND BOOKS AND GELATO AND SUNBURNS

Today was (as my days are so often) fairly fabulous. 

Thanks to my incredible friend Jessica, I was able to hope a train to Brighton, the beach city about an hour out of London.

Friends. It was fantastic. 

Here's the story the above photo-montage tells:

- Nero's coffe: I do love you. Woke me up on the train ride over.

- Went from train station to a stupidly scrumptious and reasonably priced lunch: Brie, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cranberry sandwich. Um. YUM. I'm drooling.

- Meandered down the pretty, busy streets to the beach. Looked at the pier. 

- Made faces at the sun. That squinty expression is actually what my face does when I am reacquainted with one of my BFFs - which the sun is. 

- Picked out my spot on the beach. At first, the lack of sand and abundance of rocks made me question the quality of said beach. But, then, two hours later and totally free of sand-filled clothing and crevices, I reversed my opinion. Pebbly beaches: I approve of you. 

- Read my book and stuck my feet in the water and basked in the fact that, oh hey, this is my life and it is actually breathtakingly wonderful.

- Ate gelato. Ate a lot of gelato. It was this banana chocolate crunch delicious nonsense that was like Chunky Money but better. Yet, that's a thing. I know, I know, hard to believe, but I am a master of all things carbohydrate-y, and I know my business.

- Why, yes, that's a sunburn. You may be asking yourself, "Why, how is it even possible to get a sunburn in England? Isn't that a contradiction of terms?" Well, it ought to be. But my name's Marie and my skin never got the memo that it was raised in the land of 350 days of sunshine. Alas.

Moral of the story: I am –––––––– this –––––––––––– happy.

Also: Burned.

LONDON

LONDON, FRIENDS

LONDON

It's pretty fabulous. So fabulous, you get this dinky little post composed on Instragram shots me myself and I have taken. See, while the little people are cruising around the city with the camera and the tour guide (and the homework. Ha!) I am wandering like a wanderer and taking awkward self portraits as I go. Secret: Sometimes, I end up making really stupid faces in my pictures, because at the last moment, a stranger looks over and I have to stop grinning at my phone like a fool, because I somehow still have a sense of shame, or something. 

On to the main event.

In the past four days (I think?) I have...

Visited, prowled around, and taken terribly foolish pictures of myself at the British Museum. Saw the mummies through gaps in the monstrous crowds. Also saw the Picasso exhibit, and was distinctly underwhelmed. Most likely because I lack refined tastes.

~

Walked around Regent's Park for a few sunny minutes. Saw old people (like, legitimately old. Think seventy year-olds) dancing salsa as part of some exhibit. I was terribly humbled by my own lack of coordination. I also has to make the above serious face because I was pretending to take a picture of the garden, and once does not take pictures of flowers with stupid, 'CHEESE' smiles. 

~

Ended up in the National Gallery as I was attempting to escape bizarre sunny-RAIN-sunny-drizzle-RAIN-drizzle-RAIN.  It was big. And pretty. And occasionally surprisingly amusing. 

~

I also walked. A lot. A lot a lot. Especially for someone who essentially needs to be dragged around the block at home. I am impressed with myself. Oh, the measures to which one will go for the love of money. Or the love of not spending money. Yay cheapness! Anyway. In my walking, I walked by Big Ben, Parliament, etc. Good times. IF ONLY IT WOULD STOP RAINING.

~

On Sunday, I hiked (actually, legitimately walked myself two+ miles) to Westminster Abbey for the Evensong service. Which was great. Did you know that sometimes, the people that sing in the church choir are good? I know. Crazy talk. But there were these adorable little boys in cute little outfits singing in their pretty tiny voices and it was a painless hour and a half. Totally awesome experience - I recommend it highly. 

~

FOOD! My favorite, always. I made Jessica tramp on down to Camden Market to get some ethnic grub with me. Here, see our yummy yummy shared meal of Italian and Ethiopian deliciousness. Add a sangria and BOOM! Perfectly awesome. Love the markets. 

~

Kew Gardens is a world of green. Apparently, they have 1 in 8 known plant species. That is crazy talk. Think about that for a minute. Crazy talk. It is also very pretty, and sometimes reminiscent of Jurassic Park. Their dessert exhibit was also very homey. Jessica and I were both overwhelmed with the sense of home. Which is a little pathetic. 

~

And the best for last: WICKED.

On the West End. Yes yes yes. You are jealous. It's ok: I would be too, if I were you. But I'm not you, I'm me, and I saw the (fabulous!) show with Jessica about five hours ago and my heart is happy. Very fabulous experience. Wicked awesome, actually. 

a series of fortunate events

FRIENDS

FRIENDS

TODAY, WE ALMOST MET MERLIN

Seriously. We were l---THIS---l close. 

IT WENT LIKE THIS

First, we decided to visit this castle, because Google told me that parts of Merlin were filmed there. It's called Castele Coch, for reference. It's very cool. Look:

From here. 

Only, when we got there, the castle was full of TV stuff. And a crew. And lots of wires. We all go like this: 0_0 and whisper, "OHMYGODdoyouthinkthey'refilmingMERLIN?"

They weren't. They were filming this other, new show called Da Vinci's Demons. It comes out in the spring. As an insider, now, I will tell you that it looks pretty fab.

So we're at a castle and they're filming. And then we were skulking around the court yard, because we didn't want to get in any of the very many peoples' way. We got in free, which is AWESOME and also foolish - they don't charge when shows are filming because not everything is open, but HELLO, that's the best time to be there, DUH

ANYWAY

We are standing around wondering what to touch and how loud we can whisper. Brilliant Miles goes up to the nearest crew member and asks, "Hey, could you please tell us where we should avoid? We don't want to get in your way."

AND THEN THE GUY PRETTY MUCH WALKED US AROUND THE CASTLE. 

THROUGH THE SET. 

THROUGH IT.

Our crew-member guide was very very nice. (And if by some beautiful trick of the universe, he is reading this, HELLO! You were great. Five American tourists appreciated your kindness very very much.) He was so nice, that once were done looking around the castle, we talked to him for awhile. 

He asked what we were doing in the country.

"Studying abroad in London," we said.

He asked why were in Wales and at the castle.

"WE LOVE MERLIN," Eden said.

Everyone looked scandalized, until our almost-friends said:

"Really? I've worked on Merlin."

Everyone looked like this:

Then he said, "Oh yeah. I've also worked on Dr. Who and Sherlock."

We all practically lunged. "WE LOVE SHERLOCK TOO!"

For a few minutes, conversation dissolved in our flailing about and acting like the foolish fans we are. Our friend laughed. He gave us directions to filming spots up the hill. We squealed. 

AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN

He said: "They might be filming around here today. Hold on, I'm going to call my friend. He's on set with them."

Cue:

He called some guy on set with Merlin to try to get us on set. Sadly, they were filming in another part of the country entirely, The Forest of Dean.

BUT STILL.

So close. So close.

OH BUT THERE'S MORE

We decided to hike up a huge hill, to seek out the filming spots. Places seen in Sherlock AND Merlin? We could not resist.

We were standing at the bottom of the mountain, looking up the path and being awkward uncertain as to how to start. 

There is a moral to this story: Look awkward, ask for help, reap benefits.

Some very very nice Welsh lady walking her dog asked if we needed help. We said, yes, actually, we are looking for BBC filming sights. 

She said she's seen that many times.

She said she knows where the places we were looking for are.

She offered to walk up with us and show us the way.

I know. I know. Luckiest day ever.

So today, we saw places that our BBC friends have filmed. 

It was the BEST THING EVER.

AND, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE NOT AWARE

The Manning family has a bit of a thing for Merlin. And Sherlock. A bit of a thing, and a thing is an obsession. As in, Eden and I were almost crying with joy when our friend was on the phone with Merlin people. Don't judge us: It's a BIG FREAKING DEAL. 

Also, if you haven't watched either of these shows, shame on you. Get on it. They're on Netflix. In fact, I will even link them for you. No excuses. Watch. And before you know it, you'll be hiking up big muddy hills and stroking the ground because, "They were heeeeeeere!"

MERLIN

SHERLOCK

update

Roppongi, Tokyo all lit up.

At least I am freezing to death surrounded by beauty.

The host family and I take a picture after the Nihongo Happyoukai - a performance put on by the foreign exchange students to showcase out (theoretically) improved Japanese.

This was my Halloween costume. I bought it for approximately $3.50USD. It is one of the best investments I ever ever made.

___________________________________

I have gotten really horrible about updating this.

It is just very, very, very difficult to keep up with everything that has been going on! Every single day is a new series of adventures, and recording these adventures on a consistent basis would take away from adventuring time. Seeing as I am in my final month (WHAT?), I have been trying my very hardest to do/see as much as possible.

I have been doing pretty well.

Since I have last checked in, some new experiences include:

sleeping/lounging/eating/studying sprawled out on the floor, because the floor is where the heat it; writing and memorizing the script for Little Red Riding hood in Japanese; performing, with two friends, that same story - in Japanese; watching my classmates flex their acting muscles quite impressively as they performed their own Nihongo skits; going to beautiful, elegant museums in Tokyo; walking through streets that reek of class and money in (what I assume) are some of the richest neighborhoods in Tokyo; getting to see real, live, red/orange/yellow/green fall in all its glory; exploring the city and enjoying every minute, despite the bone-chilling rain; falling asleep on a stranger on the train and not realizing it until I was poked awake because he had to get off; acquiring a mastery of the train system that allows me to decide on a general direction or specific location I want to go and actually get there; meeting my family's foreign exchange student to-be; walking around Ueno Park and Ueno Zoo by myself and being able to take in the awesome all around (pygmy hippo! I WANT ONE); going to a Neko Cafe and playing with some of the cutest cats in the history of the world; somersaulting down a hill; seeing a light display that rivals in Zoo Lights; having long, gossipy conversations with the host mother; going to a salsa club in Roppongi and having the awesome Emily lead me through the steps in a semi-competent manner.

hello, hello

I know it's been awhile.

But, you see, being in love with life takes up a lot of time.

Kinkaku Shrine! Look how shiny.

View of Kyoto from Kiyomizu Temple.

We are ninjas. We are at a ninja restaurant. We go big or go home.

WHALE SHARK!

At the awesome aquarium in Osaka - that's the whale shark behind me!

Epic hike through hundreds of gates/tori in Kyoto.

Pretty picture, right?

My fellow exchange students in front of the gate in the water, enjoying a brief vacation/tour of Japan.

Approaching Miyajima, aka: Jurassic Park. (Not really even where they filmed it, but I swear it could have been.)

The famous Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo.

At the Lock-Up, a prison-themed restaurant.

Crea Mall at night.

The Kawagoe Matsuri (street festival) in all its crowded, float-filled nighttime glory.

DUBLIN!

For the record: Dublin is awesome.

Reasons why it is vastly superior to London are as follows:

• The streets are prettier. They are cute and bustling and just more appealing.
• The people are absolute awesome. No less than four individuals were independently involved in helping me to find/get on/get off the right bus at the right time.
• The weather is amazing. I know that this is not the case all year, but today was perfect; cool, bright, breezy. LOVE.
• There are little pubs with names like O’Donoghue’s that serve real live shepherd's pies.

There are other reasons too, I just can’t think of them at this second. My brain has been awake for too many hours to really work. But that’s ok, because Dublin was worth the 5am morning.

how to be a better person

I spent the night in a real, live, legit Fiji village.

It was quite possibly one of the most insanely eye-opening experiences of my ever. It was very different from anything I have done before, and the people there do not see the world like we do at all, but their way of life - no matter how foreign - is wonderful in its own right. Seriously, all. You know how reading Harry Potter, watching Avatar (and Nobuta Wo Produce) make you a better person? Well. So does spending time in a Fijian village.

Why? Well, because:

the kids are adorable, sweet, and not at all shy; the ocean is about ten steps away; you can find a coconut on the beach, crack it open, and munch away; there are so many little tiny crabs of every shape, size and color that as you walk, it looks like the beach is alive and darting; there will be amazing, kind, compassionate people who will show you their world; there is community the likes of which I have never seen before; the doors are never locked and almost always open; people call out "Bula!" as you walk by and ask you in for tea; dogs and children go wherever and everyone watches them as though they belonged; you eat tuna that was caught less than 2 hours before; you sing and dance and sing and dance and did you know Fijians love Beiber?; you drink kava and get sleepy-slow and happy; you realize that the world is an awesome place to be.

Not to be melodramatic or anything.

One more thing: Kava.

I used to love (to a possibly unhealthy degree) Numbsit. Cava? Is like super strong, long-lasting, awesome Numbsit.

So when you're thinking about booking your next vacation to Fiji, I would seriously recommend taking a day to leave the resort and spend a night in a village.

Because it will make you a better person.

Obviously.

The pretty swing and sunrise in front of the farm I stayed at. Most beautiful thing ever.

Let’s talk about farmstays, ok? Because they are amazing.

What is a farmstay? Well, you stay on a farming family and see the way they live their life. It doesn’t sound like much, but let me tell you – it was my favorite part of the trip thus far.
While we were there, we did the following:

ate good food; played with pet sheep (!!) ; rode around on the back of an ATV; rode around in a cart hitched to the back of an ATV; watched sheep dogs work the sheep; witnessed firsthand how stupid sheep are; ate really, really good food; met two of the nicest people in NZ (shout out to Christine and Terry – you guys are fabulous!); slept in a comfy, comfy bed with a bed warmer; fell asleep in front of a fire place; ate even more good food; lazed about and slept a happy amount; fed cows; carried a bale of hay and freaked out when a big steer followed me; put up an electric fence; grabbed an electric fence – 4800 volts (!!!); survived said grabbing (one foot up, that’s the key); got shocked and it felt like someone grabbing my shoulders and giving one big shake; ate really delicious blueberry muffins; met two very fat cats that purred like motors; and had too awesome a time.

I did not want to leave.

Am now in Taupo. It’s geothermically active in these parts. That means that there’s random steam vents, sulfur pits, and an active volcano. We visited a hot spring park (and I crossed a sulfur pit! There were no handrails or anything. I am super brave.) and swam in a pool heated by geothermic vents. Much fun. Today, we went on a river jet boat. We also went on this ‘Squeeze’ thing. How that works? You take a jet boat to this place where a stream meets the river. You get off the boat. You walk in the stream. While it is cold enough to be sleet instead of rain. Luckily, the water is warm. So you keep walking, and you trip in the mud, and before long you are squeezing your way between boulders. And when I say squeezing, I mean squeezing. And you keep going. Duck under trees, trip over logs, clim through crevices. Before the hour is up, you get to this pretty, pretty waterfall. Climb up the waterfall. There, you should find a hot, natural pool of water – nature’s Jacuzzi.

The operating word is should.

The rain hates us. First, it made is so the dolphins didn’t come play in the ocean. Then, it made it so the dolphins didn’t come play in the Sound. Throughout the month, it has made me cold. Now, it makes it so the hot spring is not-cold. Not lukewarm, not tepid. Merely not freezing.
But it was still a cool hike.

I am not bitter.

Also: I have so much homework. So much. Studying abroad requires studying.

Who would have guessed?

PS: My friend Joe went bungee-jumping today. I just watched his video. As he plummets, he screams: “HAIL MARY FULL OF GRACE-“ He is Catholic. He thought he was going to die. It was very funny.

6/7/10

Oh wow.

What have I done since this last post?

So much.

I have:
been to Kaikoura, and Bleinheim; seen the most amazing coastline ever; gone on a midnight walk in search of a Kiwi and/or moa; wrote in the sky with flashlights and pretended to be a UFO; learned how to weave flax; gulped down delicious pumpkin soup; attempted to swim with wild dolphins, and failed; seen sperm whales and seals and great big albatrosses; seen two dolphins (!!), but they wouldn’t swim with me; imitated seals while being within fifteen feet of a seal; ate weird icecream (boysenberry swirl, passion fruit, and chocolate orange ahoy!); survived the freezing rain (!!); taken weird pictures by the beach; experienced the most amazing long bus ride ever; eaten way too much food, and lots of good food at that; spent almost no money (!!!); participated in the cooking of a delicious group meal (actually, I sat on the couch and watched Ben & Joe cook); made a few very awesome friends (Megan, Ashley, Hebah, Tabarik, Ben, Joe, Jessica, Crystal, and many others!); gone sea kayaking in a weird lake/ocean/sound thing; seen amazing, amazing, amazing forests (like rainforests!) from my little boat; paddled by seals (!!!) and jumped when they popped up three feet in front of me; hiked gorgeous trails with views over river systems that could be in the Amazon; gotten locked in a bathroom (Joe is my savior!); and not cleaned up my stuff. Which I should do soon.

Tomorrow, we’re off to a winery to work in the fields, get a tour, be fed lunch, and do a wine tasting. All is exciting because, apparently, New Zealand wine is on par with French wine. Or so the Kiwis say.

By the way, who’s interested in putting down cash to buy a summer home down here? I’d recommend Kaikoura, though the Malborough Sounds are pretty much the best thing ever. They just happen to be really expensive.

Guys? I love NZ.

Hope everything is going well back in the States!

See you (not too) soon,
Marie

a rainy day in review

6/2/10

• It rained and was very very very cold.
• My new buddy Megan and I still braved the rain.
• Did the following:
o Visited a pretty cathedral with an oddly odd statue outside
o Got hot, cheap cookies. They were delicious
o Went on a random walk. Visited a Japanese grocery store.
o Went to an art museum with a crazy weird exhibit composed of huge, moving statue things. I have no idea how art is defined, but this was pushing boundaries.
o Went to visit what we thought was a University. It was a boy’s school. There was an area in which visitors were welcome. It was not where we were. However, it was worth it because the buildings were beautiful.
o Went to Haggley(sp?) park. Pretty and freezing. So many trees!
o Ate a dinner of pita PB&J’s, because we are cheap and I am cheaper still.
o Packed up my room in preparation for departure.
o Mourned the fact that today (6/3/10) I will be leaving my free, present in slow, WiFi connection. Sadness becomes me.


However! Today we’re off to explore more of NZ. The lack of internet is worth (??) the adventure.

I may be without interwebz for a few days, so do not count on hearing from me, my faithful followers you, for a while. Will write back with more awesome!

-Marie