Supercalifragilisticexpealidoucious

On the eve of departure, I find myself camped out on my couch in my pjs watching Mary Poppins as my mom asks me if I've finished packing yet and of course I use the usually response, yeahh sure, but really I still have piles of sweaters, socks, and random voltage adapters blocking my doorway to my bedroom. I'm taking the redeye flight out of DFW Saturday night so from the perspective of a procrastinator, I have plenty of time to pack, unpack, and reorganize things so I can zip my duffle bag shut!

During the few days when the weather actually was in the 30s last week, I volunteered to get the mail from the mailbox just so I could test out my first real winter coat, needless to say I felt pretty cool, or should I say warm? With each following trip, I tried out a new article of winter wear, gloves, then a hat, not to mention all of the scarves that I dug out of my closet. The neighbors just stared, until I explained that I was crossing the Atlantic Ocean to study abroad after Christmas.

This will be my first trip out of the US besides Mexico and I'm so excited and grateful to be able to experience a new culture and make new friends. I'm looking forward to hearing from the German medicine proffessors and visiting the museums and all of the historic sites. It will also be really cool to have some down time to go explore on our own and find some neat places to take in the scenery.

Besides my reoccuring fears of "beeping" when I go through security, I'm ready to board the plane! I can't wait to arrive in Cologne!!!

Happy Travels!!

-Lauren Lewis