Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Man, finally coming up on the end of this 30-day blog thing. I think I'm the only one who's actually going to finish it, it kind of seems like the others have forgotten about their notes that they started on Facebook :P

So. Hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days. Well, I have 15 days now until I leave for Italy (!!), and then after that the next 102 days aim to be spent traipsing around Italy and the surrounding European areas (!!!!).

My plans for this time frame are to pack, of course, which is turning into a kind of artistic challenge in itself. Little by little I've been adding to my piles of things to pack, and it is becoming ever-increasingly difficult to find room to fit everything in. I have most everything set aside except for my pants, PJs, underwear, and toiletries, since I'll still be using those in the next couple weeks here. Already space is quite limited, so I'm trying to approach my packing strategically - I know, I know, I'm overthinking and overanalyzing the packing situation, but I want to be prepared! Lol. - I have two suitcases, + a laptop bag and a carry-on, which I'm thinking at this point will be a small duffle rather than a backpack so I can fit more clothes in. In one suitcase I aim to fit all of my toiletries (I'm bringing enough stuff that should tide me over for at least a month, so when that's all used up I'll have that space to bring stuff back :] ), purses, probably all the bigger clothing items like coats, jackets, and sweaters, and my heavier shoes. All my shoes (and socks packed into the shoes) I'll be able to fit into the outer pockets of both suitcases, which I'll admit, I'm pretty proud of :P In the other suitcase I'd like to be able to fit practically all of my clothing, which is definitely going to be quite the obstacle. Stay tuned to see how that turns out as September 5th looms closer.. :S

No definite plans as of yet for after I get to Italy, but certainly a fair amount of hopes and dreams. I hope to be blown away by the concept of finally making it to Europe, and the beauty of God's handiwork in that part of the world. I hope to adapt fairly quickly and easily to the new and unknown environment of being an ocean away from home, family, and loved ones.. not sure how realistic that hope is though, I'm sure it's going to take some definite getting used to. I really really hope that I can make a good group of friends in the other students that are going, considering we're going to be the core community we'll all be hanging out with over the course of those 3 1/2 months. I dream of being able to see a lot of sights not just in Italy, but all over; I'm trying not to get my hopes and expectations up too high, but it's all just so exciting! I'm definitely dreaming of getting to make the most of any travel opportunity that comes my way and gaining the experience of a lifetime from one semester, and coming home an enlightened person. :)

After the next 117 days, I will be a college graduate! Insanity!
But, that still leaves 248 more days for me to relay hopes, dreams, and plans.

Since I'll be a graduate, I hope that I'll be able to find a full-time job fairly soon. I've been keeping in contact with some recruiters from NAVAIR that come to campus last sem; I wasn't eligible for the position they were looking to fill at the time since I wasn't a May 2010 grad, but hopefully something will turn up come December. I plan to keep emailing them even while I'm abroad so that hopefully there might be something lined up when I get back.

Other than that, I dream of moving out of my parents' house and getting out on my own once I've saved up a bit from a full-time job. There's absolutely nothing wrong with living at home, it definitely does have its advantages, but I feel like I can be more independent and self-sufficient out there on my own. Here at home, it's easy for me to slack off and not do things for myself because my grandparents like to take care of the laundry and the dishes since they're home all day anyway, and my parents pay all the bills, buy all the groceries, and do all the cooking. I'm sure we could talk things out and make some kind of arrangement for me to take care of some more things on my own, but in all honesty I kind of just want a good shove out there into the "real world" so I'll be forced to do all of these things on my own, instead of having the possible option of slacking off or something.

So, what does the next year hold for me? All kinds of excitement, changes, and big steps, for sure, but as for the specifics and details? Only time will tell. :)