One Less Thing to Worry About

My visa!! I've finally got it! It came in the mail on Monday, actually. And it only cost me $150! *tearing up a little, so much money* Well, that's less things on my list of things to worry about. Now onto the next thing! Packing. (Lord, help me.)

I've actually spent quite a bit of time thinking about this subject. Made a spreadsheet and everything. I debated for a while about how much clothing to bring. My mom suggested only two weeks worth of clothes, but I was like, 'Two weeks of clothes for FOUR MONTHS? Are you cray-cray?" But then, I thought about it and if I brought a month's worth of clothes, I'd only wear each thing about four times before I came home. So I decided to compromise and bring about three weeks worth of clothes. Well, actually it's more like 18 shirts, 9 sweaters/jackets, 7 undershirts, 32 "undergarments" (counting socks and underwear), 17 bottoms, 5 full outfits,  8 pairs of shoes, 20 accessories, along with all my toiletries, documents, electronics, and other miscellaneous things. Some websites suggest only bringing a week's worth of clothes, but as I'll be working with a fashion website, I decided that rule didn't apply to me. Otherwise, I think I did pretty good. But I'm gonna have to fit it all into one giganto-normous suitcase, because Delta Airlines only allows one free checked bag with each flight. Of course later, I'm gonna have to figure out how to get all the stuff I buy over in London back to the States, but we'll get there when we get there.

Anyways, here are some tips for packing for students going abroad.

1) Plan accordingly. How long will you be there? Consider what you'll be doing in your host country. I'll be working three days a week at an internship, so obviously I'll need some nice business clothes.
2) What's the weather like there? If you're going somewhere warm, you might want to consider a bathing suit. I'll probably bring mine along, even though I don't think I'll need it.
3) What are your habits? If you work out a lot, bring some shorts and t-shirts. If you're a journaler, bring that along as well!
4) What will be available? Some countries don't have electricity or running water available everywhere, so it wouldn't exactly be prudent to bring all your electronic toys and things.
5) Forget about school supplies. Until you get there at least. Because who really wants to lug around ALL THAT PAPER in airports and taxis and up stairs and stuff.
6) DON'T FORGET your visa, passport, important documents, credit cards, international cell phone and all that jazz. You should definitely keep these in your carry-on bag, so you can keep track of them. You should also have a change of clothes and a toothbrush handy, in case your other luggage gets lost.
7) Stay organized. The more you do this, the less frazzled you'll be, and the more fun you'll have on your trip!

So that's about it! If you have anymore tips or tricks to suggest, leave them in the comments. Man, can you believe I'm leaving for LONDON in a WEEK AND A HALF???? WUUUUUUUUUUT? I still can't even believe it! This is crazy! I'll be an OCEAN away from my family for FOUR MONTHS! I'll also be spending my 21st birthday overseas (which is less of a big deal over there, as the legal drinking age in the UK is 16), but thankfully I'll be back about two weeks afterward and then I can celebrate. I'm working at a FASHION MAGAZINE! Me! A self proclaimed "nerd" who hated shopping until I was about 18. Ugh. I'm freaking out here a little, if you couldn't tell. So many emotions! Wheeeeee! (That's me, screaming on the roller coaster that is life.)

Adventure AHOY!

So here are some pics from my Milwaukee adventure with my boyfriend. :) The drive wasn't all that terrible, though we did get a little lost on the way there.

Here's the view from the top of the building. You can see the Milwaukee Museum of Art in the center right.

This is the world's largest replica of the great lakes! Every once in a while, automated shades will pull down over the windows and it will "thunderstorm" over the lakes. Also, lots of little kids will scream.

Jordan checking out a turtle. He hates having pictures take of him, so I have to get them while he's distracted. (Jordan, not the turtle.)

You could watch fish swim UNDERNEATH YOUR FEET! I almost tripped because I didn't see the glass until the last second and part of my brain was thinking I'd fall into the water.

JELLY FISH!

Caribbean FISH TUNNEL! It was pretty neat seeing all the pretty, bright colored sea creatures swimming all around.

This is the "touch tank," where kids could reach into the water and touch the fish and things. There were horseshoe crabs in there! I chickened out though, and didn't touch anything.

Jordan again, pretending to be the captain of an 18th century schooner replica. Two-hour tours are available on the ship, where you can actually go out on Lake Michigan on the boat, but they were like, $40 a pop. Way expensive.

Me, messing around with one of those "player pianos." The ones where you just push the pedals and it plays by itself. This one played "On Wisconsin."

Hanging out during lunch. We packed our own. Egg salad sandwiches, peaches, tortilla chips and salsa con queso, and carrots.

There was an old school Nintendo game in the "sound" exhibit, and my boyfriend is such a huge nerd, so we had to stop and play with it for a bit. Some of the keys on the controller were broken though. :(

That's it! Getting my biometrics taken wasn't all that difficult. It just consisted of a lot of waiting and then getting my fingerprints taken. I'm almost done applying for my visa! Just waiting on a letter from the bank, and then sending it off! LONDON IN THREE AND A HALF WEEKS!!! OMG!

Neat Thing: Discovery World

So my boyfriend and I have decided to make a day trip out of my Milwaukee trip tomorrow. I was looking up places to go and found out about Discovery World, which, according to the website, is "a 120,000-square foot facility that includes interactive science, technology and freshwater exhibits, learning labs, theaters, television and audio studios, and fresh and saltwater aquariums." It kind of reminded me of the The Pacific Science Center in Seattle and I seriously LOVED that place as a little kid and when I went back to visit last summer, so I figured, why not try it the Midwestern way?


Looking around the website, I discovered that they have oodles of exhibits, including one about Les Paul, the famous singer, guitarist, songwriter, and inventor (Yay music! :D), a Great Lakes replica (with a thunderstorm!), and an audio and video production studio (neat!).

What made it even better is that there's a college student discount and tickets are only $10! What a steal! I'm in the process of planning our lunch and dinner right now and I'm also pretty excited to be saving money by taking a picnic lunch and dinner (not sure how the dinner thing is going to work out though, still working that out.) Anyways, I'm super excited. If it's anything like the Pacific Science Center, then I'm sure it'll be a great time. Most likely I'll post my experiences on it on Thursday.  

Media Mondays: Ninteen74

So I got word a few days ago about my internship. Apparently this fashion networking website, Nineteen74, wants me to work for them! They are a website that allows all people working in the fashion industry to gather in one place and collaborate. Models, photographers, designers, actors, artists, hair/make up artists, etc. I'm really excited about it, as they also publish their own magazine (both in print and online), but I'm kind of nervous as well. You see, as well-versed as I am in all things literary and writing related, I've never really been one for keeping up with trends and what not, at least until recently. I was that girl in high school who wore graphic tees and jeans everyday. And now I might be mixing it up with models and photographers and high fashion designers. Ugh. I hope I don't end up being the eternally fashion-backwards American girl.

Anyways, I sent off a writing sample to the editor-in-chief on Saturday and am now just waiting for a reply on whether or not I'm what he's looking for. I paged through the magazine to take stock of them and made the observation that Europeans are not as shy of nudity as Americans are. You're welcome to take a look as well, but be warned: some of those photo series are rated R. That kind of worries me a bit as well. How will a modest Christian girl like me fare in the world of fashion, which, though it is obviously about more than just sex (it's art!), has a reputation for using sex as a selling point? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Anyways, the most exciting news I have to share is that I just got word that they want me to work for them! So now I have an official internship in London! YAY! I don't know how I'm supposed to prepare for it though, other than browse the website and magazine. Here's the writing sample I sent off, so you guys can look at it.

~~~~~

The article “Drew Struzan: The Master of Arts,” written by Nisha Khimji, presents to the readers a talented, but underappreciated example of a successful artist and reinforces the argument that art is a way to connect emotionally to people. Through Drew Struzan, Ms. Khimji presents a clear model to all artists of the dedication and passion necessary to become successful. The article emphasizes that art is about conveying and evoking emotion to and in others. Ms. Khimji has strengthened the claim in an understandable and succinct way while using a simple, plain style of writing.

In her article Ms. Khimji relies heavily on quotes and information from Drew Struzan’s life. As such, burgeoning artists may feel inspired to find out more about Mr. Struzan and his work, or perhaps even be inspired to create their own works. Though lacking the tone of genuine interest, as well as a few minor grammatical mistakes, the article still manages to make its point clear. The author, with the support of Mr. Struzan’s quotes, is still able to motivate readers to connect with their own “intimate emotions” while creating art.

I found the article intriguing and informative. I personally was impressed with Mr. Struzan’s accomplishments and attitude towards his craft. He seemed very patient, dedicated and wise, a wonderful and respectable member of this generation’s artists and craftsmen. As a movie buff myself, I can appreciate his work and found myself searching for and recognizing a lot of his art in the movie and comic book industry. However, as interesting as Mr. Struzan and his art are, I also found that reading this article about him was a bit dry. I would have liked to see a little bit more the author herself come through her writing in her word choice and sentence structure. Granted, the limited space in a magazine inhibited the display of emotion, but I believe there was still room in the article to show more of them. The place where Ms. Khimji shines through the most is in the second to last paragraph, in which she calls Mr. Struzan a “magician.” This was definitely my favorite paragraph (that wasn’t a quote from Drew Struzan).

In summary, I believe that Ms. Khimji has written a very educational article which will pique the interests of many artists and will help others discover a brilliant idol in the art and entertainment industry.

~Rebecca Her

There you have it! Exciting news from the world of a small-time, big-dreaming writer. LONDON AHOY!!!

Word of the Week

Biometrics: bahy-uh-me-triks - relating to the analysis of biological data using mathematical and statistical methods; relating to digital scanning of the physiological or behavioral characteristics of individuals as a means of identification: biometric fingerprinting.


Example sentence: Agent 029, world class beauty, mistress of disguise and deception, and international spy, waited impatiently as the cameras scanned her biometrics to confirm her identity.


This Wednesday I'll be going to Milwaukee to get my biometrics scanned for my visa. Apparently it'll only take like five minutes, but still. It sounds really awesome. I'm also thinking about making a day trip out of it, as Milwaukee is like an hour and a half away. But I guess we'll see! More on this after it happens.