As I am among my half-packed suitcase, lingering parents, and judgmental cat, I cannot help but repeatedly curl up into a half criss-crossed- child's-pose position. Basically, I am contemplating my decision to leave home for the next four months in the most awkward and unintentional yoga pose. I have been packing, unpacking, and repacking for the past two weeks. Should I pack some snacks for the journey? Probably. How about those mini shampoo bottles? Preferably. My sloth calendar from the natural foods store? Most definitely. I will admit that I have been a borderline hoarder my entire life, so you can understand how difficult this is for me. I am trying to make light of a daunting process, though.
Although I have had a month and a half to prepare for my trip abroad, I still have managed to cram almost everything on my to-do list into one night. If you do decide to cram the day before, I would at least wake up a bit earlier than I chose to. I made the poor decision not to wake up until two. No judging please. I have judged my sleep schedule enough this entire break as my friends know. When I was not sleeping away my entire break, I did have the opportunity to visit friends at my itty bitty liberal arts school north of Kansas City which I will miss dearly. As you can see from the pictures posted, we had a difficult time separating. I visited my sorority sisters on Bid Day, so there was much celebrating to be had with new members.
As I am nearing the end of my first post, I continue to revisit that part in the Hobbit before Bilbo rejoins the dwarves. You know the part I am talking about? When he is sitting in his Hobbit hole contemplating whether or not to be a burglar for Thorin. Firstly, I envy his super fast and light packing skills since he only had maybe thirty seconds to catch up to the group. Secondly, I keep replaying Bilbo yelling, "I'm going on an adventure!" Thirdly, I know I will be that Hobbit who forgets their handkerchief and insists on retrieving it. By the way, I love movies and will often quote them. I'm not sorry. Anyway, during the moments I am feeling unsure and a bit nervous, I will remember good old Bilbo also taking the biggest risk of his life, although I hope not to encounter any dragons or orcs along the way.
a
Emily Xouris
<p>Although I am a Kansas native, I can honestly say I have never witnessed a tornado, tended to the farm, or religiously watched The Wizard of Oz. I am a studious college student who enjoys going into the city and testing new ethnic restaurants or going to a symphony performance on the weekends. This explains why my phone primarily consists of photos of food porn and Kansas City architecture. I study international relations and Spanish, both of which offer me a different perspective to the world beyond the Midwest. I often find myself distracted walking to and from class because I hoard pinecones and insist on showing my friends the ones I come across. </p>
