Entry One: Why can't there be a 100lb weight limit for check in luggage?

Hello everyone! Today is my very first blog entry about my travels in Ireland. Over the next week I will be updating this blog for all my friends back home to keep everyone updated on my adventures. Since I do not have a cell phone as way to communicate, this is the best way to update everyone. I will switch to a new blog but under the same email for when I am in London.

Although I still am in the states, I have been preparing for my trip for the past week. Packing is the biggest obstacle I have faced so far. Who knew how hard it was to pack for five weeks? Especially since the weather between Ireland and London and what I am doing in each country differs. With Ireland it will be cold, damp and rainy, and I have to bring dressy clothes for when I visit the different special education schools. London will require more day to day functional clothes as I am just attending classes. In order to avoid unnecessary baggage fees, I can only pack one suitcase with a 50 pound limit. But I need extra room to bring home all my souvenirs. As of today I have most of my suitcase packed. I do leave in one day (aka TOMORROW!) so I have to finish. Due to my lack of room, I can only bring the basics. My aunt traveled to Europe a few years ago and she gave me some recommendations for what to pack. One of them was to pack only five pairs of underwear and socks. I will just have to wash them every week. But of course I won’t have access to free laundry so I will have to wash them in the sick with mini packets of Tide laundry detergent. Oh this will be a fun trip. The one essential item I have packed away is a rain jacket. This is a rain resistant jacket, which will be the utmost important piece of clothing in Ireland. I can’t have any of my clothes getting wet or I will be miserable.

This is what I have decided to pack, If I am missing anything important, please let me know!

• 2 pairs of jeans
• 2 pair of shorts
• 5 basic shirts
• 2 pairs dress pants (necessary for the conferences in Dublin)
• 2 cardigans
• 5 pairs of underwear
• 5 pairs of socks
• 1 pair of sleep pants
• 1 pair of sleep shorts
• 2 hoodies
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 1 pair of flats
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 umbrella
• extra contacts
• glasses
• makeup
• blow Dryer
• toothpaste
• toothbrush
• small bottles of shampoo and conditioner
• face and body wash
• camera and charger
• cell phone and charger
• Ipod and charger
• laptop and charger
• headphones
• 2 books (Lolita and Alice in Wonderland)
• friends and family’s addresses

So besides packing for the trip, I spent today saying goodbye to my friends. I cannot believe I will be out of the country for over a month. It will be hard not seeing everyone but I know these five weeks will fly bye.

For my farewell with my friends, I threw myself a going away dinner at The Olive Garden. The only thing I requested my friends to do before I left was write down their addresses for me to send postcards home. Most of my friends gave me a card and small going away present. While I had fun at dinner, it made me sad that I was going to not see them for over a month. But like I said earlier, the time will fly bye.

For those who are reading this, thanks for everything! I will miss you all dearly. The next time I will be updating this will be when I reach Dublin, Ireland. Wish me safe travels and a painless flight.

-Katie