A few things

Hi everyone,

It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these update posts, but there really hasn’t been that much going on to be honest. However, as my departure date gets nearer, I’ve been getting a few things done, including some things that have just popped up.

The other night I had a 2.5 hour video chat with CJ – the other girl from Deakin who’s going to Ole Miss with me – and we organised a few things and chatted about what we’re looking forward to etc. CJ and I met back in February at an info session that Deakin ran for all students going on exchange at the same time as us, and also hung out at the pre-departure session. We’ve kept in contact over the months, helping each other with stuff we’ve had to do and chatting about the exchange, and we’re even on all the same flights going over there. It’ll be really awesome having a familiar face coming with me and she’s really fun and easy to get along with and wants to get as much out of her semester abroad as me, so hopefully that’ll make for some awesome adventures! On our call, we booked our night of accommodation in Memphis since we’re arriving in the US the day before move-in day (late at night too) and we’re booked into a free Ole Miss shuttle from Memphis Airport the next day. We also both ordered an International Driving Permit (IDP) so that we can drive in the US and hire a car if we want for road trips, and we’re also probably going to go into the local DMV when we get to Oxford to see about getting a Mississippi state licence (both for the fun of having another licence/form of ID and because it’s just more official and possibly better to have in some circumstances).

I’ve been stressing a bit lately about my packing situation, hoping that I’ll be able to fit everything on my packing list into my two suitcases (both in terms of physically fitting and weight-wise) so the other week I did a mock pack. I gathered most of the clothes and shoes on my packing list and packed them into my two suitcases and then weighed them with one of those travel hand scales for luggage. Both suitcases came up as around 18kgs each, which means I have an extra 5kgs each per suitcase (since each suitcase has a 23kg allowance). Hopefully that extra 10kgs should be enough for the rest of my stuff (toiletries, accessories etc.), and if not then there’ll have to be some serious chopping down when I do my final packing.

The other day I got approval for a credit card, which I wanted to get before my trip for emergencies. In case there’s something that comes up and I can’t get in contact with anyone back home, I can use the credit card. I hope that I don’t have to use it because I don’t want the stress of paying it back because I spent money I don’t have, but it’s great to have the peace of mind of having one as a safety net.

To avoid the chance that I forget to do something important over the next few weeks, I’ve been finishing my final list of things I need to do before I go. It includes appointments, cancelling some subscriptions, altering my current phone plan (since I’ll be on a plan with a US company and sim over there), and using some vouchers I’ve got that will expire before I get back.

A bit more than a month ago, Hannah, the Ole Miss advisor for incoming exchange students, left Ole Miss to take a new job elsewhere. Since then, we haven’t really had any communication from Ole Miss, which means we haven’t heard back about a few things we’ve been waiting on. While I’ve been getting emails from Ole Miss housing for a few months now about moving in and campus accommodation policies etc., meaning I’m on the mailing list, I’m still yet to receive an official confirmation that I’ve got a set room. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but I just don’t want to rock up to campus and be told I’ve not been assigned anywhere to live. Also, our Deakin advisor was in the process of applying for an insurance waiver for those of us going to Ole Miss, but never really heard anything back. The insurance waiver just means that we won’t have to pay AUD$1400 to Ole Miss for their insurance since we’ve got insurance through Deakin, so long as Ole Miss confirms that Deakin’s insurance is sufficient. I’ve still kept the insurance amount in my budget, but it would just be nice to know whether I need to save more for spending or will have this $1400 spare. If I haven’t heard about either of these things within a week or so, I’ll have to get in contact with Ole Miss for my own peace of mind.

That’s everything for now. In 3 weeks today I’ll be nearly halfway through my flight! I can’t believe how fast these past few months have gone. I’m just trying to spend as much time with family and friends as I can before I go, while also picking up more work to save some extra spending money. Exciting times ahead – only 21 days to go!!

- Emily xx