this is getting real.

Flight leaves Cincy at 3:10pm tomorrow

yeah...that's right...

Flight LEAVES Cincy at 3:10pm TOMORROW!!! I will physically be in Sweden in the next two days. After all this planning and preparing, there is nothing more I can do. From now on I have to just "go with the flow".

Case and point: my web cam on my laptop has decided to stop working. The built-in one is not being detected, and it won't recognize an auxiliary webcam. My brother worked on the issue for hours, but no luck :( The main reason that this bums me out, is because Skype and Gmail Chat were going to be my two main means of communication with friends and family in the States. Once I get over there I'm going to have to conjure up some alternative plan. For now, I'm just hoping that this is the only hint of bad luck I'll run into!

My travel itinerary is quite impressively long and confusing. I will fly from Cincy to Chicago (easy-peasy). Then, from Chicago, I'll take a red-eye to London. After a couple hours in a lay over, I'll go from London to Stockholm. Then, Anders is meeting me at the airport in Stockholm! I just found this out, and I'm so happy. This really puts me (and my parents) at ease! We'll grab coffee before my flight to Luleå. I'll arrive Luleå at 10:45pm on Thursday, and will then take a taxi to Piteå.

Since I'll be arriving so late, I won't be able to get into my apartment. My wonderful Aunt Betsy helped me out, and I'll be staying at a hotel for the night. I'll need a lot of rest, because Friday will be a big day.

My Friday "To-Do List"
1. Go to leasing office to get keys to apartment.
2. Find apartment and move in.
3. Find Bank: open account
4. Act like I know more Swedish than I do, and smile a lot
5. Find cell-phone store: get a phone (and don't get scammed!)
6. Find grocery store and department store. Purchase soap, linens, etc...
7. Don't get frustrated
8. Connect with Daniel and the School of Music.

For now, I should try and get some shut-eye. I need to finish packing in the morning...right now it's looking pretty good. I have 2 large suitcases (under 50 lbs, thanks very much!), a rolling carry-on (with all my sticks/music/mallets), and a backpack. The fact that I will be lugging all this luggage gives reason to the 6am boot camp classes that I took the past two years!

Next time I write I'll be en route, and beginning my adventure :)