A Few Steps Closer...

Hi everyone!!

Got my surge protector in the mail yesterday, and the laptop converter too... its very heavy, but oh well.

UCF is giving me $500 for study abroad. I'm still waiting on the DAAD scholarship, I'm really on the edge of my seat with that one, for sure!! That would be WONDERFUL if I could get that.

I'm not going to be working between Münster and Koblenz. Since I'll only be available 3 sporadic weeks in the time I'm here, I'm just going to be unemployed for a while.

I finally wrote back to my cousins in Ingolstadt. I hadn't had time to do that recently because of school.

I made a new friend on Facebook from Koblenz... Kerstin.

I have to say that the part about moving to Germany that excites me most is that I'll get to walk and ride my bike places instead of driving. I am so sick of driving and paying $35 to fill up my Honda Civic it's not even funny. Hmph. It'll be great to get my exercise that way, too!

Mom's going to drive down to Miami with me in August to get my Visa. Since I won't be working and she only works Mondays, we'll drive down on a Thursday, spend the night, and get up early to go to the Consulate for my Visa.

That's all for now, I'll update more as things occur...

-Caiti

Getting Ready...

Well a lot of new stuff has happened recently...

1. Mom wants to go to Fort Myers the night before my flight since its such a long trip. We'll be staying at a hotel near the airport overnight. Hannah wants to come with, yay!

2. Got my new phone, its pretty sweet.

3. Got the scholarship I applied for, the UCF one. I am going Friday to sign papers and hopefully find out the amount--hopefully its the full $1000.00. I won't find out about the DAAD one for at least another week or two, but I'm crossing my fingers...

4. Purchased a few items for the trip yesterday and today...

• a LOT of face wash and peroxide gel, save on shipping!!
• 6-outlet european surge protector
• laptop voltage converter
• two sets of packing cubes
• one over-door hanging cosmetic case
• two canvas tote bags

I'm trying to save money by ordering all this stuff online, and so far it's working. I've found promotional codes for a ton of the stuff, it is GREAT...

Cheaptotes.com offers canvas tote bags (you have to buy your own paper or plastic at grocery stores in Germany...) for as low as .79!! NOT KIDDING... I just got a tan one for 99 cents and a navy blue on for $1.49... Amazon was selling ONE bag for $7 + shipping! Crraaaazy.

I also signed up for Google CheckOut today... what will Google come up with next?? I LOVE the internet, it is so much cheaper to buy stuff online than it is to buy in the store. The only thing I prefer to buy in the store is clothing and makeup (but once I know the product I can buy that online, too, really...). When I signed up (free!) I got $10 off my purchase AND free shipping, the savings ended up equalling the price I paid for the item, $17. Crraaaaazy.

I'm just trying to be as prepared as possible for this going-away thing...I'd like to make a smooth transition... how excited I am becoming, the more I think about it, the more real it becomes to me... this is not some small, every day endeavor...

I'll post again as soon as something else happens!!

Caiti-cait

Cool New Gadget

Well I got a super cool new phone, I'm currently waiting for it to come in the mail...its a Smart Phone with all kinds of cool things including:

• slide-out keyboard
• touchscreen
• 1.3 MP camera
• video camera
• handwriting recognition
• Wi-Fi

I got it as an upgrade for $50 on Cingular's website. I thought it'd be cool to have while I'm traveling.I am really not sure if I'll be able to use this thing...

Mach's gut!

Caiti-cait

Kapito Sprachschule, Münster

Here's the website for the language school I'll be in while I'm in Münster this summer.

www.kapito.com

There are pictures on the website of the school and the city. I'm really looking forward to it!

Caitlin

Official Dates

This is my official itinerary for June-September. I know I've been writing out a lot of dates for everyone and stuff but this is permanent until I change it. :-)

June 23: Leave for Düsseldorf, Germany out of Fort Myers, FL
July 28: Leave for Fort Myers, FL out of Düsseldorf, Germany
August 5-11: Family Vacation in Steinhatchee, FL
August 19-25: Family Vacation in Steinhatchee, FL
August 26-September 8: Family in town from Ingolstadt, Germany
September 22: Going-Away Party (date subject to change, time TBA)
September 26: Leave for Frankfurt, Germany out of Orlando, FL

We'll probably have a little BBQ or something the weekend before I go the first time, too. Just so I can get my fix of you guys, but unfortunately it won't be enough to last for the duration of the trip...

Love,
Caitlin

International Student Identity Card

I bought an International Student Identity Card (www.myisic.com) and I got it in the mail yesterday. I read about it in my travel books. Apparently a lot of countries have partnered with this card and offer good discounts with it. You can go to the website and look up cities you're in to see what discounts are offered. There's even some in Orlando! The card costs $22 and you have to add your own picture, which I'll do sometime before I leave in June. Isabel (my boss) said yesterday I'll probably be working part-time still over the summer, which is MUSIC to my gym-going ears for one thing, and it also means I can delve more into planning without having to sit behind a desk all day... I'm looking forward to it!

I added a link about the ISIC so you guys can check it out!

Computer Stuff

I bought John M.'s friend's old laptop for $328. It's pretty nice, way cooler than mine. I think I can sell my old laptop for more than that and even make a buck. I have speakers and a wolfer for it, and also a carrying case and a retractable optical mouse with scroller. So I think I can get about $425 for it or so, we'll see. I think when school ends and I'm just working, I'll get on to selling it.

Yesterday I returned the keyboard I got for my laptop and instead got a laptop travel accessory kit that includes:

• wireless rechargeable mouse
• numeric keypad (umlauts here I come! Umlauts = äöü, and I can also do ß now!)
• surge protectors
• 4-port USB 2.0 hub

I looked at this at Circuit City and it was $80. I went online last night and I found and purchased the same item for $27. WOWOWOW. Amazing. I can't wait to try it out.

Caitlin

Long Distance Just Got CHEAPER...

Hi!

Mom clipped an article out of the newspaper today about a phone service called Jajah. Weird name, EXCELLENT concept. If mom and I are both registered users (free to sign up!) to the service, we can call each other free! This is going to be an excellent resource while I'm in Germany. The limit for free calls for registered users (fair use policy) is 30 minutes a day, 150 minutes a week, 500 minutes a month. And, if I go over that its only 3 cents a minute. No cost to connect. WOWOWOW.

Check it out, there's a free trial on the website. Find the link on the list to the right.

Tschau,
Caiti

Contacts in Germany and Apartment Floorplan

A question I get asked a lot is if I know anyone in Germany. Well, since I've been "in the biz" for quite some time now, I have a little network of contacts over there. Firstly, I have some familiy members. They live just outside of Munich in a little city called Ingolstadt. I visited once when I was 12.

When I was 16 I had an exchange student, Nina, from Moenchengladbach. The next summer I went to visit her. I also know the exchange student from Uni Koblenz that came to UCF last semester. We've been in contact through email since I decided to participate in the program. I have been in extensive touch with the coordinators at the university as well and four assistants have been assigned to me. Their names are Julia, Chantal, Verena, and Sonja. So I have quite a little bubble, I guess. I do intend to break out of it, but I've got a couple of free places to stay, I guess! Ha, ha...

Soon I am going to be making some purchases online for items I will be needing while I am abroad. The following items will be purchased:

• foreign outlet surge protectors (so I can bring my own appliances)
  
• TSA-approved luggage locks
• canvas shopping bags (believe it or not, you have to buy your "paper or plastic" there
• packing cubes

The list will grow I am sure... I just plan to bring as much of home with me as I possibly can so I can get as comfortable as possible as quickly as possible! I wish I could bring my own bed with me!! Something tells me I'm not going to have a lot of room... in fact, here's a floor plan of my apartment...
It seems like it would be pretty cozy... I'm a little concerned about the kitchen, though... I know its more like a kitchenette, but I'm hoping I'll be able to fit a microwave in there or something, and that it is functional... I don't know how I'm going to cook with just a two-burner stove and nothing else... should be interesting.

Until next time,
Caitlin