when swine fly

My parents recently caught on to this whole texting phenomenon--about 5 years late, but I'm still proud. Their messages started out as one long word, "callmewhenyougetoutofclass", but now they're pros, they use spaces and even punctuation! Well today I received a text from my dad, "It was once said that a black man would be president 'when pigs fly'; indeed 100 days into Obama's presidency...Swine Flu." Now I'm pretty sure someone forwarded that to him because that message included capitalization and numbers, two things that are out of his texting capabilities. I don't care if you're a right or left wing supporter--that message is amusing. We had Bird Flu a few years ago, and now it's Swine Flu. Who knew that each animal had its own epidemic? Texas A&M has cancelled all programs traveling to Mexico until this issue is resolved. The local cases (U.S.) haven't been life threatening, but I'm told that the Mexico cases are a little more severe. Symptoms are similar to your seasonal flu symptoms: fever, chills, fatigue, etc.

Wash your hands, don't cough on people, don't frolic in a field with pigs.

my drugs

I'm trying to figure out a way to fly internationally while stowing my drugs in my backpack--my prescription drugs that is. I've been traveling with pills as long as I can remember, but now I have to figure out how to travel with syringes. Not only are they considered a sharp object, they also have to be refrigerated at all times. My flight is 15hrs long. I've been researching, and I have found these little packs that are filled with gel. You submerge them in water and they stay cool for 48hrs. This sounds like the solution to my problem right? Wrong. What if the airport says no because it is technically over 3oz of liquid? Or what if they veto it because they're sharp objects? I wouldn't be concerned if I was just flying in the US, but the whole idea of international flights and customs makes me think of a million potential problems. I take one shot every other week, so I need to bring 4 syringes with me--another problem. My insurance won't let me refill in advance. Sure I could do it on my own, but the medication without insurance is 1 syringe for $1400. Yeah...I don't think so. So, now I have to get my Dr. to petition the insurance company. I have Crohn's Disease, and if I don't have my medication, it will be a very painful 8 weeks.

DODO

I stumbled across this helpful little website; it tells you want you want to know. It tells you about parking, clubs, food...everything. It's from other travelers that have experienced the city first hand. Some are great reviews, other are just ridiculous--like the guy that suggests that we tear down the Colosseum and move on. Apparently there are a few castles in the Bonn area that are a "must see", and gardens also seem to be common theme. A boat trip down the Rhine River is something that is also highly recommended. There are few hotels that have been described as "sketch", but because I will be staying in a dorm--I won't have to deal with that. My professor says that Bonn is a very clean, respectable city with a small red light district. It will be interesting to see how close it is to our dorm. With my luck, I would be centrally located in the only neighborhood with criminals.

scandal

I just had to take the online orientation for study abroad students; about 1/3 of the orientation was talking about "sexual promiscuity". "Participating in sexual activity while abroad can increase the transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus", should be obvious right? Well I made this comment to my professor and his response was, "you'd be surprised". He started telling me a story about a student he had two years ago that told him that she was on a mission to complete her "sexual passport". Her goal was to "have relations" with one guy from every country she had ever been to.

OK #1- why the heck would you ever tell your professor that?

#2-where's your self-respect?

#3-ew.

Apparently when US students travel abroad, they leave their morals and common sense at home. Maybe they want to fully experience the culture; however, they will return home with an unexpected souvenir if you know what I'm saying.

Good job Texas A&M for trying to educate the campus wide hoochies.

sticky situation

We have bi-monthly meetings for our Germany program on Wednesday nights. The professor leading the trip strongly recommends that you attend, especially on administration nights (all the paperwork must be turned in, etc.). Well I missed the last meeting because I was sick for three days, but I didn't feel too bad about it because it was just about the history of Germany. The meeting would have been informative, but if there is something that I'm dying to know, I can look it up. Well this next meeting is the biggest meeting of them all, so it's obviously the most practical day for my new boss to schedule my training. I would have requested off, but my employer has already had to reschedule things at my expense, so I wasn't about to pose another problem. But now I have an issue with my professor. I will be applying to dental hygiene school for next fall, and I need a letter of recommendation; he's my letter of recommendation. Now I wouldn't be too worried about this situation if he hadn't stressed a million times how crucial this meeting is. Hopefully he will be understanding of my predicament, but I think I just bit the hand that feeds me.

Hop on board

I've been researching cheap travel options in Europe for a while now; today I came across Mitfahrzentrale. Don't ask me how to say it--my guess is as good as yours. It's like a carpool across Germany, but it's with complete strangers. You go online, register and pick your destination. The service provides a list of various drivers that includes languages spoken and whether they are a smoking/nonsmoking vehicle. Several safety precautions are taken such as exchanging photo ids via fax, providing phone numbers to family/friends, and the website also provides a rating system for previous occupants to rate the drivers. The passenger splits gas and tolls with the driver. There are no additional fees since the driver is already heading in the same direction. It benefits everyone, and is easy on the wallet! A traveler is able get tips from a local with more insight than a guidebook. Safety concerns are understandable, but going out on a limb could lead to an unforgettable vacation.

Photo Op

I would like to meet one person that goes to Europe to travel and doesn't bring a camera. I hear that when you go, you take thousands of pictures--literally thousands. I currently have a digital camera that I got when I graduated from High School. That camera is now 4 yrs old and has the quality to prove it. I've started noticing an orange glow around people's faces, random spots in the sky and the color quality is pathetic. When I go on my trip, I want GREAT pictures. I wanted a SLR for the longest time, but 800 bucks and a bulky frame have put that idea on the back burner. I've been researching, and I have decided on another Canon--the Powershot. It is small, about 200 bucks, creative features and has a great reputation in the professional community. My birthday is right before I go on my trip, so my parents said they'll hook me up. Thanks mom and dad!

Weather

Weather...it can make or break your vacation. I just stopped by my professor's office with the intentions of discussing my travel plans for our four day weekend. I have been throwing the idea of Interlaken around for some time now, and I wanted his professional opinion on my destination. He went on and on about how wonderful it is, how much I would personally enjoy it and how great it would be to see the Alps. After I was sold on the whole trip, he finished his story with, "but it was cloudy and rainy the whole time we were there, so we didn't get to do anything outdoors, but I hear it's great..." If it rains the whole time I'm there--I'm going to be ticked! My only weekend out of the six weeks to do whatever I want. It better not rain.

Destination X

We're going traveling the two weeks after my program ends, but where to go is the current issue. I appreciate the art thing, not much of a shopper, love people watching, and I'm obsessed with scenery. The typical places seem to be:

France: Paris
Italy: Rome, Venice, Milan
Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville

I'm not intrigued by any of these places. I would like to go somewhere that isn't touristy, and I'm afraid that the former fall perfectly into that category. I would love to go to Barcelona for the beach, but I'm confident I can find a great beach that isn't overpopulated.

I'm picking two countries to go to. I've been exploring Switzerland, Ireland, Croatia, but still considering France or Spain. Switzerland has the mountainous scenery that I love, Croatia has noteworthy kayaking trips and Ireland is the country that people can't stop talking about. As for France and Spain, I'm keeping them in the mix because I just feel wrong not visiting a popular destination...like I'll be missing something.