- figure out a place to stay in Madrid. I am flying into Madrid since it is much cheaper than flying into Sevilla (plus you have to stop in Madrid anyway to change planes before you get to Sevilla-might as well stay and play for a few days!). I am flying in a few days early, so will have some time to explore Madrid before I take the train to Sevilla. I was thinking of using CouchSurfing to find a free place to stay. But I'm not sure that I want to be that brave first thing when I arrive in a new country :) I could stay in a hostel, but will probably end up finding a cheap hotel that has a free shuttle from the airport, as that is an invaluable thing when you are jet-lagged and exhausted and just getting to a new country. I like not having to worry too much about the transportation first thing!
- get some Euros to take with me, just in case I need some cash right off the bat (for example, if aforementioned airport shuttle doesn't work out how I expect it to). Fortunately for me (and unfortunate for the whole of the European Union), the exchange rate is in my favor right now. Hopefully it will stay that way.
- figure out if I want to get a Eurail pass or just wing it. Last time I went to Europe for an extended period (2 months in Italy), I got a pass. It's nice to not have to worry about buying tickets. But I don't think it's worth the cost. Just need to do a little more research...
- email my adviser to get a list of alternate classes that I can take. I know the classes I requested will directly transfer to required PSU classes. But just in case I can't get into those, I need to know what other classes will also transfer. Don't want to take a class only to find out later that it will do nothing for my degree!
- figure out what bank to use. My normal bank, Bank of America, charges exorbitant fees for using their debit cards overseas. If I was traveling to one of like 5 countries it would be free, but I'm not going to one of those countries. If I want to pay $5 + every time I want to get cash from an ATM then they will be fine. But I also have an Umpqua account, which I used last time I went to Europe since they only charged $1.50 per ATM withdrawal. I need to find out if that is still the same or if there's another bank that will not charge at all! My Capital One credit card is what I use whenever I travel because they are the only credit card company that I've found that doesn't charge the standard 3% fee on every single foreign transaction. In fact, they charge nothing at all. That, I like. Free is my cost of choice.
- figure out what to pack! (I see another list in my future...). I'm really terrible at packing light. I mean really terrible. But since I'm not flying directly to my destination and want to do as much traveling while I'm there, AND because I think checked bag fees are RIDICULOUS (hear that, US Airways? I said you're ridiculous.), I am hoping I can squeeze everything into one big suitcase (I can check one bag for free-anything else is $50. Each way.). I think I can do it....but I also want to be able to shop while I'm there and bring lots of stuff back. So I will have to have plenty of room in my one bag....not sure if that is possible.
- figure out a little gift to bring to my host family. Something Oregon-y. And that won't take up too much room in my suitcase.
- email the CIEE lady about said host family. I don't know what the situation will be, but would like to know if I'm living in the dorms, or with a family, or with a little señora like I requested.
- win the lottery. This is pretty much necessary at this point...
- get an iPod shuffle. Much easier to carry around than my big old regular one. Plus if it gets stolen or lost or broken while I'm there, I won't cry. As much. Thanks to my Chase credit card, I should have enough "points" to almost pay for the whole thing because of how many points I got from putting my plane ticket on that card. They have this great thing where if you shop through their website, you get extra points. So basically I got 3 points per dollar on that plane ticket instead of just 1! Just have to wait for them to post, then order a gift card, then get the iPod!
- figure out what I want to do regarding my phone. I could just use my phone while I'm there, which is the easiest way to do things. But then I have to decide if I just want to pay-per-use or sign up for an international plan for unlimited use...OR I can get a phone while I'm there to use...not sure which is cheapest. More research to be done.
- pay the tuition. See above:
"win the lottery." - get a guide book about Sevilla. I love bookstores. I love books. I love travel books. This should be fun shopping trip!
- become fluent in Spanish. Oh...that may not happen... ¿Quién quiere hablar conmigo en español? Necesito practicar mucho. Ay.....
On a side note, I should definitely NOT be allowed to shop alone. Ever again. I foolishly decided to go do a little shopping this weekend. Too much money later, I bought a LOT. Then I got home and bought more online. I haven't really been shopping much since I quit my "real" job and moved up here. Just have bought a few things here and there. But I got started this weekend and just couldn't stop. I don't make enough money to shop like this anymore...but no one was there to stop me....so now I have to figure out what I absolutely love and am going to keep, and what I must return. Whoops! :)
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