8 days

I have merely eight days until I leave for Costa Rica, and I have to say that I am nothing short of freaking out. I suppose it's normal to freak out about moving to another country for four months to study abroad, nonetheless I would simply rather not have this feeling. I hope that I'm just making myself go crazy and that there really is nothing to worry about. Although lately, I have had a lot to worry about and each day that goes by simply kicks my stress level up one more notch.

Here is a list of what has been bothering me lately (not including the normal anxieties that people feel of studying abroad in a foreign country):

• One of my outdoor cats Benedick recently broke his hip and has to be kept inside. This was worrisome in and of itself but then we found out that the medicine he's on gives him uncontrollable Montezuma's revenge which he invariably leaves little bits around the house. This wouldn't be so bad if we could confine him in a cage (like the vet ordered) or a room with no carpet. However, when we tried this he began to fling himself against walls thus being counterproductive to his recovery. Therefore, my family was forced to let him roam around the house while keeping a close eye on him but needless to say they are not thrilled. *On a side note his Montezuma's revenge has become so uncontrollable lately that just an hour ago I was holding him and he left me a present on my lap (which has never happened before).
• I took a preliminary exam not too long ago to see what level of Spanish classes I can take while I am studying in Costa Rica. We were told many times that most people do not feel that they do well on this written exam so I was extremely nervous before the exam. Basically, there are six levels of Spanish classes: low basic, high basic, low intermediate...until high advanced and there were six sections to this exam. In order to take the next section you had to get 75% right and answer within 10 minutes. I made it to the last section so I was ecstatic and I wanted to see my scores immediately but they never showed up on the website. Apparently, there were a whole bunch of IT problems with the exam and with the University and so now we must retake the exam when we get there along with the already scheduled oral interview. Oh and did I mention that I am horrible with interviews and that I was already freaking out enough about the interview, now I have to worry about retaking this exam. And now I'm wondering if I only made it to each level because of the IT problems.
• My sister is getting married in England about a week after I arrive in Costa Rica. Obviously this is a huge deal and I booked my flight a long time ago but unfortunately the only one that was reasonable and didn't have a million stops was on a Thursday. And as luck would have it classes go through friday in Costa Rica meaning I would miss two days of classes. Now this doesn't seem like a big deal but IT IS. I checked the attendance policy and apparently you are only allowed one, yes ONE unexcused absence per class and two unexcused absences means FAILURE. Now I dont know if you know this or not but I can not fail a class... I just can't and failure really is not an option in family... it just isnt. Now I know that my sister's wedding COULD be considered an excused absence but that whole could part is really really worrying me beyond belief.
• I am trying to bring as little as possible with me to Costa Rica because everyone says you'll feel better with the less you bring because it's less you'll have to carry. Well that is way easier said than done but in order to help me bring less, I am only bringing a large traveler's backpack (like the ones people use to backpack across Europe) and a small carry on. Recently though I did a dry run with just my clothes and shoes and they filled practically all of my bag. Now i'm worried that i'm either making a dumb decision by only using this backpack or that i'm simply bringing too many clothes and shoes. It's not helping that I know that if I forget something really important I can't just turn around and go home and get it.

Whew that feels great to get that off of my chest, I feel much better. Honestly though disregarding these issues I am extremely excited about studying abroad and living in Costa Rica for four months.