After many setbacks I finally have internet and am able to start blogging! The following is a post that I wrote on February 2nd.

For those who know we well it will not come to you as a surprise to discover that I finished packing less than half an hour before I had to leave for the airport.  BUT for once in my life I have a valid excuse: 5 days ago I entered into a rare time warp zone.  I’m no scientist but I am sure that the last 5 days have gone by at an unnaturally fast speed.  It seemed that I was spending every waking moment preparing to leave; whether I was packing, filling out paperwork, photocopying documents, saying goodbye to friends or running last minute errands, I was constantly busy.  Yet I still only managed to get everything done with about 20 minutes to spare (my mom would probably argue that I was still doing some last minute packing as we rushed out the door).  

The months leading up to my departure seemed to inch by. January was an especially tough month because most of my friends who were going on exchange had already departed and instead of meeting up in Paris or Berlin with them I was working a 9-5 job.  Having said that, three weeks at a 9-5 job means a lot more traveling for me once I get there!  Also, working at the HR firm (my first experience in an office environment) was a great learning experience and gave me a good idea of what it would be like to work for a small firm.

I am sitting in the Toronto airport now waiting to board my plane in an hour.  You have to pay for internet, which I'm not willing to do for an hour of service, so I’ll post this later.  Even though I’m not in Switzerland yet I’m still trying to make the most of every moment of this experience.  My mom and I both love airports because everyone has a story; where are they going? who are they going to see? where are they coming from? While walking down the long hallway towards the international gates I started talking to an elderly woman who was on my flight from Ottawa to Toronto and who I had overheard saying that she was continuing on to Switzerland.  I soon discovered that Zurich was not the last stop on her travels.  She was on her way to Africa (prepare yourself for the coolest reason ever)because her daughter is in Tanzania studying monkeys for her PhD!!  So this woman is going to Tanzania to visit her daughter for 3 weeks.  How cool is that!!!  That’s pretty much all I’ve got so far for stories...sorry.  I swear I will come up with something more interesting in the next 5 months haha