Packing Boxes with One Week To Go!

I'm leaving one week from tomorrow afternoon. It is hitting me in short bursts. Dad brought home 5 or 6 boxes yesterday and I packed up 2 of them today, and that was weird. It got me excited but it was one of those moments where it really hit me. My closet is like half empty! Also, the newest and biggest advancement is that when my grandpa was in town for a couple days over Christmas, he told me he was going to help me out by donating a large sum to my exchange. I almost didn't even know what to say, I was so relieved in that moment to find out that I had that extra bit of financial security, and also very grateful. I went and opened a checking account at Wells Fargo because I need to be banking with someone who has locations in Texas as well as here, and they have an actual Wells Fargo branch on campus. Going to pack the rest of my stuff tomorrow and ship it tomorrow or thursday at the latest. Then it's New Years! Then the weekend is going to fly by and before I know it I'm gonna be on the plane.

Freaky.

♥

Three Weeks!

Finished my last final of the semester today! It's weird to think I won't be back at Chico State until next fall. I fly out 3 weeks from yesterday which is very exciting. I think it will really hit me this next week, now that I'm done with school and will be focusing on packing and shipping my stuff.

I am so relieved that school is over, because I have quite a large to-do list to attend to. Christmas is coming even sooner than my exchange and I still have quite a bit of present making and buying to do.

My immunization records have been sent to the Housing Department at TX State, and I am really anxious to hear news about my placement. I was talking to a friend today over lunch about the dorm situation. We were saying how much of my experiences in Texas will be dependent on who my roommates are and who I meet in the dorms. Those will be the people that I will most likely and hopefuly make friends with, and they'll be the ones that introduce me to people and places and things. Just crossing my fingers that I get placed with some theatre loving nerds :) or people who will appreciate one living with them. HAH.

Also still waiting to hear about financial aid. Even though I have my student ID number and should have access to an account through their portal it seems like maybe it hasnt been activated yet. Still have quite a bit of research to do on that...

I am especially excited to do some exploring outside the San Marcos area. I've been looking up theatre and concert venues, seeing what's going to be around while I'm there. Number one on my list. Spring Awakening in Dallas in March. New theatre friends will be vital for this mission.

♥Chantal

Sealed in Gold

Came home tonight to discover an official looking golden envelope from Texas State :)

I applied for the National Student Exchange, and was accepted to go to Texas State, San Marcos last spring. However, I was required to fill out all the usual college application and admissions paperwork, but assumed I had an automatic in.

Ehem...I would like to announce that as of today, I have "officially" been accepted to Texas State, fancy acceptance letter in the gold envelope and all.

I was actually hoping for a bit more information, but I was given my student ID number, which means I can login to the online student system (their version of the 'portal' I suppose) and look at possible Financial Aid and who knows what else!

I also talked to my cousins that live in Texas earlier this week, and they will be picking me up from the airport on January 6th, and helping me out with things before I move into my dorm the week of the 11th. I am so blessed to have family there that are going to help me get situated.

Yay for tonight. Now time for some painting before bed :)

♥Chantal

Waiting

The hardest part of the process so far has been waiting. I am really excited about my exchange but there are so many unknowns at this point. I just received an update email from the NSE advisor at TX state. She let me know that my paperwork is still being processed and that it should be completed "in a couple weeks," which is a just a tad too vague to settle any nerves. Before I can be assigned to a housing contract or given any financial aid information, all my paperwork as to go through "the system."

So now, I just have to wait.

At this point in the process, all I can do is work with what I do know. Currently I am trying to decide on the issue of transportation. Some of the questions I've been asking myself are; Should I bring my scooter? Is the cost of getting it shipped worth it? Will I actually need it or use it while I am there? Would car be more practical for where I am going? Where and how should I get a car to have while I'm there? Borrow from a family member? Buy a cheap clunker? How much traveling around will I want to be free to do? If I do some sort of community theatre near San Marcos, how will I get there and back? Should I wait till I arrive and assess the situation then?

That is one decision I have to make. Until "a couple weeks" goes by I won't really know much else, but as soon as I get more information from the school, I'll be able to share it and get much more excited about all this.

Now it is time to wait...

♥ Chantal

Fun Facts!

Here it is, my Texas blog!

I am getting so anxious about my trip that I decided to get a head start with a fun posting giving ya'll an idea of where I'm going. :)

I found a bunch of fun facts and little random things that you might wanna know about where I'm going so you can get excited for me too!

TEXAS

~Texas is popularly known as The Lone Star State.

~Rodeo is the official state sport of Texas, though High School Football is more popular.

~In Texas, it's illegal to put graffiti on someone else's cow.

~Texas's official dance is the square dance.

~The all American meal, the hamburger, was created in Athens, Texas.

~Texas comes from a Spanish misunderstanding of the Caddo Indian word tejas, meaning friend.

~Texas was the 28th state to join the Union, admitted in 1845.

~The state flower is the bluebonnet.

~Six flags have flown over Texas: Spain, France, United Mexican States, Confederate States of America, the Republic of Texas and the United States of America, with eight changes of government.

~Texas is the only state to enter the United States by treaty instead of territorial annexation.

~Dr Pepper was invented in Waco, TX in 1885. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper.

~The armadillo is the official state mammal.

For those of you that think Texas is all flat desert...

~Texas has 90 mountains a mile or more high, with Guadalupe Peak in West Texas
at 8,751 feet being the tallest.

~Almost 10% of Texas is covered by forest which includes four national and five state forests.

And here are a few that I wish I hadn't learned...

~There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in Texas.

~There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in Texas.

SAN MARCOS

~San Marcos is located on the Interstate 35 corridor, between San Antonio which is 30 miles to the south, and Texas' State Capital Austin (a.k.a. 'The Live Music Capital of the World') 30 miles to the north, and the beautiful Texas Hill Country to the west.

~Founded on the banks of the San Marcos River, the upper river flows through Texas State University and San Marcos, and is a popular recreational area.

~The San Marcos River flows at a constant temperature around 72° F and at about 155 cfs minimum, making it fun for paddling and floating pretty much year around.

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY

~Lyndon B. Johnson was educated at Texas State University.

~The main campus in San Marcos serves as the location of the fictional school TMU (Texas Methodist University) in the NBC TV series Friday Night Lights.

~The river is also a popular option for swimming, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving, and even riding in a glass bottom boat at the university's fabulous Aquarena Center.

~In 1920, Texas State adopted its first official mascot, the Bobcat.

~The Bobcat didn't get a name until 1964. At that time, Beth Greenless won the "Name the Bobcat" contest with the name Boko the Bobcat.

♥Chantal