Single Digits

In case you can't tell by the post's title, I am currently in the single digit countdown for my days left in America. Crazy to believe that in a week I will say goodbye to the land of the free and home of the brave for four months. It seems like I just wrote the post "Thirteen," where did those days in between go?

With my days left to prepare and savor coming to an end that means tensions are high in the Spitzer household. Packing for my mom's part of the trip (ten days with me abroad) was a breeze for her, but packing for me has not gone so well. First off, I don't layer! Not to say I don't like it--if you check out my Pinterest I have pinned countless photos of girls looking fabulous in layered outfits. I however, have not mastered the layered look. I just turn out disheveled and frumpy, not things you want to look when meeting new people. And trying on outift after outift of multiple layers, my body temperature soars and my patience level drops. 

My current checked bag contains:

Black backpack

1 dress

1 purple skirt

2 pairs of skinny jeans

1 pair of normal cut jeans

LL Bean duck boots

Sperrys

1 pair of flats

2 pairs of pajama pants

1 "I Dig the Pig" shirt (to sleep in)

1 bath robe

4 scarves

2 beanies

6 pairs of socks (ankle cut and boot cut)

Lingerie + sport's bra (a week's worth)

1 rain jacket

1 light jacket

1 packable winter coat

3 button ups

1 long sleeve cardigan

1 vest

1 pair of Underarmour leggings

1 Underarmour longsleeve shirt

2 tank tops 

1 Converse pullover

2 hoodie pullover sweaters

6 long sleeve Henley shirts

8 sweaters

3 belts

1 pair of gloves

And I know that looks like a lot, but it has been an...experience reducing it to this and I'm not sure I can go with less.

To say that the next few days are going to be hectic/chaos/mayhem would be an understatement. I took the GRE today as the first step in beginning the application process for graduate school and on Thursday I make the 9 hour round trip to Spartanburg to return library books and a bassoon before I leave the country. And between those set events, I will be purchasing last minute materials, hoping my music and adapters arrive in the mail, get a haircut, and catch up with friends and family.

 

#ALLTHEFEELS

The past few weeks and the next thirteen days are just a cluster of emotions and here are some gifs to try to explain what is going on in my world.

When my mother tells me to just repeat outfits while abroad





 

 

 

When one of my Converse besties texts me

 

 

 

 

My response when anyone asks me how I feel about going abroad

 

 

 

What it will be like on my last day of work

 

 

 

When I think of all I'm going to miss while I'm abroad

 

 

 

My response to the completion of the "To-Do List" my mother keeps referring to

 

 

 

 

But basically...

 

 

 

     love always,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirteen

As of today, there are only thirteen days until I will be taking off from Charleston, South Carolina, and will eventually find myself in Cork, Ireland, for the next four months. Yes you read that right, for the entire fall semester of my senior year I will be studying abroad. And I cannot be more excited. I've mentioned this before, but I have definitely been bitten by the travel bug. Though I consider myself the quintessential girly-girl I think I would be quite content to just travel the world for an unlimited amount of time.

My one downfall with this dream, would be my packing skills. I would like to give myself a pat on the back for just taking one small carry-on when I went to Argentina for two weeks. However, four months and two weeks are very different things to pack for. And sweaters take up a lot more space then t shirts and bathing suits. Currently, I am trying to stuff the entire contents of my winter clothes drawer and half my closet into a large suitcase that will be checked and cannot weigh more than 50lbs. My mother has told me that three pairs of shoes are the maximum for travel. WHAT?! I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that. Now I am that person that has a million outfits but prefers to wear the same seven over and over and over even though I will pack more than seven outfits. But shoes-they are my Achilles heel.

 Besides figuring out how to pack my life into one checked and one carry-on bag and describing every boring minute detail that happens for prepping for this amazing adventure, I will be documenting in the next few posts about the things and people I will be leaving behind. Because without the support of many, I would not have this opportunity.

And if you (whoever you are) have any tips on traveling, Ireland, etc. please comment and let me know. I will take any help I can get.

                    Love always,

Piggly Wiggly ---> Bi Lo

So tragedy hit Litchfield, South Carolina, last fall when the dear Piggly Wiggly which had been my summer home for two years was bought out by BI-LO. And a lot of people were crushed. Now we are the BI-LO in the old Piggly Wiggly store and the set-up is a mixture of both. This post is going to try to explain what the workers and customers have had to deal with during this change.




When a customer asks you where ANYTHING is in the store


When a customer asks why it took so long to open the new store




When a customer wants to talk about how much they loved the Pig!


Some customers' responses about the store set-up


How each store's customers feel about that particular store




When a customer asks me which store I like better


When a customer says, "I didn't see ___, but ___ Store used to have it."


When a customer tells me they love the new store


When we all finally get past the awkwardness

My Summer Thus Far

 First Day of Summer:



Yeah work that isn't happening...




And you mean I don't have to eat pasta or pizza or pasta




My dog and me when my parents say I start work the next day. What?!


Day as a Cashier:



When everyone recognizes me from the past two summers at work




When fellow cashiers ask me why I'm working at the Bi-Lo




When people ask me if I used to work when it was the Piggly Wiggly. (people in the south treat their grocery stores like sports teams--Ride or Die)




When customers ask me about the weather the past few weeks




When my shift ends




When I finally sit down at home after work

Hasta luego, Argentina!

I am finally detailing my final days in Argentina and then will do a speedy catch up of the rest of my spring semester.

One of my proudest moments of the trip was when I conquered my fear of heights to ride an elevator 80 meters up into a water tower that had a 360 degree view of the town. I almost backed out of going, because not only do I have a fear of heights but I also have a fear of elevators. There is a reason I don't watch scary movies: because I create those scenes in my head without any prompting. Luckily, my friend Mackenzie held my hand as we went up and down the elevator. And it was totally worth it!

Talk about breathtaking view.

Later that night our group had our second tango lesson. This time both our professors and tour coordinator participated and it was a blast. We switched partners continuously and it was far less intimidating. To enjoy some more music after our lesson, we went to a restaurant called Tu Madre, which yes translates to Your Mother. This restaurant is kind of like a hipster music bar and we heard a classical guitarist who was a friend of Annalisa's. Not only was he cute, even with the long hair, but a major talent. A jazz guitarist, Argentine traditional singer, and Annalisa even joined in on the music making. I think our classical guitarist on the trip fell in love. <3

Our final stop in Argentina was back in Buenos Aires' city. We spent the day mostly traveling from Mar del Plata to the last hotel, but then had the wonderful experience of seeing a tango show at the Piazzolla Tango Theater. Of course all us girls took the chance to get dressed up and we got to enjoy some white wine as we watched in awe of these dramatic, sexy, and graceful dancers. Let's just say we definitely didn't learn some of those moves in our classes. And what a wonderful way to end my stay in Buenos Aires.



Mar del Plata

So life kind of got in the way of me blogging about my amazing trip to Argentina. I feel like I am constantly going to have to do catch-up in order to keep up with my life.

The next few days of our trip are spent in the beautiful beach town of Mar del Plata. Annalisa, a former Converse graduate student, who accompanied us on the trip actually lived in Mar del Plata as a young girl.

Mar del Plata, has almost a Myrtle Beach vibe but more beautiful. I guess that is why Myrtle Beach has the nickname "Dirty Myrtle" and Mar del Plata does not. Most of the sixth day of the trip was spent on a bus as Mar del Plata was over 8 hours away from the estancia. It was the equivalent of driving from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, to Waldorf, Maryland. Which I can tell you is not a drive that I love to do.

Probably my favorite memory of Mar del Plata was being able to watch the local orchestra rehearse. As a music major and someone who had come to Argentina studying the music of that culture, it was amazing to witness professional musicians creating and performing masterful pieces. Though they were playing the traditional classical music like Mozart and Brahms, the idea that music of this nature transcends all cultural boundaries is breathing taking to witness.