So I always thought I was the tough stoic type *cough*. I'm a really big crier. I tear up at the stupidest things. Even though I like to pretend that's not true...it is. And I'm getting okay with that.
The tears have been coming more often lately as it gets to the under 5-days countdown until I leave for America. This makes me feel weird, and emotional and saying goodbye to so many special people is excruciating, awkward and really sad.
One main dilemma is, well, what do you say?? 'See ya'? 'Good luck'? 'Catch you in a year'? My personal favourite: 'See you on Facebook'? Sadly, it's my favourite because it's true.
Anyway. I don't have much to say other than my emotional wreck-titude is weird, but hopefully cleansing. And soon to pass.

Four sleeps...

oh netball

Oh netball, I loved you so. We had such a beautiful relationship when we were young. We were cruelly torn apart with the pain of two knee operations and awful recovery. We flirted briefly again in the dying years of high school. And then I rediscovered you just this year and our relationship was bliss.
Until now.
Now, when I leave for my year abroad in a country with no freaking public health system, I almost redislocate my knee determinedly going for a pass playing Centre, my most loathed position.

WHYYYY NETBALL, WHYYY.

WHY DO YOU INSIST ON BREAKING MY HEART.

If you ruin this year for me, I'm never speaking to you again.

No love.

Emily.

All okay.

Nine days until departure! Isn't that just a little bit too weird.
To be honest, I'm starting to get scared. Everyone always talks about how amazing their overseas experiences are, how they made a million friends in every hostel they stayed in, and that every place they went to was magical or hilarious or life changing. How come there has to be all that pressure on a trip?? Why do I feel like I have to love every second of what is happening, even if I lost my passport or my shampoo exploded in my backpack, or everyone I meet instantly hates me on sight. What if my expectations for the year don't get met?

Most of the time I'm very calm and collected and excited for the year coming up. There are a lot of things I'll miss. The weird thing about a year is that it has an end point, so it feels a little transient, but then it's more than six months, so it feels a little permanent.

But it's all okay. It will all be okay. And perfect and life changing and cliche. But most of all, it'll be okay!

Oh the foolish things we do!!

Less than two weeks to go... Packing? No. booked flights? FINALLY YES. I'm kind of surprised I left it this late. On the other hand, I'm the worst procrastinator in the world, so I'm not really surprised at all. Irrelevant! They're booked! And they were expensive but so worth it!

Feeling a bit lost and excited at the same time. Awesome.

I'm sorry...

But I've caved to the 'having a travel blog' concept. Even though I'm not travelling, I am away for a year, and as this blog is really just a waste of internet space, I've created a new one to keep the fam updated on where I am, what I'm doing and all that stuff, without having to send a million different emails.

Some things that annoy the hell out of me with travel blogs that I refuse to do with mine:

* Tell facebook every time you update. Seriously. If people want to read your blog, they'll check it themselves.

Actually to be honest, that's it. I hate it when people put it on facebook they've updated their travel blog. DON'T ANNOY ME WITH YOUR TRAVEL CHANGES. I DON'T CARE. If I do care, I'll check myself, and most of hte time, I often do because I like to read about people's adventures. But NOT when they force me to!

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but it's a mega gripe of mine. Anyway, if you would like to read my adventures in America while I'm away, you'll find me at www.emilyinmichigan.wordpress.com.

But I promise, I will not regularly remind you to check it. Check it whenever you want. If you don't want to because you think I'm pretentious with a being-away blog, then I totally understand. I do feel a bit pretentious. But at the same time, it saves my fingers the effort of many emails saying the same thing.
Aaaand rant done.

And for something cheerier: do yourself a favour and watch these ads. They're AMAZING!!!





Then once you've watched them, go to youtube and watch ALL OF THEM!! YAY OLD SPICE!! My fave friend and I spent an hour rewatching these amazing commercials, and it was the best hour of my life.

=]

Fun Things To Do On A Cold, Rainy Night:

* Paint your nails



(This is kind of an extreme example)


* Procrastinate making travel plans




* Compulsive spring cleaning




* Think happy thoughts while sitting around in a snuggie.




* Eat an entire block of chocolate on your own and not feel guilty. ( ; ] )

Maaaaan I am such a sucker. I don't care :) But it's prettyyy pathetic!

Dear uni,

Thank you for rewarding my two weeks of cramming with really good marks. I don't know how I deserved it, nor how I managed to fluke it, but I'm very relieved about it.

With love,

Emily




Dear birthdays,

I love you a lot. I like how you bring people together, and how it's a really great excuse to buy people stuff.

Looking forward to seeing you again and again and again

Emily



Dear American Consulate,

Thanks for giving me absolutely no answer on whether or not I can validly fly into your country. If I get deported, I blame you.

Emily.
P.S. And charging THREE DOLLARS A MINUTE to call for you to say 'just count to thirty'?? Whatev, my friend. Whatev.




Dear Michigan,

Only a month now! I look forward to getting to know you. Please have central heating in my room.

In excited anticipation,
Emily



Dear Fremantle,

Way to rock it out this season! A little disappointing with the Barlow mishap, but I'll forgive you. Keep that top four spot, and you have my heart for eternity.

Love
Emily



Dear random I met at a pub,

The State of Origin is never the best way to spend time with a girl. Fail by you.

Continuing to laugh at you,
Emily



Dear ugg boots,

Why do you always have to break? Now You make my feet cold instead of warm because there is a big hole in the toe.

Feeling sad and frostbitten,
Emily



Dear Fremantle (the city, not the team),

You are my fave place to enjoy great times and fun adventures. Thank you for your big stocktake sales, your weird people, your convenient location and your delicious burgers.

I'll see you for work next week, don't disappoint!

Emily

What happens in the American Consulate, Perth:

Step One: Arrive at building, take elevator to fourth floor. Feel a bit confused.

Step Two: Have a guard let you through very heavy doors.

Step Three: have all your possession, and your shoes, removed and scanned to make sure you are not a terrorist. These are locked up, and you are allowed only the highly important documents to take with you.

Step Four: Be accompanied out of the security room by a guard. Said guard will ride with you in the elevator up to the 13th floor so you don't try any funny business with your passport and a few A4 sheets of paper. You are always a threat.

Step Five: Be scanned through security again. Trip over a step and take five minutes to open another heavy door.

Step Six: Take a number.

Step Seven: Wait.

Step Eight: See that it is half an hour after your scheduled appointment.

Step Nine: Keep Waiting.

Step Ten: Finally be called up to the visa counter. It takes approximately seven seconds for the counter lady to look at your documents, tell you off for forgetting your Express Post envelope, scan your fingerprints and tell you to sit down again.

Step Eleven: Keeeeeeep on waiting. Pretend everyone around you are zoo animals and work out which is most appropriate. This is a good way to keep yourself occupied.

Step Twelve: Get called up to the 'interview', which is very privately conducted in the silent room in front of all the other people staring absent-mindedly at the visa appointment window and drooling a little as they wait about two extra hours for their turn. The interviewer checks it's definitely you by scanning your thumbprint, looking in passport, saying 'no worries it all looks great' and telling you to pay $128 on your way out.

Step Thirteen: Look on sadly as you overdraw your account to pay your 4th visa-related fee.

Step Fourteen: Your personal guard accompanies you back through the heavy doors, over the trip step, down the elevator, where you are rewarded with your stuff. And the book you really should have taken up the overly-secure elevator so you had something to do rather than watch the second-hands on the seven clocks in the room.

Step Fifteen: Feel oddly naked leaving a building without your passport. And desperately hope you didn't accidentally book your flight to arrive in LA a day before your visa will actually let you.

Great things from the last week:

Isn't it weird how some weeks, absolutely nothing happens at all, and others you can barely keep track of all the crazy??

So I turned 20 exactly one week ago, and it has been a very fun adventure so far :) Well done 20, on topping the start to 19!

Seeing this one again after so long:



Hanging out with this fabulous friend:






Seeing this fabulous couple get married:




Reconnecting with these old faves:



(Trying to) Bake:



Bubbles:



Dancing away with these faves:



Finding this fitting photo of the attractive Zylstra siblings:




And now to beg for a US visa and hope for the best! Six weeks and counting until I'll have to put my snuggie to good use...

Oh Fail!

For Sale!!

Okay, I'm getting rid of all my crazy old stuff... anyone after, or know of anyone who'd be interested in adding to some crafty collection a whole bunch of beads? I have a ridiculous amount that I'm looking to sell, for maybe like $40, but willing to negotiate!! You knowwww you want to!

* Room...check!
* Scholars program...check!
* Units enrolled...check!
* Visa...ummm....not quite

Thank you, US Consulate website, for refusing to let me finish a single application. I'm sorry I have a mac. But my computer is superior. So there.

apartments...?

Finally finding some places for when I get to move here...




This place?? (although it's ridiculously not affordable. :( )





Orrr this place? (Slightly more affordable...)







Orrr, all things going to plan...



I get I room here. =D

I totally just rediscovered my very special talent of writing piles of pretentious (pardon me) wank and somehow getting away with it.

Why didn't I decide to major in English instead of Political Science?? Oh the very many HDs I threw away...


P.S. Glee, I don't know how you did it, but I now adore Lady Gaga. Listen!!! (Sorry no watching... I'm not a dedicated youtuber and can't be bothered finding the actual video...)

Okay, a mini panic. I currently no longer have a place to live in Michigan, and my units are all full already with mega long waiting lists. I haven't finished UWA exams, I haven't gone to the gym in about five thousand years, I suddenly got too many bills in one go, and I really just can't think of any way to convince anyone to let me be on Glee and never go to uni again.

*sigh*

It will be fine. Many deep breaths.

Only three law units left to complete this year....hooray!

Hens nights are fun.

People who know how to use apostrophes properly are fun.

Building a Wall-E out of blocks of cement is fun. Also pretty stupid.

Sitting on the couch with almost-family for many hours is fun.

Studying is not fun.

Cold toes are very not fun.

The end.

Emily just felt the burn of checking Facebook taking greater importance than talking to her for five seconds when her exam was crap and she hadn't seen the other person in months.

Don't worry, I get it.

Fourteen hours until exam number one.

I feel oddly calm. I'm gunning for a high, distinction (as in, upper 70s, not over 80 because, well, the UWA Law school likes to crush souls and never lets anyone get a real HD unless you're superhuman).

I give myself fifteen minutes until real freak out time.

But on the plus side... only 12 days until exams are entirely over, and I can start booking flights, working more, paying an obscene amount of money for a student visa for the US (far out guys, why do you hate Australians so much??? :( ) and getting all excited about being cold a lot! And sitting in a sports stadium for over 100 000 people. This is probably the most exciting part to me.

And hopefully getting rocking awesome uni marks in the meantime. I hope. A lot. Even though it mathematically can't happen.