Whoever said packing was hard should really use this trick..

Yesterday I decided it was time to tackle trying to fit all my stuff into the hiking bag. I don't appear nor am I really the "hiking type" so I can tell you right now I was in for a treat when I put that bag on my back... I really keeled over .. literally.. I mean I actually had to brace myself. I can honestly say that I am seriously impressed with myself , I expected I would have a couple of meltdowns during this process, but instead I laid everything out on the floor and then decided I needed to recruit one of my friends to help pack. An hour later, my friends and I came home to a fully packed hiking bag. Thanks Mom.


Here is a picture me carrying my bag!






I drive to Halifax tomorrow to board the plane, and i'm having mixed feelings. I am really excited to go away, but at the same time i'm nervous of the unknown... but... I think that's human nature . My flight plan consists of two stops, Boston, Reykavik and finally arrive in Stockholm. Once i'm there, we will be staying overnight then boarding a night train to Umea the next day.


Although i'm nervous, I am extremely excited to start this adventure! Next time I blog, i'll be on my way to Sweden!



Stay tuned...

Beginning of a Journey

Hey!

For the next month and a half, I will be bringing you along on my journey to Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Most of you are likely wondering how I ended up being selected and what I will be doing over there for my exchange. UNB Nursing offers three exchanges throughout our studies; Intersession Concentrated Clinical Practicum I in Sweden for 2^nd year students, Global Health and Cultural Awareness Course in Norway for 3^rd years and finally a three month health and awareness program in Malawi. As some of you know, I have wanted to go on an exchange since I can remember, but it never quite fit with my life at the time. Luckily, last year I applied and was chosen to participate in doing my Psychiatric Nursing rotation in Sweden for the month of May 2012!  So here I am… 6 sleeps away from travelling 5405 Km from a Small Maritime province to a northern part of Sweden!

May I just say that I have always, and will continue to be a procrastinator in my personal life…. I guess I just have always preferred to live in the moment! So unlike the other three girls going, I have yet to pack my bag... no surprise haha. Due to the fact that I will be taking multiple planes, trains, and boats, the girls informed me that I was not allowed to take a suitcase, only a hiking backpack. If any of you know me, you know that it nearly kills me to take one of those small suitcases on a 2 day trip…so you can imagine my shock when they told me I had to fit a month and half worth of things in one of those bags! This is partly why I think I haven’t packed yet. I’m still in denial.

So here is a little bit about the exchange. Unlike most school exchanges, I won’t actually be going to school there. Instead, I will be working in the hospital completing my psychiatric rotation. Umeå is located in the northern part of Sweden which means that the winters are dark and the summer brings more or less 24 hours of daylight. Like most northern countries, northern Sweden has a high instance of mental illness, so I’m curious to see how their system works compared to ours.

Hope this gives you a little insight into the beginning of my travels! I will be posting pictures of my packing and departure from Halifax on Tuesday!

Stay tuned...