Exodus

Technology and I, we do not agree. Why it took me 4 days to create this blog astounds me and after a summer sans tech I've decided that a year without a phone will serve me better abroad (sorry mom).

As this happens to be the first, most monumental of all posts to grace the wall of my highly pretentious blog, I need to talk about stuff. Specifically the placement and quantity of 'stuff' that I have encountered in the last four days. I just got home from a summer in Wisconsin, #shorttermhoarding. Not only bringing too much 'stuff' but accumilating things along the way. Clothing, books, crafting supplies. But, God had a plan for me. He didn't want me to have to pay for overweight bags when flying home, so he sent rain. Lots of rain. All the rain to soak my bags who had found a home in the bed of Clyde, my humble pick-up. This way, I would have to throw out all of my envelopes [now ruined], my staff binder [also in shambles], and countless other paper products that had found their way to the bottom of my bags [and managed to soak up all the rain]. Whoops... Well, I was on one side of Wisconsin and my flight was leaving at 6 am on the other side of the state in two days with my soaking (yet not overweight) bags. Technology decides to cheat at hide and seek whilst at camp leaving us a bit quiet on the ringer front. Lo and behold, my grandpa and cousin show up to commandeer the pick-up. Belongings and all, stranding me in the valley. Around 11.30 the next morning as we are preparing lunch, my uncle shows up to take me to town and then on to Madison, the middle of the state, at which I would take a bus to Milwaukee for the evening with my cousin. That morning we rose at the ripe hour of 4.00 to leave by 4.30. After waiting to check my [not overweight] bags I  proceeded through security just to almost miss my plane. Then, a twenty minute layover proved interesting, running through the terminal to find desk attendants looking at their nails and the other passengers not yet boarding. I finally made it home around 9 am Wednesday morning. Thus ends my exodus from Wisconsin to Arizona. 

Thus begins my exodus from Arizona to Los Angeles. The day after I got home I flew to LA with my mother, Nancy. Bless her heart for jumping through all these hoops with me. The study abroad office says "It'll cost the same as studying on campus!" WRONG. Hidden expenses. Hidden expenses. Hidden expenses. A flight here, a visa there, chocolate everywhere. Oopah! 
1. We fly into LA, drive in LA, find Le Consulat Général de France.
2. Mom gets kicked out of the consulate.
3. Katie thinks her visa is being denied, hasn't signed up for classes or housing in Flagstaff, flight leaves on the 29th. Katie isn't going to have a visa. Katie isn't going to France. Katie isn't going to college anymore. Katie has not future. Tears. 
4. Woman at the consulate makes it happen. KATIE GETS A VISA!
5. I'M GOIN TO FRANCE YA'LL!