Leaving for Up With People! DAY 1!

Finally! I can post about traveling on this...my UWP travel blog! =) I laid in bed last night thinking, "Is this really happening?" I mean, I've NEVER planned for a trip a year and a half in advance...have you? At most, I've anticipated a trip 6 months out or so...but a year and a half! Phew! After such a long time of planning and preparation, I was finally going to jet off to begin my UWP adventure!

After much struggle, debate, and reshuffling of items in my suitcase, this is what I ended up with. Here is my life for the next 6 months. Think you could handle it?

 

Today, January 4th, my alarm went off at 3:30am...weeee! Our goal was to be out the door by 4:30am, but due to a few mishaps, we left around 4:45am (Leave it to me. I can never leave on time!). I had to say goodbye to my dear puppies and (psycho) kitty. I'm going to miss them tons. Before I could get weepy over my pups, however, we were off to the airport to meet up with Tara and Mallory, two of the Colorado girls who would also be doing the FSC program. We finally got to the airport (a little late, whoops!) and met up with everyone. Mom and I got my bag checked in...49 POUNDS! YES! I still feel like I have a ton of stuff, which compared to others so far, I do, but I was so relieved and thankful that I was under the "oversized bag" limit. We took some pictures and then had to say our goodbyes. I know Mom was already missing me...our goodbye was just like saying goodbye my freshmen year of college...a teary one. But I'll be back! I promise!

 {me, mallory, tara}

  Not bad for 5:30am, huh? haha

 

With mom and dad one last time

Then we were off! Everything was easy-peasy, and Tara was even able to arrange it so she was in the same row as Mallory and me. It was so comforting and fun traveling with girls I already knew! =)

The flight was easy and without any problems. I did some work on UWP sponsorship stuff for my blog, watched a bit of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" on my computer, and dozed quite a bit! Then we were landing in Orlando! We met up with UWP staff members, and another cast member, Misa from Wisconsin. We collected our bags (hooray, no lost luggage!) and waited around for a bit. Then Tara volunteered to stay behind (due to lack of space in the first carload...there would be a second carload taking off behind us once more folks arrived), and we took off to the car with Abby and Ellen. We were the official first students to arrive, so here's our celebratory picture!

We drove about an hour west to Lakeland, passing Disney on the way (I was drooling. I want to go so badly!) We nibbled on some lunch stuff the staff prepared for us (I got "gourmet" and made a peanut butter and banana sandwich), and now we're just hanging out at Florida Southern College waiting for others to arrive! Tonight, we'll meet our host families (YAY!!!) and go home with them for dinner. The plan, so we've been told, is that we'll have half a day of classes tomorrow, and then have the weekend free with our host families! I am so excited! Our class schedule is still up in the air, but we'll have classes Monday-Thursday, and then I think a CI (Community Impact) day the morning of the 11th while others arrive to Lakeland. Then we'll join everyone in the afternoon for proper UWP registration and getting to know everyone! I'm already so excited to meet the rest of the cast! =)

We met our very first host families tonight around 6:30...and I have such an awesome couple to tell you about! But that will be deserving of another post...or a few! I'll be with them for the duration of our time in Lakeland, FL, and I can already tell you we're going to have some awesome adventures (which, YES, include DISNEY WORLD!!!!) Come Sunday I'll have a staff member roommate (from Belgium, so I'm told). Many adventures to come...and I am so ready for this adventure to begin! =)