Packing, Insomnia, and Early Morning Flights

In the past, I have never successfully chronicled my journeys, but I am hoping this trip will be different and that this blog will be frequently updated. I am inspired by fellow bloggers and travelers who have both found time to experience great adventures and still share their experiences.

Anyway, my clock is rapidly approaching 3 am and I have finally finished packing for the longest trip of my life so far, college excluded. At 7:21am I commence my studies abroad in Prague with nearly 18 hours of plane travel (layovers included), plenty of coffee (taken black and with raw sugar), and no expectations (other than what rick steves has dutifully promised me in his guide books). I would love to say that I have a game plan for the next three months, but for once my meticulously made plans will have to go on an indefinite hiatus. While my schooling and a few weekend trips are already taken care of, I will have about one month during which I hope to see as many cities in Europe as possible while still extracting all that they have to offer me. I know that I will definitely spend time in Berlin, Budapest, London, and Prague, of course. Other cities on my wishlist include Barcelona, Dublin, Vienna, Rab, Copenhagen, Istanbul, and Amsterdam. Just as I have had to remove about half of the clothing from my luggage, I am fairly certain that my list of travel will have to be trimmed a bit. I am open to any suggestions or recommendations that will help me choose.

Family and friends, please keep in touch with me! I will need the comforts of home from time to time to keep me sane. Read my blog and keep me posted on the happenings of your lives. If you want to reach me, my skype name is chelsea.mara.harmell. My email is cmh18@u.washington.edu. My int'l phone number is forthcoming, but you can still leave messages on my old number. My address in Prague will be my school address:

UW Study Abroad Program
“TUTOR” – U půjčovny 2
110 00 Praha 1
Czech Republic

I love and miss you all already.