I was driving across town last Friday morning. It was a warm, clear Atlanta summer day. The roads were not too congested, as it was in between rush hour, and people were out and about jogging, walking dogs and taking care of errands. As I made my way from point A to point B, I reflected on my time spent in this metropolis and began to think about how much I will miss it when I leave in August....
The fact that I am leaving in less than two months to go to Maastricht still amazes me! I cannot believe how quickly this summer is moving. Preparations are coming together. It seems like each day I think of something else I need to take care of before leaving.
Last weekend, I firmed up my housing situation in Maastricht. I will be renting a room in a house with four Dutch, female roommates. I will have my own room and shared bath. My roommates are all in the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience at Maastricht, so we all share that in common!
The house is located in a small village that was recently incorporated into Maastricht. The neighbors are mostly families and older people. There are small grocery stores nearby, where my roommates shop daily for fresh food and produce. They cook dinner together in the evenings. The house is about 15 minutes cycling from the city centre (about the same distance as it was in Tilburg) and only 4 minutes from my faculty!
I also clarified the duration and timeline of the program last week. I will be in Maastricht taking classes at the University for the first half of my Masters, September-December, 2011. In January, I will move elsewhere to conduct an internship and write a thesis as the second half of my Masters program. So, I am really not sure where I will be a year from now - London, Australia, Atlanta...who knows!
This week I will be sending in my residence permit documents, and finalizing my pre-departure preparations for that procedure. This will be a big load off of my shoulders!
Besides that, I am just getting anxious about leaving. There is still a lot to do before I go :)
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