Preparation

After my acceptance to study abroad and my acceptance at AUC, I have gone through a whirlwind of paperwork and preparation. All the students at my school who were accepted to study abroad for a semester or a year were required to attend orientation meetings at the study abroad office. The orientation could be considered a class since we met once a week for two hours and had homework. I already had an overwhelming schedule and adding another class made life very hectic. I would have had a hectic semester even if I decided NOT to apply to study abroad, so preparing to study abroad definitely made things worse. It has been, by far, the worse semester of my college existence (academically). Luckily, I had a few friends who also decided to study abroad (purely coincidental) which helped ease the pain of sitting through a two hour "class."

Here is my "To Do" list since I was accepted:

For Home University
- attend weekly orientation meetings
- meet with financial aid adviser (mandatory, at least twice)
- meet with academic adviser and finalize curriculum plan for rest of college career
- schedule health appointment, take tests for disease, receive shots.
- forwarding address
- ensure housing for return to school
- ensure labor position for return to school
- curriculum plan to student services
- transfer of credit form
- airfare!
- International Student Insurance Card
- other insurance
- application for loan
- beg family and friends for funds
- obtain signatures from various individuals from around campus who are apparently important. 


For AUC
- submit recognition of acceptance to university
- submit curriculum plan
- health appointment
- VISA! (first, tourist...will receive student VISA upon arrival)
- Housing application and deposit
- register for classes
- arrange for airport pickup
- apply for intensive Arabic class (taken upon arrival to Cairo to help acclimate).

(Feels like something is missing somewhere).

My list doesn't look so bad on paper, but it really has been a bit of a headache to deal with on top of all my classes and my labor.

Soon, everything will be completed and I will be ready to step off the plane in bustling Cairo.