Sally Rountree is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Sociology major and Public Health minor at Simmons College, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires on a custom program this semester.

In her first post, Sally tells us about getting accepted to her program and what she's most looking forward to in Buenos Aires.

---

Before I came to college it was my dream to study abroad. I imagined myself spending a semester in Paris walking down cobblestone streets and buying fresh made bread every morning in the bakery. I imagined becoming fluent in French and returning in the years to come. I imagined walking down the streets of London or Cardiff and going to the theater. Traveling abroad was one of my ultimate goals during college, and I picked a school that I thought would help me accomplish that goal. Originally, I went to Ithaca College, but I transferred to Simmons at the beginning of my junior year – this year. Since I was transferring I figured my chances of studying abroad were lost.

Then, during orientation, we were encouraged to go around to all of the offices on campus and learn about their programs. I went to the study abroad office and stayed there for a while, looking at what they offered. After talking to Joseph Stanley, the director, I realized that Simmons offered summer study abroad options. If I found something I liked, it would still be possible for me to study abroad and finish all the necessary credits to graduate on time!

Cat Gloria is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Advertising major and a French and Francophone Studies minor at the University of Florida, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In her first post, Cat gives us her best packing advice, from suitcase sizes to ways to fit extra clothes.

---

Traveling abroad for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience when it comes to packing. What to bring, what not to bring, how many suitcases to take...it gets overwhelming. Here are some quick tips to make sure you pack light and pack right!

1. Start off with the right suitcase

Shayanna Roman is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Public Relations major and Art minor at SUNY New Paltz, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In her first post, Shayanna gives us the do's and don't of preparing to study abroad.

---

Hello lovely readers! I’m currently writing this as I sit on my connecting flight to LA, where I will have a 12 hour layover (keep an eye out for a future post about that). Right now, I am utterly exhausted and stressed, but still excited nonetheless to finally be embarking on my journey to Sydney!

However, despite my excitement, to say my trip has started out rough would be an understatement. So today, I want to talk about some major don’ts for departing on your trip to hopefully help you avoid some of the mishaps I’ve experienced so far.

1. Don’t: wait to pack until the last minute like I did.

It is a way more work than you think, and if you’re like me, it will take a while to finish. I never knew true regret until I was up at midnight last night sifting through mountains of unfolded clothes, shoes and open suitcases. Seriously, don’t do that to yourself. You don’t need that in your life.

Photo: why am I like this…

Madeline Messina is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Advertising major and a French and Francophone Studies minor at the University of Florida, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In her first post, Madeline explains why she feels it is important for her to study abroad and go back to Europe.

---

Getting ready to go on such a big adventure has certainly been a challenge. As of when I write this, May 19^th, I leave for Ireland in five days. To be terribly honest, I haven’t really gotten anything done. What I should be doing is packing, buying business clothes for my internship, and sorting out what will happen when I get to Dublin. But instead I’ve been looking through old things of mine, hidden away while I’ve been at university. I ran across my old journal from my first (and only) trip to Europe when I was 14 years old. It’s a tattered, unassuming, tiny lilac pocketbook. But inside are many tales of my month-long escapade through Germany, Italy, France and Austria. Reading it reminded me of all the adventures I took with my family that summer.

We started in Germany, visiting places like the medieval town of Rothenberg and the great Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria, the southernmost region of Germany.

Skylee Lawton is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Public Relations major at SUNY Oswego, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In her first post, Skylee tells us how she feels before leaving for Sydney, including some of her excitement and worries!

---

I love traveling. While I know that it's kind of a simple statement, it is true. Ever since the year I was born, I have gone to at least one other state. Every single year of my life! I have gone out of the country a few times, but not as often as I would like.

I am fortunate enough to have an amazing family who instilled love of adventure in me. My dad travels all around the world for work and when I was younger, he would bring us back the most amazing trinkets, cultural souvenirs, jewelry and anything he found interesting at local shops. While I always loved what he brought back, I would say sarcastic comments during his gift givings about how I would have rather gone to wherever he was and pick up things myself. My mom does not travel for work much, but she has taken my brother and I on some incredible adventures. The worst part about any trip is leaving.

Seth Neu is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & Management Information Systems major at the University of Minnesota, he is studying abroad in London this semester.

In his first post, Seth tells us 5 ways to pack efficiently for maximum space and style.

---

As a person who loves fashion, I have a lot of clothes—an embarrassing amount, really. I also really hate not having all my clothes with me. This creates quite the conundrum when I’m supposed to be traveling light. But somehow, by nothing short of a miracle, I managed to fit all my fashion needs into one large suitcase (weighing in at 49 pounds), a carry-on, and a backpack.

So, to help all of you out, or possibly just to highlight the ridiculousness of my packing process, I’ve constructed a list of some things I’ve learned to not do while packing.

1. Don’t think you’re too good for a packing list

Words by Emily McGeary, a CAPA alumna who studied abroad in London during Fall 2014, and now works in the study abroad industry.

---

After I studied abroad with CAPA London in the fall of 2014, I knew my future career needed to have an international focus. Being in London opened my mind to people and places that were unfamiliar. Suddenly, the broader world became concrete to me and I wanted to continue thinking globally and incorporating cultures outside my own in my daily life back in the United States.

Education has always been important to me. Before studying abroad, my goal had been to work in education administration. I wanted to stay in the university environment and work with college students. I had hoped to be an academic advisor or admissions recruiter, but after I studied abroad, I decided I wanted to help college students see another part of the world like I had the opportunity to do. 

This dream didn’t come to fruition right away. In fact, it would be a long process before I was hired in a full-time position with an international focus. It was something I had to work toward and I needed time to determine the balance between where my skills would be most useful and what kind of positions I was passionate about.

Elizabeth Withers is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A double major in English literature and history & philosophy of science at the University of Pittsburgh, she is studying abroad in Buenos Aires this semester.

In her first post, Elizabeth shares the contents of her suitcase to help others packing for a semester abroad in Buenos Aires in the future! 

---

I’m checking two suitcases and bringing a carry-on for this trip, and I’m thrilled about having so much room. Last time I traveled I was farming and backpacking around Thailand for a month, and it was no easy feat fitting everything I needed into just one backpack. Still, I’m hoping to pack light enough to leave room to bring back lots of gifts. So, for anyone even remotely interested, here’s a big long list of everything I’m taking for my three month stay in Buenos Aires.

Photo: These are my suitcases, and the red backpack is my carry-on.

ELECTRONICS:  

These should all go in your carry-on in case your luggage gets lost or some other disaster ensues.

• laptop, charger, headphones & flashdrive
• smartphone and charger
  
  

I’m bringing this as a camera and otherwise only using it when there’s wifi. The CAPA study abroad program requires students to have a working local phone number, so I plan to buy a cheap phone with a pay-as-you-go plan a day or two after arriving in Buenos Aires. (There are other phone plans and ways to change phone numbers so my methods may not be the most efficient by any means. However if you are, like me, woefully un-tech-savvy and easily frustrated while setting up data plans, this might be the way to go.)

Sarah Kaplan is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A screen studies major with a concentration in film/media production at Clark University, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In her first video, Sarah shares the reasons she chose to study abroad and why Dublin specifically along with some of her worries and what she's most excited about.

---

Thanks Sarah!

Sarah's journey continues every Wednesday so stay tuned!

Michela Mickaluck is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A public relations major at SUNY Oswego, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In her first post, Michela gives us her top 10 tips on how to prepare before studying abroad.

---

Thanks, Michela!

Michela's journey continues every Monday so stay tuned.