I find it very surreal to be sitting in the Atlanta Airport, waiting out my layover, waiting for the plane that will take me to London, and to Queen Mary University. I grew up listening to my mom tell stories about her adventures during her year abroad in London, and I’ve wanted to study abroad there for as long as I can remember. We visited twice, once when I was eight and once when I was thirteen, and I’ve wanted to go back on my own, not just to vacation but to really live there. I know that I will come back at the end of my semester abroad different—a little more grown up, a little more cultured, a little more open to and knowledgeable of places, peoples, foods, art, etcetera completely different from both myself and anything I’ve experienced thus far. I have a few personal goals for my time in London and traveling throughout Europe:
Jump in right away—don’t put off experiences, get out into every corner of the city as soon and as often as possible. I can watch Netflix in my dorm any old time.
Learn how to navigate the city without the use of Google Maps.
See as much theatre as possible.
Expand my knowledge of the human condition in my liberal arts classes.
Write every day.
MAKE NEW FRIENDS!
Spend my money on experiences, not objects.
See everything, go everywhere, come back with stories and no regrets.
As far as achieving these goals go, I think if I follow my own advice in #1, I’ll be just fine: don’t get complacent. Don’t wait for opportunities to present themselves, make them myself. Make lists (oh, how I love to make lists) and do what I want to do. Live frugally and budget properly so I can do/see/experience everything without running out of money somewhere in Europe and be stranded there forever. I’m seeing this as a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I don’t want to waste a second.
I am equal parts excited and nervous about studying abroad, and I find myself having the same fears and apprehensions I had before I began my freshman year at Northeastern—nervous about making friends, my dorm, my roommates, my course load, finding activities I liked, etcetera. I’m hoping I’ll adjust at Queen Mary as easily as I did at Northeastern, and I’m relieved that there’s an orientation for study abroad students when I arrive, so I hopefully won’t feel so lost, alone, and neurotic.
To close out this first entry, here’s all the things I’m jumping-out-of-my-skin-excited about as I begin possibly the biggest adventure of my life to date: actually living in London and getting to explore the city, getting involved in theatre societies on campus, finally getting to take the humanities courses I’ve been missing at Northeastern, making new friends, seeing great plays, traveling around Europe by train, geeking out about Harry Potter things, having tea, complaining about the rain, British accents, seeing where Shakespeare lived, reading great books, seeing the world, going to seek a great perhaps.
