T-minus 2 days until I board a direct flight (business class I may add... hello reclining seats) to London, England. Say what?! It doesn't seem real, and my denial is half of my problem. And why I haven't started packing yet.
Sleep is the last thing I've been getting the past few days. There's too much to think about! I'm of course super excited. This is an amazing opportunity and studying in England is something I've wanted to do my whole life. But now that it's finally here I'm getting anxious and sorta nervous. Going to Marquette University in Milwaukee for the past two and a half years has enabled me to be away from home (Boston) for months at a time... so I'm not worried about being homesick. I realized I'm anxious because studying abroad means I starting over. New friends, new university, new city... new country! But after a few years in Milwaukee and at Marquette, I could use a change of scenery.
When I arrive in London it will be 7 or 8 a.m. on Sunday (Jan. 2). Mom arranged a shuttle to take me from Heathrow to a hotel (near the British Museum) where I will stay Sunday night. Even though I would love to get in a quick nap, I know I'll spend that whole day exploring what I can. Thankfully most museums in London are free so I'll definitely go to the British Museum and maybe head over to Covent Garden (big shopping, dining district). On Monday I will take a taxi to City University and move into what I heard was a jail cell of a dorm room! It'll be nice to have a single bedroom but I've been so used to having a nice, spacious apartment this past semester. Now it's back to the dorm lifestyle but it should still be fun!
I forget what the orientation schedule included but after I move in there are several orientations events like a guided tour, class registration, a wine and cheese reception and even a black/white gala boat cruise on the Thames River! Can't wait! Once I get past move-in and class registration, find the friends I know and get acquainted with others.. I should be all set!
This semester I'll be taking several journalism and communication courses at City, which has a reputation for a great journalism program! I can't wait to see how journalism works in London and what the status of their newspapers/magazines is. I also hope to do a lot of traveling. My mom has a friend on the south coast of England, and one in Manchester. I want to make it over to Oxford (great city). Then there's Scotland right above England, and Ireland to the left. Then I have Paris just a short trip to the south.. and Versailles (Marie Antoinette's lair) right outside of Paris. I have a friend in Seville, Spain.. a good friend from home in Rome, several friends in Germany. So many places! We'll see how the financial situation goes but I'm hoping to make the rounds!
The next two days will be full of running around... packing, last minute trips to Target or the bank... cleaning my room, seeing a few friends, a New Year's Day meal (polish gulumpgies = stuffed cabbage) with the family...
I can't believe I'm about to go on this amazing adventure. Subscribe to my blog if you want to hear more about my semester in London!
Cheers
