And So It Begins...

I moved a lot throughout my life, even up until this day I haven't spent more than a few years in one house. My family and I often joke about being nomadic. I have never traveled outside of the United States, though, except for brief trips to Canada. Since college is a great way to easily live abroad for several months, I knew that once I was in college I would travel beyond our borders. I was hesitant on going someplace where I didn't know the language for a lengthy amount of time, so England seemed like a perfect choice. I've also always had a fascination with London and how old of an area it is. The close proximity to so many other countries I've wanted to visit is another reason I chose England, so that I can easily take weekend trips to various places.

I'm not entirely sure how I'll be changed by this experience, but I'm expecting to definitely be changed. I know spending months away from my family is going to be hard, and I'm hoping I'll be even more independent when I come back.

My main goal while studying abroad is to develop and maintain a great studying method. I know the education system is more dependent on a student's personal studying and work outside of the classroom. I know I'm prone to procrastination, and I really want to fix that so that I can relax and travel. Which leads me to my other goals, to travel as much as monetarily possible. I enjoy walking a lot and don't mind lower-end transportation services, so my hopes are to see as much of England as possible. Some other places I'd like to visit are: Scotland; Wales, the Netherlands, France, and Italy. One of my bigger goals is to go to the Louvre, and maybe get a chance to try real Champagne, for my 21st birthday. I'd also like to visit as many museums, historical sites, and gardens as I can. I'm also sure that my goal to meet many interesting people will be accomplished with how much traveling I want to do.

I should be able to do all this by managing my time and money well. Getting my studying done and spending both time and money wisely will not only keep me on track academically, but allow me maximum traveling time.

I don't really have many fears or apprehensions at all. If anything, I'm scared that culture shock will affect me more than I'm expecting.

One the other hand, I'm looking forward to every aspect of studying abroad. I'm looking forward to getting to experience the differences between Pittsburgh and London. To meeting new people, and visiting new places. I'm even looking forward to classes, as they are ones I'm very interested in and it will be nice to challenge myself with the style of lessons and work.


I'm off to London in less than four days, and my next post should follow shortly!
McKelvy