I’m leaving for Birmingham this Sunday night and I’ll be arriving Monday morning. I can’t believe I am so close to heading over there – it’s been a long countdown! Much of it still feels very unreal though; despite the fact that I’m packing my suitcase and making last minute to do lists, I still can’t believe I’m headed to the UK for three months. Most of the time, I don’t feel any different than if I were starting at Drexel again for the fall term. I’ve talked to some friends who have studied abroad in the past and a lot of them have told me it didn’t sink in for them until they were actually there either so I’m not too concerned.

Despite the “unrealness” of it all, I’m really very excited to start this journey. I was born and raised in South Jersey so I’ve never had the opportunity to fully be away from my comfort zone. I am anticipating that this experience makes me a much more independent person and I’m just really looking forward to the change it will bring. I think when I come back to Drexel in the winter I’ll be refreshed from the experience and ready to finish off my senior year.

One of the more difficult things I’m going through right now is saying goodbye to my friends. I really hate saying goodbyes, even if they are for only a few months. It’s hard for me to know that this week is the last time I’m seeing these people until December. A lot of the harder goodbyes are still coming up, and it seems like they only get harder. However, this trip means a lot to me and the goodbyes are just one step of what I anticipate will be an amazing, life-changing process.

Other than that, I am anticipating a bit of culture shock once I reach there. I do realize that I am going to England, and not somewhere that is extremely culturally different from the US; however, I do want to be ready for things to be done a bit differently than I am used to. I’m really excited to explore these differences and I’m looking forward to embracing them and doing things the British way for a while. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to study abroad in the first place.

Just a few days until I’m in the UK! Look for my next post from Europe!