Sometimes I think that life is an unwritten story. Perhaps this is due to being born into a family of talented writers, but I like to think that everything you do and everything that happens is a new part of that story, and certain life events make up new chapters.
Childhood was one chapter for me, then the teen years, and then college. And now I'm starting another part within college, this one called "London" (for lack of a more creative title).
Life is indeed full of wonders of all shapes and sizes, many disguised behind masks of uncertainty and obstacles waiting to be conquered. This little wonder, known as "study abroad" in academia, is shaping up to be one such experience.
It started as a dream years ago, and has since come to fruition faster than I ever expected. I am fortunate enough to attend a college with an exceptional study abroad program, which includes a study centre in the heart of London. For little more than the cost of tuition (which is mostly covered by my financial aid), I will be spending an entire semester (Feb.-May) overseas in the UK.
It’s still a lot of money, but I've been saving up from my work-study job for the past year, plus the other day I found out I won a study abroad scholarship from the school. I am a little surprised by how smoothly everything is going so far, but I can't complain. I know it will be much harder once I get there.
Why? Mainly because, a) I have never traveled outside the US before, and b) I have never really traveled extensively on my own.
Yet somehow, this still seems like a fantastic idea. Call it youthful idealism, but somehow the thought of throwing myself at the mercy of world travel has been a tantalizing aspiration of mine for some time now.
Now that I’m actually starting to realize this dream it seems a little scary, but I am undeterred. I worked hard to get to this point and once I get past some of the more difficult parts, I know it will be a wonderful growing experience and very perspective-setting.
Next post I'll tell you how I got to this point – the application, the interviews, and the start of my planning process. Right now I have finals to study for, though, so sit tight and check back in a few days.
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