And so it begins...

Since this is my first blog entry, I’m wondering where to start. Let’s see…I could go on about much effort it takes to go to another country for a year. To go from Clark University to the University of Sussex one needs a ton of paperwork for the application, then applying for the visa, then booking a plane ticket, and going over everything a million times to make sure everything is in order.

Or I could go on about how excited I am that there are only 24 days until I leave for Sussex. It’s torture watching people go back to school and knowing that I’m here for nearly another month. Every day I check the mail, hoping for some scrap of information relating to my studies. I received my housing information last week and got ridiculously excited. Now all that’s left is my class schedule, which should be coming in the next couple of weeks.

I could also go on about how nervous I am. I’m worried about this whole “culture shock” thing that people keep mentioning. Actually, I’m worried because I’m not worried. It’ll be a completely new experience, but for some reason it’s in the back of my mind. I usually adapt well to new things, so here’s hoping that stays true. My knowledge of British culture is actually more advanced than it should be. I have no idea how I know so much British slang. It must be all those Buffy episodes and Harry Potter books. Biscuit, bin, berk, prat, pillock, crisps, quid, blimey, snogging…it’s all floating around in my head.

I’m not even that worried about taking a plane by myself, even though it’ll be my first time doing so. That, plus getting to London, taking a bus to Brighton, then getting to the university campus…it’s a lot of effort, but I think I can handle it.

No, the thing that’s bothering me most is whether or not I’ll be able to fit everything I need for an entire year into two suitcases and a carry-on. Now there’s a dilemma.

I haven’t been this excited in a while. All alone in another country…it’ll certainly be an adventure. This is my year of travel, self-discovery, and of course hard work. I can hardly wait—bring on the tea and biscuits!