Tuesday. Tuesday. Tuesday.
That’s the day I leave for a city I’ve been dreaming about for years: London, England.
For the past week, I have procrastinated packing my allotted two suitcases with everything I will need for the next four months. For an over-packer, this is not the easiest task in the world, but I’m getting there (almost, sorta, kinda, not really…).
People have constantly been asking me how I’m feeling about leaving for London for the past month. Am I excited? Am I nervous? Anxious? Ready? Prepared?
My answer? A mix of all of the above.
I’ve never flown on a plan by myself before.
I’m extremely nervous about losing my luggage.
How does one get from Heathrow to Kensington?
I need to get a new phone service and number.
Classes last three hours-what how will I make it through that?
Rumor is they don’t have peanut butter?
Oh, and they talk funny there.
The list goes on.
For a person who hates change, this is a big step. But I’m ready(ish) for it.
I am taking part in the UW in London Study Abroad program and couldn’t be more excited! Over the past month, and especially this week, I have felt a mix of emotions as I’ve said goodbye to friends and family. I’m extremely excited to make the big trip across the pond, but I’m also incredibly sad to have had to say goodbye to so many friends and family that I won’t see for a while.
So, what will I be doing/how does my program work?
My program is split up into two parts. The first seven weeks consist of four classes each worth three UW-Madison credits. Because my program is through the Foundation for International Education and is affiliated with UW-Madison, I don’t have to worry about all of my credits transferring back like I would if I were studying abroad through a different program.
After these first seven weeks, I have a week-long break (which is basically our spring break but is at the end of February.) I hope to do a lot of traveling during this time and would really like to spend a lot of this week in Spain using my Spanish!
For the next seven weeks after this week-long break, I will be enrolled in three classes and then be placed in an internship which will take up three days each week. The internship aspect of this program is what most excited me about this program and was ultimately a deciding factor in choosing this program over the other London programs offered at UW-Madison.
For the internship, I chose between either a service internship or a regular internship. I went with the regular internship and was able to rank my first three internship choices as Music, Communications and Journalism and Media. Once I arrive in London they will inform me where I have been placed and I will have a short interview with the employer to make sure it is a good fit. I cannot wait to find out where I will be placed!
Also upon arriving in London on Wednesday morning, I will find out who my roommates are! I will have either one, two, or three other roommates. Being that I had a single room this past semester, having three or even one roommate will be a big change. I’ll be living in a flat in the borough of Kensington (the same neighborhood as Prince William and Kate OMG), and hope to bump into David Beckham while grocery shopping (one of our academic advisers has actually done this-AMAZING).
While in London, I not only plan to explore the amazing city, it’s history and culture, but also explore surrounding cities and countries. High up on my list include places like Ireland, Spain, Denmark, France and Germany. I’m sure that list will change and expand but I also want to not only be in London but truly live in London for a majority of my time abroad.
I am going to blog about my time abroad as often as possible, so be sure to keep up with the Study Abroad in London tab on mostlymotto to hear about my classes, internship, travels and everything else I do while studying abroad in one of the greatest cities in the world: London.
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