I'm in England???

So around last October, I started seriously thinking about studying abroad. Yeah, I went to the study abroad fairs during my first year and thought it would be fun, but I never thought I would actually fill out an application. Out of all the places offered, England has always caught my eye. Maybe it’s because of my interest in their history that seemed to connect the rest of the world through colonization, or because of my love for One Direction. Who knows? But studying abroad was a dream, and I thought it would stay a dream.

However, when I learned about this program that would allow me to actually work on classes towards my majors and minor, and still graduate on time, I was excited. Then hesitant. I went back and forth so many times before some of my friends told me to just do it. So, I did. I submitted an application to go to Birmingham, England for a full year. When I pressed the submit button, and begrudgingly paid a $50 nonrefundable fee, I felt this indescribable joy and excitement.

Then I went through all the hurdles. I met with advisor after advisor. Got approval for classes. I ran around between the CLA, LSBE, and study abroad offices too many times to count. Trust me, the process to get a list of modules was exhausting. I almost considered giving up. Then I remembered the $50 I wasn’t going to get back so I kept at it. By the middle of Spring semester, I got everything figured out. I was just waiting for an acceptance letter from the University of Birmingham so I could get started on my travel visa.

Since England is a fairly expensive country, and the process to go abroad was expensive, I had to work two jobs to finance this trip. My visa was around $500, the Health Immigration Surcharge was around $300, the visa return slip was $36, accommodation prepayment was $700, then airfare, etc., etc. It adds up fast. I was exhausted from working all the time but had to keep reminding myself of what I’m working towards.

After travelling for 10 hours (and taking some really, really basic Snapchats along the way), I landed in London-Heathrow airport. I was very fortunate for my aunt’s friend to be kind enough to let me stay at their house while I recovered from jet-lag, and just giving me a place to sleep. In Bracknell, I got to see the newly built town centre, went window shopping, and saw the new Lexicon. I also discovered that there is a shop called the Post Office that may or not be a real post office. Still confused about it.  

From Bracknell, I went on to Birmingham with another friend of my aunt’s. Had Nando’s for the first time with Isaac, Sarah, and their mum. Went to Tesco. That was an insane time. Then I moved into my flat.

Huge shoutout to Di Diem, Jenny, and the Praseedom fam for helping me a ton these past couple of days. 

Posting more updates soon!