I
step out of my flat and on to the street, my purse slung over my shoulder. I walk up to the bus stop and wait for
the big, red double-decker to pick me up.
I sit on the bus, listening to my iPod, until the bus stops at King’s
Cross station. I head towards the
blue and red Underground sign, and go down the stairs and walk on to the
escalator that will take me to the Piccadilly line. Just as I am about step off of the platform and onto the
train, I stop and think to myself, Wait a second, I’m not in London anymore,
I’m in Annville, and all I have to do to get to class is walk across campus.
To
many of you, parts of that last paragraph probably won’t make any sense to you
unless you have spent a good deal of time exploring the capitol of England. For me, however, this was my normal
routine until about a month ago.
Last September, I, along with nine other LVC students, flew to London,
UK and lived there for three months.
During those three months I tried fish and chips, rode on the London
eye, got my picture taken with Big Ben, and did all of the other stereotypical
activities London has to offer. Even
though I spent lots of money and had more fun than I can express, my experience
abroad was so much more than being a tourist. I made unforgettable friendships, with both Americans and
Europeans. I learned an
independence that I would never have gained if I had stayed in safe, little
Annville. I breathed in a new
culture and new way of life that was very different from what I had previously
known.
When
I was in London, I did not keep a journal or write a blog to document my time
there. When I arrived back home in
December and the memories of my trip started becoming more faint, I started to
regret not keeping a journal or a blog.
Then I realized that I was too busy making the memories to worry about
writing them down, and I think I can live with that. I have plenty of pictures to remind me of the life changing
experiences that I had.
The
purpose of this blog is partly to get my own feelings about my study abroad
trip onto the page (or webpage, to be exact). Mostly it will serve to inform all of the students of LVC,
and other colleges for that matter, of how beneficial an experience study
abroad can be. I will interview
past students who have studied abroad, students who are abroad now, and
students who are preparing for their upcoming trip abroad.
I
look forward to hearing all of the phenomenal stories that these students will
share, and I hope that you will too.
