Fantasies & Fears of Life Overseas

Five months is the amount of time I have until I depart for my study abroad adventure. I still find myself in awe of the fact that I am even going to live in England, let alone for a year. Of course with moving to an entirely different country I find myself wondering what I will encounter once I am in-country.

I think anyone is partially afraid to leave what they know and embark on a journey all by themselves. It’s terrifying, yet exciting all at the same time. However, with that comes fears, fantasies and challenges that I believe I will face once I am actually in England.

I’ve listed a few of those below for you:

Fantasies – Eating crumpets and drinking tea all day. Riding the double-decker bus through London like Amanda Bynes did in “What a Girl Wants.” Running into Duchess Kate Middleton shopping. Living in a cute little flat not far from the city centre.

Fears – Losing my passport. Losing my license. Losing my entire wallet. Getting pickpocketed. Getting lost. Not understanding what they are saying. Not being able to eat the food. Not knowing what any of the food is. Not making friends.

Challenges – Knowing which “football” team to choose. Knowing where the best places to eat are. Making friends with my roommates/classmates. Learning the ‘lay of the land’. Understanding the “underground”. Knowing which sections of the city are best. Understanding their slang. Budgeting my money. Keeping up in school. Being homesick and missing my family.

I mentally have much longer list but I don’t want to bore you with that! I will, however, tell you how excited I am to depart. I know that it will come with its set of challenges that I will have to overcome but I also know that it will be nothing short of amazing.
I will face homesickness, I will miss my family, I will have to learn how to navigate this new city, and I probably will get lost; but with all of that comes its own set of experiences that I will never be able to recreate. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I cannot pass up.

So, for that reason, all of my fears are subdued and I am now, more than ever, looking forward to studying abroad in London!