As I write this post, I am currently sitting at my local Starbucks where the baristas know me by name, familiarity & comfort at its finest. I currently am in this limbo where I am excited for my trip but also in great fear of the changes about to come. And although my emotions are not even near stable, I thought it would be necessary to discuss my feelings & expectations for the city I am about to live in.
I haven’t even left yet & already I miss everything familiar to me. This trip is the flagship moment in my life where I am going to experience independence in full-force. My dad won’t be with me to help with my luggage, my mom won’t be behind my shoulder reminding me to eat, & as trivial as those things sound, being accustomed to having my parents around to suddenly having to be self-sufficient, is a bit jarring. After all, I will be in a new city where everything is foreign, & that alone is more change I have experienced in my lifetime.
I have lusted after & loved the city of London for many years, watching movies & reading books pretending that I am there as well. One of my biggest fears about studying abroad in London is that I have built up my expectations so far & high, that once I arrive I may realize that everything I believed & dreamed of is not true.
Now, I am sure I am exaggerating & I will have a lovely time. But just so I can see how these feelings & expectations compare at the end of my trip, here is a list of ten things I hope to experience:
- I really hope I can live through what my mother calls “four weathers in a day” that she claims London is notorious for.
- With that said, I hope it rains a lot & I don’t get sick of it. I adore the rain & have packed boots & a nice coat in preparation & would like to see if I like rain in theory, or if I can really live in it.
- I hope I don’t experience London & my other travels through my phone screen. Although having pictures are nice, those won’t compare to the experience of living in that exact moment.
- I hope I get comfortable enough with the city that other people will think to ask me for directions!
- Make at least one friend that is a London native. Try to establish a friendship that will last even when I come back stateside.
- Go exploring by myself at least once a week. Become comfortable & confident in traveling alone.
- Go to at least one concert or show.
- Try one food item that scares me.
- Become sufficient in riding the Tube.
- See the Queen. (It’s a long shot, but hey, here’s to hoping!)
Will I accomplish everything on this list? Maybe, maybe not. But by the end of this trip, I hope to have gained a broader perspective about the world around me, & about myself as a person. I’ll check this list again once I have come home & reflect on how my feelings have changed & what expectations have been met!
Here’s to a grand adventure awaiting,
