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:

1. I really hope I can live through what my mother calls “four weathers in a day” that she claims London is notorious for.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. I hope I get comfortable enough with the city that other people will think to ask me for directions!
5. Make at least one friend that is a London native. Try to establish a friendship that will last even when I come back stateside.
6. Go exploring by myself at least once a week. Become comfortable & confident in traveling alone.
7. Go to at least one concert or show.
8. Try one food item that scares me.
9. Become sufficient in riding the Tube.
10. 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,