I haven't posted in a few weeks because I've been very busy seeing friends, finishing up Christmas presents, going to holiday parties, the whole kit and kaboodle. Not to mention attempting to pack up enough stuff to last me for six months in a foreign country with "unpredictable" weather (that descriptor is not my own, thank you Arcadia).
It's especially difficult when no one has a specific packing list anywhere. There are suggestions from both York and Arcadia, pretty much saying to bring a hat, scarf, and gloves and some boots and a warm waterproof coat. And one nice outfit. Well now, that's extremely helpful, thank you so much for helping me know what to pack for six months across three seasons. But since I've been to England before and I've traveled a fair bit in my life, I at least have a general sense of what I need to bring. It's just so stressful and messy- I've got piles of clothes on our dining room table and on chairs all over our living room. It looks like my closet exploded on our house. And then trying to get all my other things in order with the bank, my credit cards, getting British Pounds and Euros, figuring out technology and medications, toiletries, and everything else... there is stuff EVERYWHERE.
It's really difficult to choose what to bring though, especially since I'm only trying to bring one checked bag (the fee for a second bag is $100) and my carry ons. I've been stocking up on "real sweaters," as my roommate Nicki calls them, at the after Christmas sales because I own mostly cardigans which really don't fend off the famous British chill in the winter. I also had to look for some dress pants and nice shirts because I apparently didn't own any... oops. In general, students in Europe and the UK dress way nicer for their lectures and seminars than American students do. Yoga pants, sweats, and pajama pants are an absolute never to wear to class (not that I ever do that, but Wooster does have a sweatpants and yoga pants pandemic). I'm still taking a pair of yoga pants for sitting around in my room, but they won't see the light of day outside my building haha.
But I'm getting pretty close to having everything all set, which is good, since I leave so soon.
My mother is pumping me full of Airborne which is gross but hopefully I won't get sick on the plane. We hit the ground running once we land in London with our orientation, so I won't have time to get sick. Looking at my orientation schedule, I really don't have too much to do each day with Arcadia, so I'll have some time to explore London, which is awesome. Megan and I will probably check out the Imperial War Museum during some of our time off, because it relates to both our research projects at Wooster :-) The Arcadia London office is in Bloomsbury, near the West End theatre district, so we'll be staying in a hotel there and doing activities around the area. There's a British Museum Visit scheduled which I'm super excited about!
There's an organization called "Host UK" giving a presentation at our orientation. They are a program for study abroad students to do a homestay with a family while their in the UK even if they're living in a dorm or university apartment, so I'm definitely going to try to do that while I'm there. Last time I did a homestay in England in Bath, I was Johnny Depp's neighbor for three days! :-p But really, it's a great way to get in touch with the locals and immerse myself in Britishness.
I'm also working on reading through all the material from York and Arcadia. There's TONS of guides for international students and visiting students, academic support (there's a whole site about "academic culture shock" and how to prepare for the British system, which is what I'm currently perusing). There are safety guides from the British Council, guides for student services, the libraries, and countless other things. There is so much information (but no packing lists), it's kind of overwhelming.
I've been oscillating between super excited and feeling like I'm going to throw up from nerves and anxiety and being petrified. I've been abroad a number of times before, but that was always with an organized group of people I knew before I left (there are only four Arcadia students going to York for the semester from the entire U.S., and I know two of them, if I include myself haha). I've been going away to sleepaway camps and travel adventures since I was six or seven, so leaving home is nothing new to me, but this is so different from all those experiences- I'm going to be the most independent I've ever been, in a different country, at a different university where I'm going to have to start from scratch. I know where I stand in Wooster, academically, socially, and I know the secrets and the campus and everything. But I'll be like a first-year again when I get to York, whose campus is gargantuan in comparison to Wooster's. I won't know anyone other than Megan, I won't know where things are, I won't even really know how the academic system works- I'll have 4-5 hours of class a week, and a 70% on an assignment is considered "distinguished work" and is admirable. What.
So I'm terrified, but also so very excited. This is something I've been dreaming of since I was like thirteen, and it still doesn't feel like it's actually happening. Hopefully I don't have a freakout when my parents drop me off at the airport on Tuesday haha.
It's especially difficult when no one has a specific packing list anywhere. There are suggestions from both York and Arcadia, pretty much saying to bring a hat, scarf, and gloves and some boots and a warm waterproof coat. And one nice outfit. Well now, that's extremely helpful, thank you so much for helping me know what to pack for six months across three seasons. But since I've been to England before and I've traveled a fair bit in my life, I at least have a general sense of what I need to bring. It's just so stressful and messy- I've got piles of clothes on our dining room table and on chairs all over our living room. It looks like my closet exploded on our house. And then trying to get all my other things in order with the bank, my credit cards, getting British Pounds and Euros, figuring out technology and medications, toiletries, and everything else... there is stuff EVERYWHERE.
It's really difficult to choose what to bring though, especially since I'm only trying to bring one checked bag (the fee for a second bag is $100) and my carry ons. I've been stocking up on "real sweaters," as my roommate Nicki calls them, at the after Christmas sales because I own mostly cardigans which really don't fend off the famous British chill in the winter. I also had to look for some dress pants and nice shirts because I apparently didn't own any... oops. In general, students in Europe and the UK dress way nicer for their lectures and seminars than American students do. Yoga pants, sweats, and pajama pants are an absolute never to wear to class (not that I ever do that, but Wooster does have a sweatpants and yoga pants pandemic). I'm still taking a pair of yoga pants for sitting around in my room, but they won't see the light of day outside my building haha.
But I'm getting pretty close to having everything all set, which is good, since I leave so soon.
My mother is pumping me full of Airborne which is gross but hopefully I won't get sick on the plane. We hit the ground running once we land in London with our orientation, so I won't have time to get sick. Looking at my orientation schedule, I really don't have too much to do each day with Arcadia, so I'll have some time to explore London, which is awesome. Megan and I will probably check out the Imperial War Museum during some of our time off, because it relates to both our research projects at Wooster :-) The Arcadia London office is in Bloomsbury, near the West End theatre district, so we'll be staying in a hotel there and doing activities around the area. There's a British Museum Visit scheduled which I'm super excited about!
There's an organization called "Host UK" giving a presentation at our orientation. They are a program for study abroad students to do a homestay with a family while their in the UK even if they're living in a dorm or university apartment, so I'm definitely going to try to do that while I'm there. Last time I did a homestay in England in Bath, I was Johnny Depp's neighbor for three days! :-p But really, it's a great way to get in touch with the locals and immerse myself in Britishness.
I'm also working on reading through all the material from York and Arcadia. There's TONS of guides for international students and visiting students, academic support (there's a whole site about "academic culture shock" and how to prepare for the British system, which is what I'm currently perusing). There are safety guides from the British Council, guides for student services, the libraries, and countless other things. There is so much information (but no packing lists), it's kind of overwhelming.
I've been oscillating between super excited and feeling like I'm going to throw up from nerves and anxiety and being petrified. I've been abroad a number of times before, but that was always with an organized group of people I knew before I left (there are only four Arcadia students going to York for the semester from the entire U.S., and I know two of them, if I include myself haha). I've been going away to sleepaway camps and travel adventures since I was six or seven, so leaving home is nothing new to me, but this is so different from all those experiences- I'm going to be the most independent I've ever been, in a different country, at a different university where I'm going to have to start from scratch. I know where I stand in Wooster, academically, socially, and I know the secrets and the campus and everything. But I'll be like a first-year again when I get to York, whose campus is gargantuan in comparison to Wooster's. I won't know anyone other than Megan, I won't know where things are, I won't even really know how the academic system works- I'll have 4-5 hours of class a week, and a 70% on an assignment is considered "distinguished work" and is admirable. What.
So I'm terrified, but also so very excited. This is something I've been dreaming of since I was like thirteen, and it still doesn't feel like it's actually happening. Hopefully I don't have a freakout when my parents drop me off at the airport on Tuesday haha.
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