You know that feeling you get as you're going up the first climb of the biggest drop on a roller coaster? That fluttery feeling in the pit of your stomach that's a mixture of excitement, fear, adrenaline, and regret? That was the feeling I had almost all day yesterday. And most of today, really. But you probably guessed it, I'm officially in the United Kingdom! It was a pretty crazy ride getting here too, I must say. It seems that flying to another country can never really be straightforward.
My flights were originally scheduled perfectly, so that I would have four and a half hours in Chicago between my flights. My first flight out of Grand Rapids, which was supposed to be at 11:30 yesterday morning, was canceled due to storms in Chicago. United booked my on two completely new flights, but with only an hour and twenty minutes between flights. I don't know how many of you have been to the Chicago airport, but it takes a long time to walk between terminals because the airport itself is so enormous. Naturally, due to the already high amount of stress I was in, it was a pretty big setback to start the trip with.
Luckily, I managed to get an earlier flight to Chicago through American Airlines, and was spared too much hassle in Chicago. Besides the walking what felt like five miles to get to my next gate.
After that I hoped nothing else could go that wrong on the trip. But something much worse happened when I boarded the flight to London - I was sitting next to a baby. Not a baby-sitting-on-mom's-lap baby, but a single baby in a carrier (with mom next to baby). For those who have never had the pleasure of flying with an infant in the same plane, babies do not do well on planes. Specifically eight hour flights across the Atlantic. There's nothing better than being stuck in a metal tube hurtling 600 miles per hour through the stratosphere for eight hours with a screaming child. Naturally I was bracing myself for the worst, preparing to turn my iPod up to earsplitting volumes, when a flight attendant came and told mom and baby that they could move up closer to the rest of her kids (yes, she had two other small children with her who were originally sitting alone). At that point, I knew the travel gods were going to be on my side for the rest of the trip.
While it doesn't make for particularly interesting stories, the rest of my trip to Leicester went so smoothly that I didn't really have to try hard to do anything. I was worried about getting my three suitcases and backpack that collectively weighed over 100 pounds across London to the train station, but even that proved to be much easier than I expected. Turns out when people see a young girl struggling to get massive suitcases loaded on to a train before the doors close on her, they really step up.
I did hit a slight hiccup when I actually got to Leicester. Turns out the building that is shown on Google maps as my apartment building is not 100% accurate in real life. And when you don't have access to any internet or data services, you end up wandering in circles past the same street corner with your 100 pounds of luggage until you conveniently run into the manager of your very apartment complex just as you're about to cry tears of frustration. What serendipity.
After a slight delay in my room being ready for me due to an email error on the part of the renting agency, I am finally there. I did it. I made it. The room is, as expected, almost hilariously tiny, but I think it will be more than enough for what I will require during the next year. I'm sure after this first week of getting settled, I'll be spending more time outside of my room than in it anyway.
All that being said, it was almost exactly 24 hours of travel time, with about three hours of sleep (more than I've ever gotten on an international flight, though). So you could say I'm pretty much exhausted. But I managed not to take a nap, and I'm staying up until 9 tonight to adjust to the time change quicker. All in all the trip ended up being much less stressful than I had originally anticipated. And that crazy, nervous, fluttery feeling? Gone. But then again, it could be that I'm just too tired to notice.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Small Sacrifices
Tomorrow is the big day! Now that it's officially here, I'm partially terrified. Actually, mostly terrified. After seeing all the posts on Facebook from my friends starting their classes at Central today, it really hit me that I'm about to embark on this incredible journey. It's very different from going to school two hours away from home. Which is an obvious statement, but one that I have to keep reminding myself about.
The good news is I finished packing, like, half-way through the day. Usually I'm packing stuff up until the absolute last second. But of course, there's still time for that. The biggest thing I've learned from my two day packing fest is that I'm too sentimental to choose between all of my clothes. It also doesn't help that I'm terrible at making arbitrary decisions that will likely not have an extreme impact on my future. So I had to learn to make a lot of small sacrifices in what I packed and what I didn't, and it was pretty difficult. Though if this is the most difficult thing I have to do in life, I really can't complain.
Since I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm sitting here thinking through some of the things I really want to get out of this next year. I have a tremendous opportunity to grow as a student and a global citizen, and it's important to have some idea of what I want before the adventure really starts. I mean, I will have an eight hour flight to think through some more things, but for now this is what I've come up with.
1. A degree. Which is obvious. That's the main thing I'm going for. But as I approached the end of my undergraduate career, I began to realize that I had no intention of getting a master's degree, and would rather skip ahead to my doctorate. When I applied for the Fulbright, I knew it was a long shot. I also knew it would be delaying my doctorate for another year in order to get a master's degree, but it was definitely a sacrifice I was willing to make.
2. Improve my ability to make arbitrary decisions. Like what to pack on trips like this. Or where to go to dinner. What movie to see, what shoes to buy. I'm really terrible at those kinds of decisions, mostly because I put so much value in to them. I think to myself, I could leave this shirt at home, but what if there's that one time I want to wear it? Or, if I don't by this shirt, I'll regret it forever. These thoughts are usually not true, but I get so wrapped up in them that I end up packing too much or buying said shirt even if I don't really need to.
3. Enhance my global education. This means traveling, of course, but it also means engaging with other cultures on a daily basis. I grew up in a community of people who were just like me. I went through most of my schooling in a community of people who were just like me. I'm ready to study in a place that has a wide variety of people and cultures. I'm excited to spend more time in London, one of the most diverse cities in the world, to learn more about other people and learn how to interact with them.
4. Learn how to live by myself. I've never truly lived alone. I've always had a family or roommates to keep me company. This next year, I'll truly be living by myself. I won't have anyone to say "Hey, I'm going out!" or "Do you want to grab some dinner?" to. All of my decisions (there will always be more decisions) will be up to me. It's going to be intimidating, and a little strange, but still a learning experience.
Those are the biggest things I have for now. I'm sure more ideas will pop up in my mind as I sit on the plane trying to fall asleep. I hope these posts will become more interesting, rather than me rambling about what's on my mind or how I'm trying to pack all of my stuff. I'm excited to embark on this journey tomorrow, and I can't wait to share it with everyone!
The good news is I finished packing, like, half-way through the day. Usually I'm packing stuff up until the absolute last second. But of course, there's still time for that. The biggest thing I've learned from my two day packing fest is that I'm too sentimental to choose between all of my clothes. It also doesn't help that I'm terrible at making arbitrary decisions that will likely not have an extreme impact on my future. So I had to learn to make a lot of small sacrifices in what I packed and what I didn't, and it was pretty difficult. Though if this is the most difficult thing I have to do in life, I really can't complain.
Since I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm sitting here thinking through some of the things I really want to get out of this next year. I have a tremendous opportunity to grow as a student and a global citizen, and it's important to have some idea of what I want before the adventure really starts. I mean, I will have an eight hour flight to think through some more things, but for now this is what I've come up with.
1. A degree. Which is obvious. That's the main thing I'm going for. But as I approached the end of my undergraduate career, I began to realize that I had no intention of getting a master's degree, and would rather skip ahead to my doctorate. When I applied for the Fulbright, I knew it was a long shot. I also knew it would be delaying my doctorate for another year in order to get a master's degree, but it was definitely a sacrifice I was willing to make.
2. Improve my ability to make arbitrary decisions. Like what to pack on trips like this. Or where to go to dinner. What movie to see, what shoes to buy. I'm really terrible at those kinds of decisions, mostly because I put so much value in to them. I think to myself, I could leave this shirt at home, but what if there's that one time I want to wear it? Or, if I don't by this shirt, I'll regret it forever. These thoughts are usually not true, but I get so wrapped up in them that I end up packing too much or buying said shirt even if I don't really need to.
3. Enhance my global education. This means traveling, of course, but it also means engaging with other cultures on a daily basis. I grew up in a community of people who were just like me. I went through most of my schooling in a community of people who were just like me. I'm ready to study in a place that has a wide variety of people and cultures. I'm excited to spend more time in London, one of the most diverse cities in the world, to learn more about other people and learn how to interact with them.
4. Learn how to live by myself. I've never truly lived alone. I've always had a family or roommates to keep me company. This next year, I'll truly be living by myself. I won't have anyone to say "Hey, I'm going out!" or "Do you want to grab some dinner?" to. All of my decisions (there will always be more decisions) will be up to me. It's going to be intimidating, and a little strange, but still a learning experience.
Those are the biggest things I have for now. I'm sure more ideas will pop up in my mind as I sit on the plane trying to fall asleep. I hope these posts will become more interesting, rather than me rambling about what's on my mind or how I'm trying to pack all of my stuff. I'm excited to embark on this journey tomorrow, and I can't wait to share it with everyone!
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
One week! A.k.a I should probably actually pack...
Wow how the summer really flown by. I feel like I just blinked and BAM! Only one week left here at home. Officially this is my last Tuesday at home. Starting now everything is going to feel like my "last" time doing stuff at home. Which obviously won't be the case in the long run, but for now I all of a sudden feel so rushed.
As you can probably guess from the title of this post, I have not officially begun packing. I've done some of the very easy things, like picking out what shoes I want to bring, picking out what jewelry I want to bring, making a list of things I can't forget to pack, etc. Here's the tricky part though - packing to live abroad is very hard. What do I bring? What do I buy? These are the difficult questions I am now finding myself facing. Which I probably should have started thinking about a while ago, but procrastination is a part of who I am.
So in case you're curious, and because I've run out of creative ideas for the whole "miss and looking forward to" thing, here's what I've been figuring out so far. Maybe this will help you fellow world travelers in the future in case you need to pack for a long trip out of the country.
1. Buy some food storage containers to pack some of your stuff in. I decided to do this mainly because I didn't want to have to buy storage containers in the UK, only to throw them out as I come home again next summer. Pro-tip: Sam's Club has really cheap containers that you can buy. Obviously I won't be bringing a whole tub full of them, but enough that I can still pack lunches!
2. Find a good way to travel with jewelry. I mean, we've all been there. But I can't tell you how many times I've untangled some of my necklaces. Or how many tiny stud earrings I've lost. This time, I decided to turn to the best source of knowledge I know - Google. I haven't tried it yet, but one blog recommended using plastic straws to thread necklaces through, keeping them nice and tangle free. As for the earrings, I invested in a little "earring booklet," basically a small booklet with pages that have holes for the earrings. Super nice and keeps me from losing my earrings.
3. Shoes take up a lot of room. To which you're thinking, well duh. But for those who know me, you know I like shoes. And I have a lot of them. And I want to take them all with me. But for the sake of the overweight luggage fee, I'll have to make some sacrifices.
4. Make sure you bring something to remind you of home. I'm bringing many things, because one, I'll be gone for a while, and two, I'm living alone. I know there will be times when I will miss living with people and miss sitting at home with my family watching baking shows. But that's when I can take out whatever reminds me of home and I won't feel so lonely.
5. You're going to forget something. So far, I've always forgotten something. Never anything super important. But it's an important to remind yourself that if you forget something, it isn't the end of the world. They have stores in England.
Obviously my adventures in packing are only just beginning tonight. This is going to be the most difficult part of moving but hey, I still have a week to get it done.
One last addition, for those who have an Instagram account, please feel free to follow me for some awesome pictures of my adventures. For those who don't know, I also travel with a small tiger named Spot, so he's usually in on them. Follow me@sheep.herder!
As you can probably guess from the title of this post, I have not officially begun packing. I've done some of the very easy things, like picking out what shoes I want to bring, picking out what jewelry I want to bring, making a list of things I can't forget to pack, etc. Here's the tricky part though - packing to live abroad is very hard. What do I bring? What do I buy? These are the difficult questions I am now finding myself facing. Which I probably should have started thinking about a while ago, but procrastination is a part of who I am.
So in case you're curious, and because I've run out of creative ideas for the whole "miss and looking forward to" thing, here's what I've been figuring out so far. Maybe this will help you fellow world travelers in the future in case you need to pack for a long trip out of the country.
1. Buy some food storage containers to pack some of your stuff in. I decided to do this mainly because I didn't want to have to buy storage containers in the UK, only to throw them out as I come home again next summer. Pro-tip: Sam's Club has really cheap containers that you can buy. Obviously I won't be bringing a whole tub full of them, but enough that I can still pack lunches!
2. Find a good way to travel with jewelry. I mean, we've all been there. But I can't tell you how many times I've untangled some of my necklaces. Or how many tiny stud earrings I've lost. This time, I decided to turn to the best source of knowledge I know - Google. I haven't tried it yet, but one blog recommended using plastic straws to thread necklaces through, keeping them nice and tangle free. As for the earrings, I invested in a little "earring booklet," basically a small booklet with pages that have holes for the earrings. Super nice and keeps me from losing my earrings.
3. Shoes take up a lot of room. To which you're thinking, well duh. But for those who know me, you know I like shoes. And I have a lot of them. And I want to take them all with me. But for the sake of the overweight luggage fee, I'll have to make some sacrifices.
4. Make sure you bring something to remind you of home. I'm bringing many things, because one, I'll be gone for a while, and two, I'm living alone. I know there will be times when I will miss living with people and miss sitting at home with my family watching baking shows. But that's when I can take out whatever reminds me of home and I won't feel so lonely.
5. You're going to forget something. So far, I've always forgotten something. Never anything super important. But it's an important to remind yourself that if you forget something, it isn't the end of the world. They have stores in England.
Obviously my adventures in packing are only just beginning tonight. This is going to be the most difficult part of moving but hey, I still have a week to get it done.
One last addition, for those who have an Instagram account, please feel free to follow me for some awesome pictures of my adventures. For those who don't know, I also travel with a small tiger named Spot, so he's usually in on them. Follow me
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
3 weeks!
Yesterday marked three weeks until I leave. That, combined with the fact that I submitted my two week notice for Starbucks, makes this all seem very real. Suddenly I feel as though I'm running out of time...
Which means, it's definitely time to start thinking about packing. And calling banks for credit card stuff, and getting all my paper work together so they'll actually let me into the country, and ensuring I have an actual plan to get to Leicester from London...you know, all the small stuff that will ensure my journey goes smoothly and without too much stress. I'm sure there will be some no matter what I do.
With that being said, it is time for more things I'll miss, and things I'm looking forward to! I did food last time, so I suppose this time I'll do places.
What I'll miss: the beach!
Sure, England is surrounded by water on all sides. But it just isn't the same. Plus, Leicester is pretty landlocked. Plus, I'm sure the water never gets super warm. Plus, it just isn't the same swimming in gross, salty water.
What I'm looking forward to: SCOTLAND
Yes, Scotland definitely deserves to be in all capital letters. For those who don't know, Edinburgh is by far my favorite city in the world (well, maybe not included Holland, but I'm a bit biased on that one). I'm also super excited to take another trip to the Scottish Highlands. That was by far the best part of Scotland, and I really want to get some more hiking and exploring in this time. Hopefully I'll meet an adventure buddy who will want to go with me!
What I'll miss: Home
Which is directly related to the beach, but hey. I'll really miss it. By home I of course mean Holland, but in reality it's all of Michigan. It's a fantastic state to be in. Plus, the majority of my family is in Michigan, which means I'll miss it even more. Even when I come back to the US I won't be truly moving back home, which makes me a bit sad. But who knows what the future holds in that respect.
What I'm looking forward to: New Home
Well, sort of new home. I'm hoping that my time abroad will establish many connections, both personally and professionally, so that when I come back after my year living in England, it will feel like a second home to me. I really love getting to know new cities, so I'm really looking forward to taking my time exploring what Leicester has to offer me.
There's probably a lot more specific places I'll miss (The Cabin in Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids, etc.), but there will always be places you miss when you move away. It's part of growing up and becoming truly independent. So while I am starting to get pretty nervous, I'm excited to see what my trip has in store for me!
Which means, it's definitely time to start thinking about packing. And calling banks for credit card stuff, and getting all my paper work together so they'll actually let me into the country, and ensuring I have an actual plan to get to Leicester from London...you know, all the small stuff that will ensure my journey goes smoothly and without too much stress. I'm sure there will be some no matter what I do.
With that being said, it is time for more things I'll miss, and things I'm looking forward to! I did food last time, so I suppose this time I'll do places.
What I'll miss: the beach!
Sure, England is surrounded by water on all sides. But it just isn't the same. Plus, Leicester is pretty landlocked. Plus, I'm sure the water never gets super warm. Plus, it just isn't the same swimming in gross, salty water.
What I'm looking forward to: SCOTLAND
Yes, Scotland definitely deserves to be in all capital letters. For those who don't know, Edinburgh is by far my favorite city in the world (well, maybe not included Holland, but I'm a bit biased on that one). I'm also super excited to take another trip to the Scottish Highlands. That was by far the best part of Scotland, and I really want to get some more hiking and exploring in this time. Hopefully I'll meet an adventure buddy who will want to go with me!
What I'll miss: Home
Which is directly related to the beach, but hey. I'll really miss it. By home I of course mean Holland, but in reality it's all of Michigan. It's a fantastic state to be in. Plus, the majority of my family is in Michigan, which means I'll miss it even more. Even when I come back to the US I won't be truly moving back home, which makes me a bit sad. But who knows what the future holds in that respect.
What I'm looking forward to: New Home
Well, sort of new home. I'm hoping that my time abroad will establish many connections, both personally and professionally, so that when I come back after my year living in England, it will feel like a second home to me. I really love getting to know new cities, so I'm really looking forward to taking my time exploring what Leicester has to offer me.
There's probably a lot more specific places I'll miss (The Cabin in Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids, etc.), but there will always be places you miss when you move away. It's part of growing up and becoming truly independent. So while I am starting to get pretty nervous, I'm excited to see what my trip has in store for me!
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
One Month and Counting!
Wow how the time really flies! Today marks exactly four weeks until I leave for England, which is part terrifying and part exhilarating. I thought in the next few weeks leading up to my departure, I would share some of the things I am most excited for in England, as well as some of the things I will miss the most. So here we go, food edition!
What I am excited for: Tea!!
I have been missing my quality English breakfast tea for a few months now. What we have here isn't really the same. There's just something missing that the tea direct from Britain has. Maybe it's the snobbery that seems to accompany tea in Britain.
What I'll miss: Mountain Dew
Unsurprisingly, Mountain Dew in the UK just doesn't taste the same. Probably because it's missing that key ingredient that makes it so fluorescent.
What I'm excited for: Quality Indian food
I love a good curry, but great Indian restaurants are lacking in Michigan. Luckily, England has a large Indian population, which means a great many wonderful Indian restaurants.
What I'll miss: Mexican food
Unfortunately, while England offers many sources of Indian food, it severely lacks in Mexican food. And by severely lacks, I mean I never saw Mexican food anywhere in my previous visits to the UK. My only source of Mexican food will have to be my own cooking. I hope any British friends I make will be prepared to be introduced to some spicy, taco goodness.
There's a lot more food that I'm excited for, and food that I will miss from home. One of the most difficult things during my month in Scotland was missing American food, if you can believe it. But I'm sure I can get over my lack of American food by delving into some great meat pies and fish and chips!
What I am excited for: Tea!!
I have been missing my quality English breakfast tea for a few months now. What we have here isn't really the same. There's just something missing that the tea direct from Britain has. Maybe it's the snobbery that seems to accompany tea in Britain.
What I'll miss: Mountain Dew
Unsurprisingly, Mountain Dew in the UK just doesn't taste the same. Probably because it's missing that key ingredient that makes it so fluorescent.
What I'm excited for: Quality Indian food
I love a good curry, but great Indian restaurants are lacking in Michigan. Luckily, England has a large Indian population, which means a great many wonderful Indian restaurants.
What I'll miss: Mexican food
Unfortunately, while England offers many sources of Indian food, it severely lacks in Mexican food. And by severely lacks, I mean I never saw Mexican food anywhere in my previous visits to the UK. My only source of Mexican food will have to be my own cooking. I hope any British friends I make will be prepared to be introduced to some spicy, taco goodness.
There's a lot more food that I'm excited for, and food that I will miss from home. One of the most difficult things during my month in Scotland was missing American food, if you can believe it. But I'm sure I can get over my lack of American food by delving into some great meat pies and fish and chips!
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