First blog question

·         What made you decide to study abroad?

I am not sure what made me want to study abroad. It always sounded really cool to me but I never thought I would be able to go so I never truly considered it. I didn’t even think it would happen when I applied to go abroad. I guess I just wanted to see what would happen.

·         How do you expect to be changed by your experience?

I hope I will feel more independent and confident when I get back. Apparently the way they study there is similar to grad school here, so I hope it will make me a little more prepared for that as well.

·         What are your goals while you are abroad and how do you expect to achieve these goals?

I have so many goals that there is no way I can post them all here. Basically my goal is to learn how to handle and overcome all of my fears. I have a couple other goals that are not completely related to fears, like I want to travel and go hiking. First things first though, I hope I learn how to cook real food. It is really going to suck if I don’t haha. I have to make all of my meals myself while I live there because there is no meal plan at my University. I have been spoiled all my life by having my parents or three older brothers to cook for me. That is a goal I am going to need to achieve very early on haha. I also want to figure out my best learning style and learn how to self-discipline so that I can get my studying done properly yet still have time to have fun. It is going to take a trial-and-error process and some perseverance but I will figure it out. I don’t really have a choice. That and learning how to live on my own are my two main goals.

·         What fears or apprehensions do you have?

I have never left the country before and I have never lived very far from home, so of course I am afraid of that. Plus everything is so expensive over there and the dollar is worth nothing, to make it even worse. It’s scary to think about running out of money period, especially when you’re that far away. The classes are structured a lot different there. Your grades are literally based on one huge exam or essay at the end of the semester. That means I have one chance to prove myself in the class. I don’t have a chance to bounce back if I accidentally do badly. It terrifies me. I hope I get a chance to travel to some cool places! I’m afraid I won’t be able to though. That takes a lot of time and a lot of money, things that as of now seem sparse. I’m also scared I am going to have some issues because I am American. I can’t really blame them, the stereotypes and actions of our government don’t really make us look good. It will be interesting though if that happens. It is bound to be part of anyone’s experience while living in another country. I also get very freaked out by religion, so living in a country where religion is so very prominent is going to be hard to get adjusted to at first. I’m also afraid everyone is going to speak like Brad Pitt does in the movie Snatch (So terrifying to think of professors with that thick of accents hahah).

·         What are you most looking forward to?

I can’t wait to live in another country! I hope they’re not as “Americanized” as people say. I really want to learn first-hand about another culture. I’m even excited for the religious side of the culture because it is something I need to learn about. It seems like the people are very political and out-spoken in Northern Ireland; I can’t wait! I hope I will learn a lot and have a lot of good conversations! I’m so intrigued by everything over there really. I am excited for everything new. I am certainly going in with an open mind. I am going to embrace it all.  I cannot wait to face all of my fears, overcome them, and grow as a person.

27 days, 23 hours, and 46 minutes until my next, and biggest, adventure begins!