Some Specifics

Everyone has been asking me some of the same questions about the trip and I think that I should just go ahead and answer them here.

I am going to be staying at University College of London and I will be right in the middle of the city.

Sources (Mom) tell me that Google Earth identifies it as a real landmark so it has to be right. For anyone that is familiar with London, I am told that it is about five minutes from the British Museum which is apparently an excellent location for a study abroad.

Everyone that is going on the trip is going to be staying in the dorms at the school and they are suite style so I will have my own space but I will have to share a bathroom with everyone. The room that they showed a picture of at the orientation looked a little less than warm but it has a desk, book shelf and it's own window.

I am leaving June 18 and coming back July 24 and I understand that is prime time to tour London. The weather is supposed to be in the mid to high sixties during that time and that is when they are supposed to have the best weather of the year and it still doesn't sound like it will be very good weather.

They are also supplying a trip to Paris at no extra cost and a tour of the Louvre while we are there. That will be on June 26-28 I think. I am pretty sure that the first actual weekend we are there we are going to do a scavenger hunt in the city to familiarize ourselves. The third weekend I will possibly be going to Dublin, Ireland because there is a group of Kennesaw kids that are all going together. I might just decide to cut costs and that I would like to stay and take in all that is London.

A little preparation insight

So today I ran some of the errands for the trip that I have been saying that I am going to run and just now got around to them. Not surprisingly, I picked the hottest and muggiest day of the year to do them and the air conditioning in my car apparently boycotts days like today. Fortunately, I was smart enough to not straighten my hair but rather to put a lot of product in it, scrunch it up and hope that I don't look like I stuck my wet fingers into the socket. But anyway, I went to Target for the second time and got more of Allie's errands done than my own. (They did not have the power converter that I need but they did have Allie's eye makeup remover.)

After all of the fun at target I got to go to Best Buy, and that company can definitely take far more of an advantage of the ignorant first time travelers than you might expect. I spent 45 minutes roaming around the store like I was an expert bird watcher trying to find a new species. Some nice employee finally saw the pure confusion in my face and asked me if I needed help. Of course he led me over to the bottom shelf in the far corner of the last row to a little area of six very similar items ranging from $14 to $40. He handed me the first one that only cost about $20 and then I had four in my hand that just kept going up in price...then he told me that my laptop would blow up if I used anything less than the best so to be safe I had better buy the $40 one. I mean hey, those people that live in Europe that told me which one to get never mentioned anything about a laptop so it was a justified purchase.

Eleven days ago I went to orientation for the study abroad and got some homework that they strongly suggested that I do before I get to London. I have read from the book everyday...it has been the same page but we're focused on progress not perfection. I feel that the importance of doing the work grow everyday because I have 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25... days to get it done. Thanks Mom. This ominous countdown could not be more helpful.

The best part about the anticipation of going on the trip is that I am not worried about being there in an unfamiliar area. I am about taking pictures or posting to this blog enough so that everyone else is not worried about me.

Beginnings

I am just beginning to feel like this trip abroad is actually going to happen. I have only about 23 days left and a lot to do to get ready and with everyone telling me different things about London I have no idea what to pack and where to find things that I need. I am fortunate enough to be able to talk to people and get information about what I will need and apparently I am going to need a rain coat.

Typical conversation between me and stranger:
Stranger: What do you do?
Me: I'm a student at Kennesaw.
Stranger: Oh yeah? That is a great school. Are you taking summer classes?
Me: Actually I am doing a study abroad in London.
Stranger: That's great! You'll love it...but it sure does rain a lot. :(
Me: Well I guess I will just melt and not get to enjoy that wonderful city...

The great thing is that just about everyone that I talk to have been there before and/or know someone that lives there now. I know that I have gotten more information/business cards than I know what to do with. It's great though because I pretty much know every place that I should and should not visit.

Hopefully people don't worry about me too much while I am gone because I may just opt out of getting a phone while I am there just so that I don't have to worry about paying the fees for it.