pre-departure

so: it's about that time. i guess it's actually a number of different times: time for me to start blogging again, time for me to start packing, time for me to finally head to europe for the semester!

the ability to easily study abroad was one of the major reasons i chose to study at syracuse university. a lot of my initial, pre-college plans, including my intention to study communications, become an RA, and work in non-profit have dissolved since i've been at SU. studying abroad has been one of the few college-related goals that remains three years into my academic career.

choosing a place to study was a difficult decision- i danced around for a while between hong kong and london. hong kong would have been an incredible experience that would have been an unbelievable asset in the corporate world. london offered the opportunity to travel to places i'd read and learned about. my professors encouraged asian studies, my friends were going to the big smoke/the square mile (generally unheard of nicknames used for london). when i sat down and thought about what i ultimately wanted, i chose london. because i've never been to europe and because i don't speak another language, i figured it'd be a great place to really begin what will hopefully be a lifetime of "exotic" travel.

i'm looking forward to this experience more and more with each moment, conversation about it, and packing list i create. there's so much i want to see in europe: world war 2 relics, the bakery at harrods, italian wine country, the swiss alps. there's so much i want to try: hiking along british coasts, belgian waffles, german beer. and i think much of my coursework (yes, i am enrolled in classes) will complement everything i hope to see and experience. i'm taking 15 credits at the SU london program, five three-credit courses. i'm in class mondays 9-10:30, all day tuesday, and all day wednesday, but have wonderful four day weekends. my classes include: strategic human resources, managing in a global setting, the world economy, multicultural london, and a history of london through architecture. i particularly think the last two courses will truly enhance my experience (london through architecture includes a four-day trip to paris!)

we all know that i grew up secluded- geographically, racially, culturally, ethnically, religiously. i really believe, that for the first time in my entire life, i will be introduced to a lifestyle that is truly diverse.

just in case you're wondering, my itinerary for the next few days... PACK, PACK, PACK. i'll be leaving fort kent on saturday, spending a couple of nights in southern maine, and leave from portland on monday the 18th. my flight arrives at jfk in new york city around 12:00 noon, and i depart for london that evening at 7:50 pm. after a seven hour flight and five hour time change, i arrive sometime around 7 or 8:00 on tuesday. i'll surely be cranky.

i plan to use this blog as a way to keep in touch, share photos, and share my observations about life in europe. i can't promise i'll update as frequently as i did this summer in boston, but i'll try to keep you entertained all the same. please, keep in touch! also, feel free to send me your mailing address.

cheers, (thanks, sarah d.)
kelsie

ps- a quick note about the headline used on this blog... the photo itself was taken this summer from the fire tower on top of deboullie mountain in allagash, maine. it was shot minutes before a rainstorm hit. i found an outline of the london skyline online and used photoshop to overlay it onto the photo. i felt it was an appropriate representation of this semester- fort kent to london, country to city.