The Eleventh Hour (or Day)

Hello Once Again!

This will be my final pre-departure blog :/ There are now only 11 days until we take off, so I really do not have enough time to write an installment after this...

First of all, I am SO inexpressibly excited! Even though it still has not hit me that I will be overseas in less than two weeks (and probably won't hit me until I get to the airport), it is definitely a reality! I now have only one day left of each job (Oh Happy Day!)-- After Saturday, it's game time! Mom (who I am so grateful to have helping me!) has helped me make lists, and we're officially starting to pack on Monday... OK, confession time. I have not had time to do ANY of my class reading yet! That is Goal #2 for next week (behind packing). Other than that, I plan on spending as much time with my family and Matt as possible. I know they're excited for me, but are also going to miss me terribly (the feeling is mutual, believe me!)

That leads me to my main motivation for this posting: Prayer Requests! I'll try to keep this short and sweet--

1. Please pray for peace of mind for my family (especially my parents and my sisters), friends (mostly roommates!), and boyfriend that I'm leaving behind! I'm so thankful that they're behind me (especially Matt- Although he's a little worried about me running away with an Irish boy :), he's thrilled that I have this opportunity, and loves me enough to let me go), and hope they continue to have my back as time goes on...
2. Please pray for my professors and travel buddies! This trip will be "made" by the people going on it. Pray that we all get along swimmingly and are able to support each other no matter what the UK might throw at us...
3. Finally, please pray for me! This is my first time leaving the country, and I pray I have a smooth adjustment. I also pray that I learn everything I possibly can from this experience, and have a wonderful time while doing so...

Thanks again for reading! The next time you hear from me, I'll be in the UK (more specifically, Scotland!) Until then, enjoy the rest of this fleeting summer!

Allison <3

3 Weeks To Go!

Hello again!

It is now 21 days until I take off for the UK! I'm feeling less stressed (surprisingly), and am getting more excited each day :) Even though it feels like I just got home for the summer, I'm already thinking about saying goodbye. I'm also thinking about starting to pack, which I am sure will make things all too real...

This blog, I want to lay out some of my personal goals for England Term, and my goals for this blog. A few weeks ago, one of the profs. going with us asked us why we were going on England Term (aside from a line on the resume). This got me thinking in "big picture" terms, so I apologize if these aspirations seem a little vague:

Goal #1- Feel comfortable living in a completely different culture.

Goal #2- Broaden my American worldview.

Goal #3- Gain a more personal and substantial connection to the authors I study and the literature I read.

Goal #4- Figure out who I am in relation to others and to the world.

Goal #5 (and most importantly)- Have a blast! Pick up an accent! Try something new every day!

Admittedly, these goals may not be easily measurable. That's where this blog comes in. I hope that by recording my journey, I will be able to track how I'm progressing in these areas. I also hope that by physically putting these goals "on paper," I will feel more accountability toward accomplishing them. (So, if you see me growing/struggling in one of these areas in my writings, please comment on that!...Outside eyes tend to see things more clearly on stuff like this.)

That's going to have to be it for today-- Subway duty calls!

Again, please feel free to comment! (To those of you who replied to the blog's email: Thanks for replying! But if you could actually go to my blog and click "comment," everyone else could see what you have to say, too. Thanks!)

Thanks for reading! <3

T-Minus One Month and Counting!

Welcome to my inaugural blog post! I decided that today would be the lucky day because (as you may have noticed from the title) I LEAVE FOR ENGLAND TERM EXACTLY ONE MONTH FROM TODAY! My obvious excitement is also mixed with a whole lot of anxiety, but I'll come back to that later...

First, I should tell you why I am writing this blog. Most of the study abroad literature that I have read recommends journalling. While I may not be dedicated enough to keep a journal everyday, I think I can keep up with a weekly blog :) I also want to let my loved ones know that I am doing ok, even if I don't always have the time or money to call them...

Now that you know why I am starting this blog, you probably also want to know why I am doing England Term. England Term is a program run through Bethel that I like to think of as a travel study abroad program. Rather than simply staying at a foreign university for a semester, we are traveling all over the UK, Ireland, and France. I have always wanted to leave the country for a while, yet where I could be with people I know, and where the people I don't know can speak English! (Second languages DO NOT come easily to me). I also like living out of a suitcase (I will probably regret saying that in about three months), so England Term seemed like a good fit.

Back to the anxiety... While the prospect of going halfway across the world for three and a half months is exhilarating, it is also slightly terrifying. I have never been out of the country, and have never been away from home for quite that long, with such limited communication. I am also a very organized person (slightly obsessive, actually), so not knowing exactly what I am doing, when, or where is also a stressor. Add to that an ever-growing to-do list, daunting class reading load, and two summer jobs, and I'm practically more stressed than I was during Finals Week!

(Sigh) Ok, now that I've got that out of my system... I am so thrilled to have this opportunity! I cannot wait to actually see where the amazing literature I have read was set. We will be walking in the footsteps of some literary greats! I feel so privileged to be a part of this journey, and can't wait to see where it will take me. This is starting to get a little long, so I'm going to cut it off here. I plan on making about two more posts before I leave: one with my personal goals for studying abroad and my goals for this blog, and another with final pre-departure thoughts and prayer requests! If you got put on my email list for this blog, it is because I love you and thought you might like to know where I am and what I'm doing for this next semester. If you are not on that list, feel free to subscribe! Comment at will-- There is more to come! <3