Getting Ready to Study Abroad

For the last few months, I have been working on paperwork (and more paperwork) in order to study abroad this summer.

At least now I know it paid off! They received my payment and I am good to go to The University of Stirling for two months, June 14-Aug 9. I don’t know what classes I’m going to take, although I hope to get the media ethics course revolving around how the media portrays the British Royal Family (called Royals and Rascals) as one of them. There isn’t much I can do at the moment besides think about it, wait, and plan my flights, so I decided to let you in on some of the thoughts going through my head.

1. I can’t believe this is actually going to happen. I have been wanting to study in Ireland or Scotland for a while now, and it’s a bit surreal to think that in a little over two months I will be getting on a plane to do just that.
2. What if something goes wrong? I keep imagining that something will happen to keep me in the states all summer, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.
3. So many new people. I like meeting new people, but it’s a little weird to go somewhere and not be known by everyone after growing up in a place where everyone knows everyone else. I went through that coming here, but we were placed in our First Year Seminars and I joined the track team, so I had friends that I met before classes started. There, I’ll be arriving, getting shown the college, and then taking classes with people that grew up in entirely different places than I did. It will be a bit daunting, but I’m mostly excited about all the stories I can hear while I’m there.
4. Are there races? I haven’t been running for distance much since I’m trying (and somewhat failing) to recuperate from a minor hamstring injury in order to compete in track, and since I’m not a distance runner, that isn’t a priority. Still, I want to get back to running distance and trying to improve times as soon as this track season is over, and it would be a great way to meet people by competing in 5ks near the university.
5. What are the professors like? No matter what classes I’m taking or where they are, I always want to know what the professors are like. Here, I can ask people. There, I’ll be going in blind–but that is a bit exciting.
6. Will I get an accent? I’d like to think that enough time around Scottish people will give me at least a bit of an accent, but I guess I’ll have to wait and find out.
7. Is the castle as impressive as I hope it is? Because yes, there is a castle on the University of Stirling campus.

Airthrey Castle. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.