I know as I was preparing to study abroad there were so many crazy moments of excitement, doubt, and anxiety. I didn’t really feel ready to write my first blog post with all those emotions and not knowing exactly if I was having the most positive experience yet. However, I’m starting to feel at home in London and want to share with you my experience so far!
Disclaimer: I want to be super positive about my time abroad, I mean I’m getting this amazing chance to travel the world and study in such a culturally diverse city, but I do want to keep it real and talk with you all about the hard emotions that come with such an experience
I worked up until the last moment preparing for my study abroad, between my visa documents, alerting my bank and the American Embassy about my travel plans, and about a million other things that caused me so much stress at the time, but I can’t even recall now. See, what no one told me about studying abroad- and I’m going to be honest and tell you now -is there is an ENORMOUS amount of paperwork. From applying at your home university, applying at your abroad university, doing all the necessary paperwork through your exchange program, making sure your credits transfer, and making sure you have all your visa documents filed correctly, there is so much work to do. I probably started the paperwork for my study abroad and scholarship applications back in February and worked up until the day before I left for London.
Even packing was overwhelming, fitting all you need for three months in a suitcase is rough, and I will admit I have no idea how I’m going to get the things I’ve bought so far over here back to the states (that’s December’s problem).
But all that work was 100% worth it to get me to London, but that didn’t mean the transition was as easy as I thought it would be. In all honesty, I didn’t think much past what would happen when I got to London, I kept thinking I would forget one of the required pieces of paperwork to get my visa stamp- even though I made 3 copies of everything I needed (as well as a copy on my laptop.)
When I first got to London, I was sleep deprived, super anxious, and on top of it all, had just popped a blood vessel in my eye so I was definitely not looking or feeling my best. I hadn’t slept on the plane and didn’t sleep more than maybe 3 hours the first few days I was in London. However, I had done a bit of networking prior to traveling and met up with a girl from my program to hang out for the first few days. The first few days were super exciting, we went to Buckingham Palace, a cute coffee shop called the English Rose, and one day I walked around the London Eye and yes, it was a foggy day in London Town. The tube was super easy to navigate, and I was feeling pretty comfortable, but it still felt like a vacation.
Yes, it was amazing to see the big sites in London and yes, I was definitely in awe. But as my program coordinator said, the new city experience starts to wear off.
I can’t say for sure exactly when this happened but pretty soon it didn’t feel like a vacation anymore, as much as I was (and still am) enjoying living in London, it’s stopped feeling like a vacation and as much as I hate to admit it, I started to feel a bit homesick.
Not even really homesick, I wanted familiarity, I missed my roommates who I could just vent to about my day, my home campus, and I really missed working and earning a paycheck. See, at school I was usually working 25+ hours a week, in 18 hours of classes, and pulling 20+ hours in Enactus, so I was very busy. But in London, I was still making friends and didn’t want to just go out and spend money. As much as I was exploring new neighborhoods, sometimes that can get a little lonely.
All I really wanted to do was call my friends from college, but I challenged myself to make new friends, which I can say is slowly, but surely, happening.
Studying abroad is an amazing experience and I’m so excited to see what the rest of the semester offers. I’m starting to make London feel like home and with the help of some new friends and a routine I’m getting there.
So, this weekend, I’m going to Copenhagen on my first solo trip and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ll update you all with how Copenhagen went on the flight back :) . If you want to follow along with my adventures be sure to follow me on the ‘gram @saras_travel_blog
Cheers to exploring!
Sara
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Business Economics major Sara Dobrinic is spending the Fall 2019 semester abroad through USAC in London with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
