The weeks leading up to going abroad, I could not WAIT! I was counting down the days until I could finally be in London, a place I have always dreamed of visiting. I was of course slightly nervous, but my excitement for this trip far outweighed my nerves. Regarding packing, I brought a backpack, a carry on (I made the mistake of bringing a duffel bag rather than a suitcase and I thought I was going to pass out while carrying it throughout the airport to my gate) and a checked bag. When I was waiting in the security line, the nerves started setting in, as I would be in a foreign country with new people for three weeks. Luckily, the moment we landed and met up with all of the other students also studying abroad, I was no longer nervous. We all began discussing various things we wanted to do during our time in London and figuring out groups to go and do everything. We all became friends instantly and were eager to begin exploring and making memories. I had high hopes and expectations for this trip, as London is the one place that I have always wanted to visit, and I have always hoped to live there in the future. I was curious to see if it would meet my expectations or deter me from living there in the future, but quite the opposite happened. It absolutely exceeded my high expectations, and I plan to move to Oxford immediately, as it is the prettiest place I have ever visited. It was really easy to find people to do activities with, as we all wanted to see the city and all had similar things in mind. I was worried I would end up visiting most places alone, but I instead got to share those memories with other students! This was genuinely the best experience of my life and I would not trade it for the world. The group of students was the best I could ask for, as we all got along so well and wanted to do everything together. I could not have asked for a better group of people to go abroad with, and I am thankful to carry these friendships into the upcoming years. I met fellow UA students that I would have never crossed paths with otherwise, but now we are already planning to hang out during the upcoming semesters!
