Leaving...

Here we go, I am leaving for London tomorrow afternoon...and I am so unbelievably excited! I can't pretend I'm not nervous, but at this moment I'm just trying to focus on the excitement, not the nerves.

I managed to fit all of my clothes in one massive suitcase, and then my clothes for the hostel and an umbrella and raincoat in a carry-on sized duffel bag with wheels. My "personal item" I'm allowed to have is a massive purse that I can fit my laptop, books, and iPod in.

I'm not at all looking forward to the 7.5 hour flight from Chicago to London, but I have to do what I have to do! The next 72 hours are going to definitely be trying...we're flying to Chicago, then London, arriving at 6:30 am London time. From there we're going to have kill time before checking into our hostel at 2 pm. We'll be staying at the hostel for two nights, before FINALLY picking up our apartment keys and making the move into our new home for the next 9 weeks.

To make a long story short, I'm going to be absolutely exhausted. Mix in jet lag, and I will pretty much be a dead girl walking.

But I have to remember it's only a little discomfort and annoyance in relation to the amount of amazing I'm going to experience. I just have to accept the fact that it's going to be a really long and horrible couple of days, and see the light at the tunnel.

A 9 week trip in one of the most fabulous cities in the world. All complaining aside, I'm just really, really lucky.

Being a tourist already...

So, I must admit, today I was a complete tourist. And I'm not even in Europe yet.

We had the last meeting with the big group last night, where Patricia Pease, our program director, had a copy of a London travel book called DK Eyewitness Travel: London.

Today I went and bought that book before 10am. To make things even better, I sat on my small futon in my dorm room skimming through the entire book for a good hour.

Now, I know I will be living in London for 9 weeks...but there is the nagging sensation of needing to be in control that I just can't quite shake! I am always very detail-oriented, but that has never been clearer than after I was accepted into the program. I know that I will learn more from living in London than I can learn from a silly travel book but I still felt the need to buy it...and I will probably be reading it in my free time whenever I can!

I have come to the conclusion that I may very well be the most (over) prepared person on that plane to London! Maybe it's my way of staving off the anxiety that comes with the trip? Actually, that's not a maybe. It's a definite. By feeling prepared, I don't have to worry about the nerves that come with the unknown.

Even though I know a simple book can't prepare me, it's still going to give me a little more peace of mind.

A little background...

Now that I've announced my trip, I should probably let you in on some of the details!

The program I will a part of, as I already said, is the Center for Fine Arts. What I didn't mention, is the classes I will be taking.

First, is ART 311: Drawing Media--This class is going to be taught by the use of collage, and will be based around what we experience in London. I'm really looking forward to this class, mainly because I don't have a lot of background in drawing, so this will allow me to be creative in a different way! Hopefully I will be able to leave with some great collage pieces.

Second, is MUSIC 340: Building Confidence --This class is originally taught at OU for voice performance majors. But, since none of us going have much a singing voice, the professor is changing it to teaching us how to utilize our voices for our selected majors. This will definitely help me out, considering my major if Public Relations...kind of important to know how to speak well!

Third is THEATRE 170: Theatrical Experience--This is the class I am probably the most excited for. It includes viewing and then discussing various plays and performances in London! It should be a great experience, and definitely a class that I will learn a lot from.

Last, is IART 360J: Writing in the Arts--This is the class that will fulfill my junior writing composition credit. I'm not sure what this class will entail, but it will definitely involve writing...which is right up my alley.

I am very excited about the classes I will be taking...most involve using the city and experiencing things...not just sitting in a classroom!

Here we go again...

So here I am, trying my luck at another blog. I believe this is my third or fourth attempt...but this time, there is an actual point to my ambition.

I'm going to be living in London for two months.

I know, it sounds crazy right? It probably won't sound as insane after I tell you I'm going with about ten other students and four professors. Yes, I'm studying abroad. Program of my choice is the Center for Fine Arts, created by Ohio University, used by Ohio University, and only involving Ohio University.

While it's not going to be like many other programs, (I won't be living with a host family, and we're not taking classes at another university), I will be living in a flat (British term for apartment), and taking three art and one english class taught by OU professors.

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. This blog will be used to show where I go, what I do, and my feelings about it all.

I will also be blogging for the Office of Education Abroad at OU, which I will link to after I post my first entry there.

So, here goes nothing...and the beginning of my London Life!