My Adventure Abroad

A record of my semester abroad in Europe

[colchesterandbeyond]

It’s been 1 month

I am currently in my fourth week of classes here at the University of Essex. It has been non-stop since I arrived and updating this blog has completely slipped my mind. I have gone to see Clacton Pier near the school, taking a bus there. I also took another trip to London with my flatmates. It was really interesting. There was an issue with our hostel booking and it ended up being canceled. Last minute, we needed to find a place to stay for the night and that was an adventure within itself. We eventually found a decent place to stay, but decided we should just return home Saturday night instead of Sunday afternoon because finding a place for two nights was difficult and expensive. Overall, we managed to do everything we had planned to do in London. We visited the Natural History museum, experienced the London Dungeon and rode on the London Eye. I had an amazing chicken and pesto pizza along the way as well.

So far, I have booked a trip to Edinburgh and Stockholm. Ireland and Amsterdam are next on the list. We also have tickets for the Harry Potter London tour. I am so grateful for my flatmates and that fact that I can be comfortable in my living environment. It just makes living in a completely new place feel more at ease. I hope to update this blog following my trips that I have planned. I need to get more committed to writing so that I can look back and remember what an incredible experience study abroad has been.

[colchesterandbeyond]

I finally arrived in London yesterday morning, September 28. I really expected the flight to feel like we were flying for 10 hours. Instead, it just felt like the train ride I look from California to Arizona for school. The airline provided great service and the food was surprising very tasty, compared to popular belief. I did feel the foundation of a cold while on the plane and by now it is full fledged sickness. Powering through it to make the most of my short time in London.

The hotel is quite a ways from the airport so the taxi ride cost took me off guard, especially the dollar to pound rate isn’t to pleasant to process. The hotel itself seems to be central to a lot of the tourist sites of London. The day we arrived we rode on a Hop-On-Hop-Off tour bus to cover most of the important sites since we are only in London for two nights. The second day, we ended up walking the entire route the bus had taken us the day before. It was nice to see the nooks and crannies hidden between the popular stops. I got to drink my first legal beer at a pub called “The Sherlock Holmes” then stopped by an Irish pub for some fish and chips and and a pint Guinness. 

London has been incredible. Tomorrow, I’m finally off to Colchester where I will get to see the campus that will be my home for the next 3 months.

[colchesterandbeyond]

Packed and Ready

It took a three days of packing, unpacking, removing things and adding things, but I have officially closed my luggage. Right at 49.6 pounds, I am right under the luggage weight limit for my airline. I am so proud of myself and those compression bags really came in handy. Now the carry-on...

[colchesterandbeyond]

It’s Getting Closer

My flight to London is in 7 days. I have checked off a few things from my list. I went to make currency exchange from dollars to pounds. I recently ordered a Pacsafe Venturesafe 15L backpack to reduce my chances of theft abroad. I also ordered a windproof canopy travel umbrella for the rainy England weather.

I am slowly making efforts towards packing, but it is an overwhelming task. I keep hearing from popular travel blogs and YouTube channels that even if you are going abroad for a long period of time, you only need to pack for 2 to 3 weeks. A few shirts, two pants, two sweaters, 4 pairs of shoes. They say that realistically we don’t used everything we own and that is true. Although, each time I take an item out of the luggage, I can’t help but wonder if I will need that item at some point. I even purchased roll up compression bags to see if that helps make my sweaters and jackets more compact. In a way they have, but I still can’t seem to fit everything. 

I decided that the best method of payment abroad would be my travel credit card that has no foreign transaction fees. I will also be purchasing a pay as you go phone once I arrive over there as a means of communication within Europe. To communicate to people from home, I will be using Facebook, WhatsApp, and Google Hangouts. 

As my goodbye to the summer before I leave the US, my friend and I are attending a music festival this Friday to Sunday. I will come home Monday morning, complete last minute tasks, then board a plane on Tuesday. I am doing as much research as I can on the flight itself and some tips for long flight trips. My last time on a plane was so long ago I can’t remember it at all. I hope I do well. Only 7 more days. 

[colchesterandbeyond]

Nervous

For the past few nights, I have had a restless mind. I keep thinking of all of the things that can go wrong once I arrive on campus in Colchester.

I’m worried I might not get the classes I have gotten approved. If this happens, I have to go through the approval process again and I would be extremely restricted on time. I cannot enroll in classes until I am on campus so it is all up in the air until then.

I am worried about packing too little or too much.

I am worried about what my method of communication will be between the US and the U.K.

I hope that my method of payment abroad will work everywhere I need it to.

I need to pass all of my classes or else I am not making the experience everything it needs to be. I keep hearing that courses in England are more difficult than they are in the US.

All of these thoughts and concerns have been filling my mind every night. It may all work out well, but I can’t help my mind from wandering to those places. I still haven’t had the chance to actually get excited about this. I need to stop stressing.

[colchesterandbeyond]

Accommodation Offer

Today, I finally received my on campus offer of accommodation! Many University of Essex students had received an email a few weeks ago stating that we should prepare for living off campus as they may not have enough room for all students. If you are a part year student, which I am, it is even less likely to get a room.

I am so glad I didn’t get discouraged and hoped for the best because the best came true. Rent for 12 weeks is cheaper in comparison to 12 weeks rent in Flagstaff last year, and I get my own room. I share a common space, or flat, with 12 other people. I am comparing that to sharing common areas such as kitchen and bathroom facilities in the freshmen dorms, so I think I can survive 12 people. I am so happy that I will be living on campus and it is one less burden I need to worry about. 

I take my flight to London in 5 weeks!

Here is my postal address:

RAYLEIGH TOWER RAY10/11 University of Essex Wivenhoe Park Colchester CO4 3SQ

[colchesterandbeyond]

Insurance & Airplane Ticket

With the help of a travel agency, I was able to get a ticket for a round trip flight from Los Angeles to London and back for an amazing price. My dad will be accompanying me for a few days leading up to official school arrival day. Around the same time of the flight arrangement, I received my email regarding the HTH Worldwide Health Insurance which will provide me with health coverage while I am abroad. So far, everything is going smoothly. Next on my checklist is to figure out what method of phone communication will be best abroad and the whole 'British bank account' situation.

[colchesterandbeyond]

Official Acceptance Letter

Today, I received my official letter of acceptance form the University of Essex. Now, when I tell people that I am going abroad, I can say it with confidence because it is official. The next step is to wait for the accommodation application, which will offer me on campus housing. I also have to looking at pricing for flights. Now it’s real! I have to start working out my ways of currency and communication when I abroad. What I mean by that is choosing which mode of phone and payment I will use when I’m over there. So many more details have to be looked into. I am just glad that it is all becoming a reality. I AM GOING TO ENGLAND!

[colchesterandbeyond]

Course Approvals

It has been such a struggle going through the course approval process. Once one class is finally approved, I learn that it is unavailable or only available in the spring term, and not the autumn term. My advisor told me that she herself did not have any classes approved before getting on the plane, and just got approval once she was at the school. I believe that is what I will have to do. I am in the process of excepting that going abroad will put me behind in my academic progression plan. I figure, if I am going to stay in college longer, at least I have something to show for it. This will be a once in a lifetime experience, and I can't shy away from it now.

[colchesterandbeyond]

Scholarship!

I have been awarded a scholarship titled the ‘No Excuses Scholarship’ which will go towards my semester abroad. Although, it isn’t as much as I was hoping for, it will definitely help in financing my flight and smaller expenses. I am extremely grateful for this scholarship!

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Application done

I have just submitted my application to the University of Essex in Colchester, England for my Autumn semester abroad. At this point in the process, I can’t help but feel anxious and excited. I don’t think it will all sink in until I am finally on the campus.