I am extremely excited to be going to London!  I can’t wait to interact with the people there and become more familiar with their culture.  I’m not necessarily worried about going to the UK.  For some strange reason I am completely calm.  That’s not to say that I’m not excited because I am.  I’m just not nervous.  I once heard that the chemicals in the brain (or something, I am most definitely not a Science Major, so I apologize if this is incorrect) which make a person anxious are the same ones that cause excitement; whether a person feels anxiety or excitement depends on how they perceive and process these chemicals.  Anyway, I’m sure this confidence I have is a little naïve, but, especially for someone who is as nervous and anxious as I generally am, I feel surprisingly calm and at ease concerning my imminent departure.  And if I do happen to develop a bit of anxiety, I shall hopefully just keep calm and carry on.

That being said, I am from a small town and went to college in a small town, so being in such a large metropolis might be a bit of a shock.  At the very least, it will be a change.  I have visited larger cities and have liked them, although I have not stayed in them for more than a week at a time.  My parents are certainly much more concerned than I am, but I am trying not to let their nervousness worry me.  I just want to be completely happy and not bogged down by concerns when I arrive in London so that I can be open to experiencing the culture.  I want be fully immersed in the culture of the city and the country as a whole.  I would like to imagine myself fitting right in with the culture of the UK, but I have a feeling it may not be as easy as I would like it to be.

I am trying to remain uninfluenced by stereotypes and preconceived concepts of the UK, but it is a bit difficult as I am very fond of various British television shows (Sherlock is my favorite) and, as much as it pains me to admit it publicly, I am a fan of One Direction.  However, I am going to try my very hardest to leave any and all preconceived notions behind when I step on the plane…at least, that is my goal.

Moving on to a drastically different subject:  I have heard from various sources that tea is very popular in the UK.

This concerns me greatly as I can’t stand tea.  I really have tried to make myself like it.  In fact, as soon as I found out that I was accepted into the study abroad program, I went out and bought myself a box of tea.  I thought to myself, “I’m going to be in the UK for four weeks, so I must learn to like tea.”  And, like I said, I really have tried very hard to like tea.  I have tried so many different varieties of tea in so many different ways, and yet I still haven’t found a kind that I like (the one pictured above was lemon ginger).  Oh well, at least I like scones and cucumber sandwiches.

(Taking my photography a bit further and channeling my inner Beatrix Potter.  That would be my new bunny in the background.  His name is Maxwell, and I will miss him very much while I am away.)  Emily