From late night packing to early morning drives…all the way to London!
This has always been the plan.
There was a point in my life where I wasn’t sure that I would go to college at all, but that changed when I discovered Samford. Finding my home at Samford transformed me, leading me out of my comfort zone, challenging me to grow, and inspiring me to chase dreams that were (for the first time) achievable. The first thing I knew I wanted was to study abroad. Specifically, I wanted to live in the Daniel House for Fall 2026, something I made clear to my advisor the first time I was ever in her office. We built my four year schedule around this planned semester before I even had any certainty that I would make it into the program.
Going to London has always been the plan, but now it’s a reality…and it still doesn’t feel real.
Packing my suitcase was an adventure all by itself. After just managing to cram all that I needed into a suitcase I had bought weeks before, my parents and I discovered that the size of my planned “checked bag” was seven inches over the requirements for the company I was flying with, leading us on a last minute adventure to Marshalls in order to get the right sized suitcase. Once home, the pile of disposable non-essentials grew until finally everything I needed was smashed into two suitcases and a backpack, all busting at the seams.
Getting rid of all my US dollars for Euros!
Reflecting on the start of this adventure, I’m wondering if the normalcy of the events has contributed to how I feel about this semester not feeling real. Leaving my house was not emotional, the drive to Atlanta was traffic-free, and I managed not to cry when I hugged my parents goodbye before entering the airport. In all my wildest dreams about leaving for London, the departure was some sort of grand event, but even the stress of TSA did nothing to phase me. The flight over was the best of my life, but I kept waiting for the moment to “hit me” where I would realize what I was doing. I waited and waited….
…and nothing happened. No magical aha! stomach-dropping realization, no tears. I was almost afraid something was wrong. This was what I had been waiting for for years, where were all the life-altering emotions?
After arriving at the Daniel House, I figured out what my problem was. I saw pictures of former students lining the stairwell, and spotted a few friends I had been in contact with over the summer for advice. That’s when I realized…this whole time preparing for London, I had been planning someone else’s trip. I was so caught up in stories of friends and plans captured from Pinterest boards that I forgot how different my own experiences were going to be. The “normalcy” that I had been confused by was just my life being my life. Being in a different time zone did very little to change me as soon as I landed on UK soil. What does have the power to change me are my own experiences. My conversations with the locals, my internship, my weekend getaways, etc. It’s up to me to make this trip my own, craft stories to share with those back at home one day.
When I started writing this entry, I had only just landed, and was barely able to keep my eyes open. Now that I’ve gotten a full thirteen hours of sleep and had a full day of sightseeing, orientation talks, and dart throwing, I can say…it still feels like I’m dreaming. Culture shock is sure to come, along with homesickness and stressful tasks, but for now, I’m just excited to see how London will become a place where I belong, even if just for a short while. Hopefully this blog will do a little to capture what this semester is like for me, documenting all the highs and lows sure to come.
As Dr. Howard said to me today, walking home from Buckingham Palace: “it’s that moment when you start saying things like ‘I’m heading home now’ and realize you mean the Daniel House…that’s when you’ll know you’ve made it.“
I can’t wait. 🙂
Visiting Buckingham Palace on our second day!!!!
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