Student Bloggers

I am officially over halfway through my time in London. I have been living in London for 80 days, and return back home to the States in 70 days (according to my laptop’s countdown app). It’s honestly unbelievable to think that I’m over the halfway hump. On one hand, it feels like a lifetime ago that I landed in Heathrow, knowing almost nobody and having no idea what my life was going to soon be like. On the other hand, I feel like just yesterday I moved into my flat at Queen Mary and started my new classes. The further I am into the semester, the faster time seems to be moving, and I’m afraid that before I know it I’ll be sitting in my room figuring out how in the world I’m going to repack my suitcases. At first, I thought it would take forever to reach this point, but now, I can’t believe it’s snuck up on me so fast. Getting to this halfway point, though, has been a journey filled with both challenges and experiences I could have never imagined.

The first, and most prominent challenge I’ve had to face while abroad is homesickness. Coming from wonderful friends and family in the States to knowing virtually no one in Europe was a challenge I knew I would face and was determined to overcome. Over the past few months, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve felt homesick. A new environment and all new people has definitely shaken me up sometimes and made me miss the familiarity of my apartment full of crazy roommates or an easy trip home on a Saturday to hang out with my mom. However, I talk with the people that I love daily. Thank gosh for modern technology, because I can easily hear the voice of my mom and closest friends whenever I need to (for free!)… time difference permitting. Keeping in contact with people from home makes me miss them, but helps me cope even more. Being able to talk normally with people I usually see daily makes me feel more at home, despite being an ocean apart. I know in the next 70 days I’ll continue to feel homesick, it’s inevitable for someone who feels so attached to people and places back in the US. However, I know that I can conquer it because I already have, and that has been one of my greatest triumphs abroad.

My other biggest challenge this first half of my trip has been balancing. The hardest balancing act for any student abroad I would imagine is managing time between studying and travelling. Between midterm papers and my impending finals, I have to force myself to buckle down and be studious. Unfortunately, concentrating on my studies impedes on my travelling, especially when I don’t plan everything out well. I know in the long run I will never regret staying in on a Saturday to do necessary homework instead of taking a weekend trip to Brussels, because my grades are very important to me. However, in the moment, it’s really hard to say good-bye to jet-setting friends and resign myself to spending time in the library (even though it is a really pretty library). My classes end in one week. ONE WEEK! And that means that finals start in less than one month. That deadline is very intimidating, especially when I look at my calendar with the mindset of “where can I go next and when?” It’s hard to balance everything when making future plans, but thank gosh I have friends here who feel the same way I do. I have to continually remind myself that travelling is important, but when necessary, school must be more important.

Even though I’m dealing with those challenges, I’m having the time of my life. I don’t believe there’s a challenge big enough that would stop me from having an amazing experience. I’ve been living in London for 80 days, and I simultaneously feel like I’ve lived here my whole life and I know absolutely nothing. This city is massive, and it offers endless opportunities for adventures. Although I feel like I have definitely been making the most of my days and weekends spent in London, it feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface with what this city has to offer me. I’m so thankful I have two full months here because my bucket list for London is growing, not shrinking. The same pertains to the rest of Europe. It blows my mind that today, March 27, I was already talking about plans for my last trip of the semester. And that talking about the day that everyone leaves to go back home after finals has to become a real conversation within the next few weeks. I’m anxiously trying to cure some of my wanderlust while here, but it’s becoming apparent that even after five months my travelling bucket list will just continue to grow. I’m trying my best to take in every tiny element of every experience I have, because I know that in a blink of an eye this trip will be over. Being at this halfway point is bittersweet. I can’t deny that I’m excited to go home, and be surrounded once again by the familiar and the people I’m so close with. But, London is now the familiar as well. And continuously searching TimeOut London, SkyScanner, and HostelWorld to plan my next weekend has become the familiar. I have 70 days to have as many adventures and experiences as I possibly can, and you bet I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.