My name is Julianne McCobin, and after waiting years to study abroad, I’m finally doing it. When I say “years,” I’m serious; my ninth grade IM name was “londonbound.” So, the fact that I’m poring over travel books, have a British email, and am adding to my packing list daily never ceases to amaze me. And although I’m not going to London specifically, I will be a mere fifty-minute train ride away, in Canterbury, one of the most well-known and historic English towns.

Here, I will be studying at the University of Kent–officially dubbed “The UK’s European University”–where I hope to take art and English classes. I’m still choosing my classes (which they call “modules”), but I’m hoping to get into an Art Aesthetics class, a Post-War European Cinemas class, and a seminar English class on Victorian Terror.

As you can probably tell, I’m beyond excited to get to campus and see my room–I requested a house or flat that I’d share with about five other students. This means I’ll have a kitchen (and no meal plan), so I’m going to have to learn how to cook pretty quickly. I’ll keep you updated on how that goes. Hopefully, this is what the view outside my window will look like:

Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly what my room will be facing, but that is a view of the Canterbury Cathedral from campus. It looks so quintessentially British–maybe because of the overcastness? Regardless, I love it. (As a side note, there were sunnier pictures, but I liked these better. )

And so, while I can’t believe it’s almost time to go globetrotting, I’m excited. I’ve been waiting for this for so long, and soon, I will experience international travel, living in another country, and a daunting dose of personal independence. But most of all, I’m looking forward to all the new people I’ll meet and all the cities that I’ll get to see on my own personal pilgrimage to Canterbury and through Europe. And the best part? Soon, I’ll have my own Canterbury tales to share. It’s going to be amazing.

Location: State College, Pennsylvania