Six days stand between England and me. Although, it’s been years since I first decided that I wanted to study abroad, it’s all come down to less than a week.

Oddly enough, it all came full-circle for me today at the dentist. I was getting a cleaning in preparation for my 5-month hiatus from America, and I was telling my dental hygienist about my trip: how I was studying abroad at the University of Leeds in England for the spring.

It was in that same office that in my junior year of high school my same hygienist talked to me about applying to college and what I was looking for in a university. Among academics and a beautiful campus, I was quite sure even back then that it needed to be somewhere with a great study abroad program. As a liberal arts student, studying abroad is almost necessary. Most of my friends within my college have studied abroad, are currently studying abroad, or plan to study abroad.

So, on some level, I’ve been preparing to leave for a while. Yet, it’s now six days away from my flight and I’m not entirely ready. 

Mentally, I think I am. I’m over the nervousness – for now – and I’ve moved on to the excited phase (though, I do think the day of my flight I will mentally be a mess). Physically, however, I have not packed. Since I was accepted into the abroad program I knew it was going to be an issue, but packing really is an extremely taxing task. First of all, I will be in Leeds for five months, which means I will be there when the seasons change. I don’t know what I want to wear to sleep tonight, let alone what shoes I want to wear in the spring, four months from now. Not to mention, suitcases are very limiting. My parents and I have already agreed to pay for a second suitcase, because there is just no way I can fit everything in one, especially if I plan to bring things back with me when I come home.

Besides packing, I believe, I finally have completed everything I need to do. Luckily, for Leeds I don’t need to apply for a visa ahead of time, I just need certain paperwork when I land, and I have compiled all of that. My housing is taken care of and my classes are finally scheduled. I say finally, because that was a bit of an ordeal. 

Leeds full-time students are required to have at least 60 credits of class, and for a while I had 30. Mainly this was because I was trying to figure out what classes would be helpful to my two majors and what would work in my schedule. After talking to many, many different advisors it has finally been solved. 

So right now, I’m in the waiting period. All of my friends have returned to school, and I’m spending my last days in America with my pets, my parents, and my own anticipation.