I absolutely cannot believe I’ve been in the UK for nearly two weeks. My days here have flown by, and I’ve been spending all my time trying to settle in and get ready for my courses to begin.

Yes, that’s right. My courses haven’t actually started yet. On Monday, I’ll be joining the rest of the Year 2 Primary Education majors as their courses start. I have no idea what to expect. But I’ve met a few of the girls I’ll have classes with already, they all seem incredibly nice. Surprisingly, I’m actually looking forward to my classes; it’ll be nice to have something to do.

In the meantime, I’ve been exploring my university and the town of Bognor Regis. This week, I attended several postgraduate courses to get a feel for what other education students were learning. One of the classes was Design and Technology, where we were cooking. I baked a cake (which I’m still immensely proud of), and everyone in the class said it was the best dish there.

Although, they may have only said that because it was the only dessert-like dish being served.

The town closest to my university, Bognor Regis, is so adorable. This tiny town is only 5 minutes walking from my campus, and I love visiting it as often as I can. To make things even better, the Bognor Regis lies right along the coast of the English Channel. I’m only minutes for a gorgeous beach view. Coming from Lancaster County and growing up surrounded by farm fields, the beach is sure to be my favorite place to visit.

The only downside to the beach: no sand. The beach surface is covered in stones instead: not exactly the most comfortable surface to walk on. Regardless, the view is beautiful, and, given how cold and windy it is here, I don’t think I’ll be walking on the beach barefoot anytime soon.

Besides exploring my campus and the town, today marked the first day I ventured outside my comfort zone. I traveled to the town of Chichester, which holds the main campus for my university. I went to lunch at a Chinese Restaurant to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a whole group of other study abroad students. It’s been great getting to know them and meeting people from all over the world. It’s also really nice to find some friends, especially considering I’m the only person from Penn State at Bognor Regis this semester. Afterward, I walked around the town with one of my newfound abroad friends.

Everyone told me this town was prettier than Bognor Regis, and, as much as I hate to admit it, they were right. This place is beautiful! I love all the old-time shops and the history. What seemed old to me in America now seems incredibly young compared to most of the buildings here. Chichester’s main attraction is this gorgeous cathedral.

I wanted to badly to go inside, but a church service was ending right while we were walking around, and I felt horribly underdressed. Oh well, this just means I’ll have to visit again!

After initially being really nervous when I arrived, I finally feel like the pieces are falling together. I can’t wait to see what other places I’ll visit or who else I’ll meet, but at least now I know that I will have a fantastic time here in England.

Until next time,

Emily .xx

P.S. The local park just off campus is known for its friendly squirrels, which makes me wonder, am I in England or still at Penn State?

Location: Bognor Regis, United Kingdom