Want to read a rousing account of adventure and hijinks of a college student studying abroad? Well then, you have probably come to the wrong blog. However, if rambling accounts of misadventure are more your style, then read on!
Hi, my name is Kelsi and I am a junior at Penn State studying chemical engineering (and minoring in English). This lovely spring semester I will be leaving behind the sunshine of State College and instead study in sun-starved northern England at University of Leeds. Although Penn State doesn’t really get too much sunshine, Leeds is in another league. In January, Leeds averages 54 hours of sunlight A MONTH. Which is actually wonderful because I am slightly allergic to the sun (ie I break out in hives the first couple sunny spring days) and burn very easily. But I digress, if you’re reading my blog, you probably want to learn other details about me that are more interesting than my propensity to burn.
What do I live to do when I’m not slathering on large amounts of SPF 100 to avoid the sun’s rays? Well, I absolutely love reading and often will stay up into the wee hours trying to finish a book. In fact, to “research” for England, I attempted to read every British book (from this century) I could find in the public library.
When not cozying up with a great book, you can probably find me outside. I love running but view treadmills as evil machines that must be treated with great caution so I’m constantly trying to find new running routes. I’m excited to be in a new place so that I can inject some new life into my running routines and not have to worry about getting sunburned on my run.
I also like to hike and backpack and hope to go on some backpacking adventures while I’m in England. Below, you can see me in all of my hiking glory. This picture was taken by my lovely sister when we climbed Longs Peak, a 14,259 ft mountain in Colorado. Although I won’t encounter any mountains of this size in England, I hope to have some equally epic adventures 🙂
Hopefully, in the coming months, I will be able to write about amazing places, people and adventures. However, you might have to settle for accounts of me getting horribly confused by the differences in American and British culture and my complete mis-adventures. Stay turned for my next segment: Kelsi thought she was finished packing two days ago but now realizes that she forgot several key items and is panicking.
Location: Mechanicsburg, PA