I have safely survived my first flight and landed in Ireland no problems! I was so nervous getting on the plane. I ended up loving it! I had my own TV, a blanket, a pillow and headphones! I made it to Germany and had no problems getting onto my connecting flight! I did hear some horror stories from other students whose flights were delayed or cancelled or missed. So glad that didn’t happen to me!
When I got to the airport I took a cab with my roommate to my apartment which is BEAUTIFUL. A two-story flat in Dublin with a spiral staircase. I couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect.
The first night there we went out with our group to a pub called ‘The Barge,’ we got to meet and talk to a bunch of locals who told us the best places to go, the least touristy places to go and where to absolutely avoid. The Irish love Americans! The think we are ‘grand’ and ‘brilliant’. It’s so interesting to hear all of the slang. Sometimes it’s almost impossible to understand!
And who knew things would be so different here! We went to the grocery store the first day and didn’t realize you had to pay for carts so we ended up taking fruit boxes and putting all of our food in them because we didn’t have 2 euro. We also didn’t realize you needed to pay 20 cent for bags so we had to carry everything home in the boxes! At least we all got a good laugh about it.
This week was filled with information sessions, get-to-know-you introductions and lots of coffee breaks! I was falling asleep (along with everyone else_ during orientation because everyone is so jet-lagged. It’s funny because the directors of IES just laughed because they are so used to it. I got a croissant on the morning of orientation from this little Brazilian coffee shop down the road where they had these amazing little treats. The next morning I went back and the little old Irish man who works there knew I was coming back for more and made me two! On the house! I was so excited. The people here are so incredibly friendly!
So far I have absolutely fallen in love with Ireland! If you’re in Europe make sure you stop here! It wont disappoint you!
Hey one and all! I don’t know about you but, for me, getting ready to study abroad has been like running in an exciting marathon while having leg cramps, heart attacks, panic attacks, and yummy ice cream breaks on the way to the finish line. What is going on? The problem is I got too much done too early (as early as six months ahead of time) that now I am waiting and waiting AND WAITING which is driving me CRAZY and making me more anxious. I am packed and ready to go but I keep doubting myself and checking the to-do-list over and over again. On some things, I am normally a procrastinator and I vowed that I would be the early bird this time but all the worms are gone and I have a taste for something else ๐
In a few days, I will be on my way to Turkey to live the life I have been waiting for for almost a year but I fear that I might have a fatal heart attack before that time comes. For you guys who have reached or waiting to reach your destinations, how did you survive or are surviving the final weeks before your departure? Any nail biting or hair pulling? Or was it peaceful? Whatever you are doing I hope you are having a wonderful time. I think I am going to check that to-do-list one more time just to be sure (Ha!)
I’m horrible with letters… I feel like that is something I should tell everyone right now. I do love telling stories though. And this is a story about a girl named Megan (That would be me :D) and her chance to explore the world (London to be more specific)…
Before i get any further I’m going to apologize, yes i love telling stories – but i kinda suck at it… *shrugs* that’s life for ya.
But yeah, I’ve been honored with the chance to go to another country; more specifically another continent (for the first time in my life) and I couldn’t be happier! On the other hand, I couldn’t be more nervous! I’m starting to worry that I’ll gain more gray hairs then my gram before I even leave for Boston tomorrow…KIDDING…I’m a little too young for that ๐ . But seriously, this is a chance in a life time for me, and the fact that I get to express it lyrically (…okay maybe not so much lyrically but a girl can dream right? haha ;]) what I experience; well honestly, it blows my mind. The Fact that I get to study Theatre and British Literature while I’m there? -Well if I knew what came after “it blows my mind” that’d be what’s going on right about here. So bastically, It’s a dream come true!
Now, not that any of you needed to know, but I still have to pack and I only have minus-24-hours to do so before I leave for BOS; so I wish all the best to everyone everywhere; and to the rest of the GeoBlogers from PSU (and to any person studying abroad) I hope you see everything to wish to see, taste every unique dish that is placed in front of you, embrace the differences, and that you learn, and live, and BE everything you’ve ever wanted while there…. And most importantly, I hope that you achieve everything you set out to achieve.
N๏ฟฝhd๏ฟฝ๏ฟฝn pian Lontooseen! (See you soon London!) ๐
Hey everyone! I truly can’t believe that I leave for the airport in the early hours of the new year! I have been going crazy trying to figure out what I need to pack to live in another country for 4 months; I hope I have everything! I have already packed and repacked 2 times to try and make sure I have everything that I wanted to bring while still being under the weight limit. It was certainly a challenge but there are some great packing resources online (and a personal packing list helps a lot too). Today I’ll be finalizing and zipping up my bags and preparing for the adventure to begin. What a crazy thought.
I’m so glad that the weather is cooperating so far for my departure; the crazy weather over the past week had me scared that my flight was going to be cancelled. My plane takes off around 8am from Newark and I’ll be arriving at Heathrow airport at about 8pm (3pm our time) on Saturday, January 1st. I am pretty anxious about trying to find my way to my hostile by myself with all of my luggage at night but I think that’s one of the great things about my semester abroad — I’m going to be put into many unfamiliar positions, but having to figure them out on my own will be such wonderful learning experiences.
Since I can’t actually move into my dorm until the 3rd, I have to stay in a hostile for my first 2 nights in London. That in itself should be a great experience — I’ll be sure to mention that in my next blog!
If you can only see boxes above, you need to get with the program and install asian language support on whatever computer you’re using. For those of you who can see it and can’t read it, the title is actually a line from one of my favorite songs (Fighter) from one of my favorite Korean artists (SS501), and reads, “I was born strong, no one can stop me.”
I think that line describes me pretty well. I’m a strong minded individual who never backs down from a challenge and always strives for victory (usually perfect victory). However, as my leaving date approaches, I’ve begun to realize just how insecure I actually am. I have never ventured out of my home country, and embarking on a trip by myself to a country so foreign compared to mine is quite a daunting adventure. I can’t say I’m not up to the challenge, but I do know I am a bit apprehensive. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let my nervousness get in the way. No. I’m going to suck it up and face my fears. After all, I signed up for this trip hoping I could learn to be more confident outside of my comfort zone.
So, I would like to apologize in advance for my poor writing. I’m a bit bad at impromptu blogs, which is why it took me so long to get this introductory post up. I have this weird little desire…no, necessity to control every aspect of my life and to have it come out perfect, including an insignificant blog post such as this. However, since I’m leaving soon, I decided to basically attempt to throw that out the window and just write something down. Anything.
I went shopping this past weekend for new clothes and shoes. I know that many advise not to buy a bunch of new clothes before you leave, so that you can buy clothes while you’re there to fit in with the fashion. However, all of my current clothes are literally so old they’re falling apart. I’m very frugal with my money, so I hardly ever buy myself new clothes. I still have a lot of shirts and pants from 9th grade (and even some from middle school!) so I figured I needed a few new things before I left. I managed to find some really awesome deals, and I ended up buying more than I anticipated. However, so far I’ve been able to fit everything in my luggage, though I may be removing a few things to make room in case I buy some clothes to bring back with me. It’s not very likely, since almost right after I get back from Korea I’ll be heading to Japan, and I need to save as much money as possible. Most of my money will be spent on trips around Korea rather than objects. I want to see as much of the country as I can before I leave.
I’ve almost finished packing. I don’t leave for a few more days, but I wanted to get a head start. It eases my nerves if I’m ahead of schedule rather than behind on what I need to do. The only stuff I have left to do is buy one or two more things, print out all my paperwork, and get some passport photos taken to take with me in case the worst happens and I manage to lose my passport.
My flight leaves around 6:00pm on Friday the 18th. I will transfer in Chicago and take a Red Eye (great movie btw) from 1:00am to Seoul, where I will land at Incheon airport at 5:00am, June 20th. The airline I’m taking, Asiana, is notorious for being late, so I may land later than that. I’ll have to stick around the airport for a while before I head over to Sogang, because they won’t be opening the dorm until 9:00am. However, my Sogang buddy JuHyun is going to come meet me at the airport to make sure I get to Sogang.
Orientation is at 5:00pm. I’ve already made contact with the two other students from my college who are going to be there, so I hope to meet up with them. Before that I intend to go shopping for some essentials, like a towel and bedding. Sogang doesn’t supply bedding or pillows, so I have to buy my own. It’s not a big deal. I want to get a hairdryer right away anyways, so at least I now have a viable reason to go shopping right away.
I’ll be taking the Korean Immersion Program at Sogang, which consists of 7 hours ( I believe) of Korean language class a day, four days a week. That’s a lot of class time. I meant to keep up with my Korean studies after I left for summer break, but I’ve been working two jobs (one of which is literally 11 hours a day) and I just haven’t had the time. Depressing, but I’ll just have to hope I can make a significant dent in the entrance exam so I can place high and get into a higher level Korean class.
Going to Korea is a dream come true for me. A lot of my Korean friends have asked me why I like Korea so much, and I honestly cannot give them an answer. This may sound weird, but I feel drawn to Korea, as if I’m meant to be there. The language entices me, the culture entrances me, and I can’t get enough of the food haha. My ultimate dream is to live in Korea upon graduating college, but we’ll see how that goes.
What will I miss most about the US? Not much. My family of course, but other than that, I don’t particularly feel attached to much here. I know what will hurt me the most is leaving my dogs behind. So far I’ve been able to keep them close to me, even when I went to college (I got an apartment just so I could take them with me). My dogs mean the world to me. No, they probably mean more. I don’t think I would be the same person without my dachshund and my shiba constantly cheering me on in their own special way. To be away from them for so long is going to take a lot of strength on my part.
What am I looking forward to the most when I arrive in Korea? The boys, haha. Just kidding. Actually I’m looking forward to trying all the different kinds of food, and exploring Seoul (especially the night life). I want to have the best time I can while I’m there. I’m also looking forward to studying the language. I wish I could obtain fluency without work, but alas all good things come with a price, and that price is consistent perseverance. I’m going to try to speak as much as I can in Korean to avoid the whole ‘fall-back-on-english’ trap many foreigners blunder into. I can’t guarantee much though. I have this odd innate fear of messing up someone’s native language in front of them, so this is definitely going to be a challenge.
Anyways, anyone who knows me will know that I am constantly updating myself on Korean pop culture and music. Korean music is a big part of my life, so I’ve decided to share that part with my readers. Every post will have a music video attached, and I encourage you all to listen with an open mind. After all, it’s nice to listen to something new once in a while, isn’t it? Definitely a change from the same American songs that play over and over again on the radio (*cough*Ke$sha’s “Your Love is my Drug”*cough*) ===which is a horrible song by the way.
Anyways, I present to you SS501 (my second favorite Korean boyband), and their song Fighter (kind of old, but not bad). I got a version with English subtitles. Oh, and the weird poor English intro is common in Korean songs. It frequently makes me cringe.
Also, for those interested, I have a separate blog set up for my non censored and politically affiliated posts. I have a high interest in politics, and I like to speak my mind. If you’re interested, feel free to send me a private message at my email sab5169, and I’ll send you the link.
I’ll probably have another post up tomorrow. I have more I want to say, but I’m too tired now -.-
