Tag Archives: Abroad

10 things I wish I’d known before studying abroad in the US

22 Feb

Last year I swapped my steady student life in Leeds, England, for an unforgettable exchange year in South Carolina. I waved goodbye to weekends in the library and welcomed spending my spare time by the pool, exploring the US and watching American football games with my new international family. 1229944_10153197588695113_295444563_n (1)

I’ve realised that while the pre-departure support and advice I received from the study abroad office was second to none, there were just some things that briefings, orientation sessions and information booklets couldn’t have prepared me for. Here are ten things I wish I’d known before I plunged into my awesome year in the almighty USA:

You don’t need the extra suitcase

I totally regret taking an extra suitcase out to America, not to mention paying for it. I was so nervous about moving my life across the Atlantic that I tried to take it all with me. In the end, I didn’t use half the clothes and supplies and had to pay to ship them all back at the end of the year. If you’re going abroad, pack as light as you can- chances are you’ll want to buy new things in your host country anyway. suitcase

You won’t drink a good cup of tea all year.

Although I did pack too heavily, I wish I’d packed more teabags. If you’re a keen tea-drinker heading to America you’ll need to take a generous supply of your favourite teabag brand, because the chances of finding Yorkshire Tea or Tetleys in American supermarkets is extremely slim. 1175142_10153142825950113_158756582_n

Hope for the best but plan for the worst

When preparing to study abroad it’s best to adopt the mentality that the worst that could happen might just happen. It sounds negative, but that way, when you’re out in your host country and living independently, you’ll have a safety net of ‘Plan Bs’ that you ensured before you left. Make two copies of all your visa information. Take your laptop receipt in case you need to make an insurance claim. Most importantly, buy the most extensive type of insurance cover because it’s always better to be safe than sorry when you’re living in unfamiliar surroundings. 1175438_10153235128700113_576514204_n

Bid for a sorority early

I’ve always been intrigued by the phenomenon of sororities and fraternities and the polarizing reception they get in American universities. I ended my year abroad with a nagging curiosity and the regret that I never got to understand sorority culture from the inside. If you’re heading to America for a study abroad year, remember to check out sorority opportunities before you leave as they often start recruiting before you’re due to arrive. bid day

Studying abroad is an emotional cocktail (not a rollercoaster)
 Before I departed for South Carolina I was told that I’d most likely go through phases of emotional adjustment, from ‘orientation’ to the ‘honeymoon stage’ to the ominous ‘disintegration’ phase. But everyone is different. I realised that my emotional experience in the states wasn’t a case of ups and downs, like a rollercoaster, but an emotional cocktail. I’d feel homesick, excited, overwhelmed and settled all at the same time. Even if the individual elements weren’t always to my taste, they never ceased to make for an overall concoction of discovery, anticipation and adventure. 1391661_10153414794925113_1337663628_n-2

‘Bless your heart’ is not a compliment

When I came to South Carolina I heard people saying ‘bless your heart’ and thought it was a term of endearment. Later in the year a friend told me it means something totally different. It’s actually quite condescending- a Southern way of saying something like, ‘No offense, but you’re pretty stupid.’ Thanks for the heads up! 1187141_10153252628835113_1783846883_n

There are no corner shops- just enormous supermarkets

Having spent my life in England I’ve always been within a few streets of a nearby corner shop (or convenience store, as Americans call it.) I never realised how much I take them for granted until I moved to America and the only convenience items available in the nearest shop were crisps and sweets: no milk, no eggs, no bread. This meant I had to plan my weekly shopping trips to Wal Mart with military precision if I didn’t want to go without my beloved cups of tea for the rest of the week. So much for ‘convenience’… wal mart

You’ll need more than just shorts and t-shirts

When I learned that temperatures in the Palmetto State stay mostly warm all year round, as a Brit long deprived of sufficient sunshine I went into overdrive packing bikinis, shorts and t-shirts. Little did I know that I’d need thick jumpers and socks for South Carolina’s first occurrence of snowfall in years. british snowman

Americans love driving more than you can possibly imagine
 I had no idea just how much American driving culture would affect my year abroad until I arrived in Columbia. Despite being South Carolina’s capital city, Columbia isn’t pedestrian friendly to say the least. I quickly learned that being 21 without a driving license is the rare British exception to the American rule. There were so many times when I’d set out to the nearby town to find the pavement stop dead at my feet, turning my innocent shopping trips into questionable expeditions along the side of the road. Bless my heart! DSC02791

Reverse culture shock is worse than initial culture shock

As I was waiting for my inbound plane to pull in to the airport for a long return flight to the UK, I breathed a sigh of relief. I moved my life across the Atlantic for an entire year and had the most phenomenal time. What I didn’t expect was that the day-to-day impact of that year was far from over. Adjusting to life back home and parting with my new American family was one of the hardest and most unexpected trials of the whole year. While the shock went away within a few weeks, the reverse back to British culture will never be 100% complete. Wherever I go, I’ll always remember that there’s a welcoming American community out there in Columbia, South Carolina, that I’ll be sure to meet again sometime soon. 1167608_10154121806310113_7578574395160019972_o

Tags: , , , bid day, blog, British, , , culture shock, driving, education, England, study abroad

A letter to my fresher self

4 Feb

Dear my fresher self,

Congratulations for choosing to study English and History, I know that careful decision took a long time. You’ve been accepted at Leeds and secured the accommodation you wanted at Clarence Dock. It must feel like you have everything worked out. That’s nice. Four years later you’ll have an arts degree under your belt yet still no grand life plan. Whatever people tell you, not knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life at 21 really is OK.

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Packing for the big move…

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My first year student halls

Despite choosing a Northern university you will spend most of your degree socialising with Southerners who talk about how great London is. In your final year, you will meet employers at networking events who will tell you about the benefits of moving to London and about how great London is. Be prepared to defend the North, love.

Don’t rush out to buy any of the set texts- especially not from the almighty rip-off that is Blackwells- find the books in the library or get them cheap on amazon.

There was really no need to email your tutor about missing the welcome lecture. Nobody takes attendance there, just a heads up.

Students can be…how should I put it…ruthless individuals. If you are late removing your laundry from the washing machine by even a minute you will find your freshly washed clothes gathering dust on the floor. 310607_10150832245100113_2023834161_n

Carnage is the most overpriced, overhyped and despicable sequence of events that could possibly be strung together in exchange for your precious money. It won’t do your bank account, your waistline, your self-esteem or your general well being any good. Please, just, don’t go.

Stop buying new fancy dress items for every fancy dress night out. That’s not what your student loan is for. Geek glasses and some face paint will suffice. 298520_10150899680830113_2003306070_n299800_10150918622820113_8638098_n

The Hidden Café is not a cutesy little coffee place you discovered by the miracle of getting lost in Freshers’ week. It is the most conspicuous place on campus to take your laptop, eat overpriced lunches and pretend that you are working.

There’s a corridor that connects the Edward Boyle library to the Roger Stevens Building- yes, really. Find it and use it- unless you in fact prefer climbing 10 flights of stairs and arriving at all of your English lectures sweating.

After your first year you’ll go on a life-changing trip to Costa Rica, during which staying in the jungle will make you feel as if you could conquer any living situation life will throw at you. But living in a below average student house with a broken boiler through the winter months in Leeds will make you drastically reconsider that statement. 199123_10152091047120113_1095390777_n

During your third year you’ll find yourself in South Carolina, enjoying a whirlwind year of cowboy boots and sweet tea, country music and American football, rock-climbing and travelling all over the US: basically having more fun and learning more life lessons than the rest of your university years combined. You’ll also hear about how great London is from Americans who went there once when they were 12. Savour that year, because time flies faster than a Gamecock when you’re studying abroad. 1148862_10153153567195113_790654073_n1267851_10153197620035113_1460927503_o

Returning to Leeds for a final year spent in the library will feel like the world’s biggest comedown. It is. The study abroad blues never go away, especially when you insist on putting peanut butter and jam on your porridge every morning. Make sure you stick to your hobbies and passions more tightly than ever before during fourth year, as you’ll need them in order to feel like a sane human being who is more than just a degree.
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If I had to end with one piece of advice for your impending university experience, it would be to make it yours. Don’t get sucked in to what everyone else might be doing, because comparison kills joy. Don’t  compete with anybody but your former self: know your own values, priorities and goals and focus on exceeding those. Student life is your precious time to start figuring out who you’re going to be, so make it yours and get stuck in. 1229944_10153197588695113_295444563_n (1)

Tags: , , advice, , British, confidence, , , fresher, , identity, learn, , mistakes, , , Student life, ,

Top 5 moments my study abroad year made me a stronger person

26 Oct
There are times in life that push you beyond your comfort zone. Those are moments that cross a line you’ve never stepped over before, the ones that break new and unfamiliar ground. While at the time you might feel overwhelmed, confused or that you’ll never see the light at the end of the tunnel, eventually you’ll cross the Rubicon and look over your shoulder at all the hurdles you’ve overcome. DSC02884

It’s those defining moments in life that have made me a richer, stronger and more accomplished individual and I’ve never gone through more of them than during my study abroad year in South Carolina.

Here are the top five moments that my study abroad year made me a stronger person:

Day one: saying goodbye

Saying goodbye to my boyfriend, my family and my friends before I departed for South Carolina was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Not only was I nervous about the prospect of flying to the USA alone and having to make a completely new life for myself, but I was terrified by the possibility that my trans-Atlantic absence would cause my cherished relationships to grow apart. 

If that momentous plunge into the unknown wasn’t enough to make my knees buckle at the airport, arriving in Columbia without any of my suitcases added an unwelcome logistical nightmare to my long-haul emotional exhaustion.

Battling against the worst case of the flu I’ve ever had

Two days before my new friends and I were set to depart for a weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina, I woke up with a debilitating case of the flu. It turned out to be the worst case I’ve ever had to date—my body ached, my eyes were stinging, my head was searing and then ice cold and I was waking up shuddering and covered in sweat in the middle of the night.

The only time I left the flat was to traipse through South Carolina’s first batch of snowfall in decades to visit the doctors. When I got there, I had to stick a swab up my nostrils and pay $50 for Tamiflu, which turned out to make me vomit. Needless to say, I never made it to Asheville.

Post-Christmas homesickness

While I didn’t experience much homesickness during my first semester, when I returned to South Carolina after a brief Christmas in England, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was looking at my American surroundings with a British cultural appetite, just wishing I could curl up in a pub drinking mulled wine and eating mince pies with my loved ones at home.

No matter how incredible South Carolina was, I was still yearning for British home comforts and familiarity.

Contracting gastroenteritis in the Arizona desert

At the end of my study abroad year I decided to take a group tour through California, Arizona and Nevada with a group of 12 people I’d never met. By day three I contracted gastroenteritis, a common bug that causes the stomach and intestines to become inflamed. Anyone who has battled through it will have spent at least 24 hours projectile vomiting and running to the bathroom to cope with severe diarrhoea. DSC02787

Lucky for me, I contracted the notorious bug in the middle of a six-hour drive through the Arizona desert. No gas stations, no bathrooms, just a single road ahead surrounded by distant mountains and dust devils dancing along the horizon. We spent the afternoon stopping and starting the minivan as I launched myself out of the door to vomit on yet another helpless Joshua tree.

Having my laptop stolen in LA

When I returned to LA on the last day of my trip around the West Coast, raring to Skype home and tell my family and friends about all of my trekking tales, I came back to our hotel to discover that my laptop had been stolen.

While my new friends spent their last evening together exploring Hollywood and indulging in all-American food at the Hard Rock Café, I spent my night getting crime reference numbers at the LAPD station and calling home to try and find my laptop receipt.
While looking back down the road can be a painful trip down memory lane, revisiting these moments fills me with an immense sense of pride and gratitude. If it weren’t for my year in the States, I wouldn’t have learned that, despite everything, I have the inner strength and resolve to carry on when life gets tough.

These are the defining moments I talk about in job interviews. When an employer says “tell me about a time in your life when you had to use initiative,” I now have a bank of memories and experiences to draw from to demonstrate my energy, resilience and independence.

Above all else—isn’t that what studying abroad is all about?IMG-20140814-WA0021

This article has also been published by The News Hub and Verge Magazine

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The ultimate to-do list for outgoing study abroad students

14 Jun

When I found out I’d been accepted to study at the University of South Carolina, all I wanted to do was find out about all the crazy, diverse and eye-opening opportunities I’d be able to get my hands on once I arrived. But standing in the way of all that excitement was a whirlwind of stress, in the form of visa requirements, bank transfers, phone calls, appointments with the study abroad office, and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. It’s the first time in my life I’d seriously considered hiring a PA. I just wished I had a comprehensive checklist of all the things I had to do before that nerve-racking departure came creeping up behind me. Without further ado, here’s my attempt to provide exactly that for those of you lucky enough to have the adventure of your lives ahead of you. Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 18.21.32

  1. Book a visa appointment at your local embassy. If you’re studying abroad in a country that requires a visa, make booking your visa appointment over the summer holidays a top priority as the slots fill up fast. If possible, try and get a morning slot, as it means the waiting times in the embassy are likely to be shorter and backlog free.
  2. Unlock your phone. Go into your local network provider’s shop and request to unlock your handset for a small fee. It means that once you arrive in your host country, you will be able to buy and use a new sim card in your old device without having to fork out for a new phone.
  3. Keep receipts for major items that you’ll be taking abroad. If any of these items get lost, damaged or stolen during your time abroad, you’ll be able to claim for them on your insurance policy without having to worry about finding proof of purchase.
  4. Buy travel and health insurance. At some host universities, you are required to purchase the university insurance that is often expensive (USC’s insurance was over $800 a semester), but in most cases you are eligible to waive the policy and purchase your own. Start this process as soon as possible as it can be paperwork and email-intensive.
  5. Request a copy of your medical and vaccination history from your local doctor’s for a small fee. Most host universities require this in order to fully accept your place abroad. Don’t forget to get all outstanding jabs if required, too.
  6. If your study abroad year is not compulsory, submit your change of degree programme form to your parent school. Once I had been accepted to study abroad, my degree title changed from ‘English and History’ to ‘International English and History’, and my parent school needed to know in order to revise my graduation date.
  7. Notify student finance services that you are studying abroad so that you will have those all-important funds for the next year. With all those weekend trips ahead of you, you’ll need it. Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 18.22.48
  8. Enrol for modules at your host institution. If your year is on a pass/fail basis, think about trying something new while you have the freedom to do so without being penalized. Humanities students- it looks especially impressive on your CV if you choose to study something related to your host country or new local area.
  9. Let your bank know that you’re going abroad.
  10. If you already haven’t, get internet banking. It makes life a whole lot easier to manage and transfer funds when you’re on the other side of the world.
  11. If you don’t have a credit or debit card that will work free of charge while abroad, get a currency card. You can get these from travel agencies like Thomas Cook, and they allow you to load a temporary card with as much $$$ as you like, to tide you over until you get a bank account in your host institution.
  12. If there is a networking event at your home institution- GO TO IT. I met all of the other Leeds students studying at USC when I went to mine, and we remained friends for the whole year.
  13. Sort out accommodation in your host country. If you are going to be automatically enrolled for housing in university halls, start thinking about whether you’d like to be on campus, and whether you’d like a roommate. Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 20.00.04
  14. Submit disability and health forms. If you have any major disability or health complications your host institution must know about this ASAP.
  15. Find out about student counseling services at your host institution. Should anything untoward happen, or you receive bad news from home while you’re abroad, you’ll know where to go if you need extra support.
  16. Look into bursaries, scholarships and competitions that offer money for outgoing study abroad students. From the perspective of an ex-study abroad student who has just come home to depleted funds, take my word that you’ll be glad for all the financial help you can get.
  17. Check your passport validity.
  18. Book your outgoing flight. If you can avoid it, don’t book your return flight for the end of the semester or the year. If you do, you’ll be consigned to a definite end date when many of your new friends will be making exciting travel plans. In addition, consider flying over a couple of days earlier than your move-in date and staying in a hotel. This is useful if you’d like some time to recover from jetlag and open a bank account overseas before orientation sessions begin.
  19. Check baggage allowance. If you are going for the year and would like to take two suitcases, an extra one usually costs around £80-£100.
  20. Take your railcard, bus passes, Oyster card and any other travel passes with you. You might need these when travelling home for Christmas, or at the end of the year.
  21. Get to know your study abroad mentor from your host institution over the phone or via email. Getting to know a real person on the other side of the world who is there to help with the transition is an indispensable way to reduce pre-departure anxieties.
  22. Register with your home university. Even though you’re going abroad, you still need to renew your registration for the upcoming year at home.
  23. Pay outstanding library fines. You’ll be depressed enough coming home at the end of the year without having to come home to library debts.
  24. Collect and print evidence of your return home. Many embassies and airport authorities like to see (and require) evidence that you will be returning home at the end of the year. This could be job forms, your registration certificate from university or anything that states you won’t be graduating for another year.
  25. Scan all paperwork and print 2 copies. Leave one set with someone you trust at home, and take the other set with you.
  26. If you are going to America, and like drinking tea, take a box of teabags with you. The strongest tea you’re going to find out there is Twinings, and that’s practically tea-flavoured milkshake. Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 18.22.39
  27. Download the app ‘1 Second Everyday’ and document your time abroad. Every second will be unforgettable, and you’ll want to re-live the experience when you return home.
  28. Start a blog. It’s a cathartic way to document your study abroad experience and the perfect opportunity to enhance your CV. Blog about your fears, hopes and expectations. Blog about the locals. Blog about sorority life. Blog about culture, art and about people. Blog about blogging if you have to.
  29. Think about what you want from the year. Some people see the year as an opportunity to work as little as possible, and party HARD. Others see it as a chance to radically transform their CVs, integrate within a new culture, enhance global employability, and get involved with extra-curricular life. What will you regret not doing the most? Screen Shot 2014-06-14 at 19.57.23

Tags: 1 Second Everyday, , , blog, embassy, England, , , list, , paperwork, party, , , study abroad, suitcase, Thomas Cook, , visa

My Top Ten Culture Shocks from Moving to South Carolina

23 Aug

I thought my lungs were about to collapse. I could feel everyone around me staring. I could taste the smell of salt and fat lingering in the air. My legs were about to buckle beneath me, and as I slammed my luggage on the chair, I felt tears rolling down my face. How long had I been crying?

“Are you okay ma’am?” asked a woman nearby.

“Yes thanks, just about, just- recovering,” I panted.

Stripping off my layers and ringing the sweat from my pony tail (yes, really) I felt as though I’d learnt a lifetime’s worth of lessons in just two hours- and I hadn’t even got to South Carolina.

This was my first experience of the USA. Following my 9 hour flight from Copenhagen to Washington DC, I had under two hours to make my final flight to Columbia. As customs, baggage reclaim, baggage drop-off and security took an hour and 40 minutes, I had just 16 minutes to make it to my next gate. The problem was, it was in another terminal. Five escalators, a train, and 13 straight minutes of sprinting later I made it to my gate with three minutes until take-off. Void of words, oxygen and any form of socially acceptable human interaction I slammed my ticket down on the desk and shouted, “COLUMBIA. FLIGHT. COLUMBIA. THIS GATE?”

To my greatest dismay, and utter relief, a woman in the waiting area stood up and said, “It’s delayed”. I looked on the departures board to find my flight wasn’t due for another hour.

This was my first experience of the USA. Since being here for ten days, I’ve experienced life very differently across the globe. Here are my top ten culture shocks from my first ten days living in the United States. Enjoy!

10) The Unwritten Rules of ‘Fashion’

One of the first things that struck me when walking round on campus was that all the girls here wear baggy Nike shorts, baggy t-shirts and flip-flops. It’s not just a craze that’s slowly catching on- it’s almost every single girl you walk past at USC. I totally understand the reasoning behind it because it’s unbearably humid most days, but even wearing a skirt and a nice blouse will provoke double-takes all day long.

9) The Weather

If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard the phrases “You’ve brought the British weather with you” and “This is our worst Summer ever,” I’d be a very rich woman indeed. The weather so far has consisted of only two days of blazing sun, and eight days of intense thunderstorms and humid showers. If it doesn’t buck up soon, I’ll be hearing the dreaded “Oh, you aren’t as tanned as I thought you would be” when I come back home for Christmas.

8) Southern Hospitality
The friendliness and warmth of the locals here has been absolutely incredible. Passers-by in the street always greet me, everyone asks how I am, whether I need a hand, a map or even a lift somewhere. Within five minutes of arriving in my dorm, my flatmate had already invited me home for Thanksgiving. It’s such a change from the hustle and bustle of UK cities, where the only thing passers-by are worrying about is how close the next Pret is and whether they’ll make the next tube.

7) Food, food, and free stuff

A large portion of my time here has been spent seeking out shops that actually sell fruit and vegetables. The nearest one is a drive away. The union here is full of greasy pizza huts, cookie and milkshake cafes and burger bars. Not only this but I’ve been inundated with invites to welcome events based solely around eating, such as the ‘Ice-Cream Kick-Off’ and ‘Pizza Welcome’ which bestow these calorific goods upon you for free. I haven’t cracked yet, but I’m determined not to come home at Christmas three stones heavier.

6) Traffic

If almost missing my flight didn’t seem like the end of the world, crossing the roads over here certainly does. They span six lanes wide and are full of huge pick-up trucks, lorries and fraternity drivers flaunting their new wheels. Nobody seems to drive at normal speeds, and the pedestrian lights have a count-down timer which tell you how long you have to cross the road. They may as well read ‘Seconds left to live’, while the drivers behind the glass rev as they smell your fear.

5) Is she Russian?
I spent my first five days here wondering why I kept hearing the phrase “Is she Russian?” Turns out it’s actually: ‘Is she rushing?’

‘Rushing’ is the two-week period when sororities and fraternities pick their new recruits. When a girl is rushing, she has to meet with representatives for each sorority who will give her a grade from 1-5 based on how much they like her. Sorority members are not allowed to go out or use Facebook during this period, as not to tip the scales in their favour. The results ceremony is called ‘The Running of the Pigs’. The recruits line up with their eyes closed and are handed a t-shirt belonging to the sorority that has accepted them. They put on the t-shirt and run to that sorority as fast as they can, while the frat boys try and trip them up along the way.
The frat houses here are located in their own area of campus known as ‘Greek Village’, where you will find £3million (party) mansions- just like the movies. I find this giant popularity contest fascinating, but it’s not for me. The only entrance criteria for joining my societies back home is that you like having a laugh, you like to have fun, and you like to party.

4) The Mighty Gamecocks

The ‘Gamecocks’ are the University of South Carolina’s resident American Football team. They. Are. Huge. Before each game, students and locals gather in the stadium car park to ‘tailgate’, whereby they gather round TVs, drink and have BBQs all day long. The stadium is almost as big as Wembley, and the games are so popular they’re broadcast on ESPN without fail. When I arrived I was asked the question ‘Have you seen THE HIT?’, which is footage of star player Jadeveon Clowney tackling his opponent so hard he knocked his helmet clean off.

But its not the culture surrounding the Gamecocks that’s so much of a shock. It’s the casual use of the word ‘cock’ that’s so strange. T-shirts, caps, hoodies, pencil cases, keyrings, towels, duvets- any form of merchandise sold in the shops around campus all feature the word ‘cock’. Whether it’s ‘party like a cockstar’, or ‘cocks, cocks, go cocks!’, the word just doesn’t seem to be phallic over here. I wonder how long it will be until I stop cringing every time I hear it…

3) Legislation

The legislation against drinking under the age of 21 is tighter than I ever could have imagined. We had a seven-hour orientation session this week, half of which consisted of warning after warning about drinking fines and penalties. Yet, the legal smoking age is 18 and it’s even younger to be able to drive. So a 17-year-old can jump in a car, but a 20-year-old can’t consume certain liquids. We aren’t allowed any posters with pictures of alcohol on them, and there will be regular room inspections in our halls. Even if you are 21, you aren’t allowed to drink around minors and the only place you can drink on campus is in your own room. I can’t decide whether coming to the land of the dry or going home for Christmas for mulled wine, champagne and vodka will shock me more.

2) Size Matters

One of the first things I thought to myself when I landed in America was, ‘Why is everything so big?’ Despite the fact that I’ve moved to a city that’s smaller than Leeds, it feels ten times bigger than what I’m used to. First of all, the cars are huge. Scrap Ford KAs, minis, and smart cars and exchange them for Jeeps, Hummers and Land Rovers. Then there’s the shops. Before entering WalMart we were given a map of it’s store plan so we didn’t get lost. But the biggest shock of all has been the food portions. Having bought a salad at my student union on Monday, I kept it in the fridge and ate it for lunch for the next three days. Even my Starbucks order is bigger than usual, and trying to find a sandwich that doesn’t have 10 slices of ham wedged in the middle is becoming a daily mission.

1) Do you know the Queen?

Everyone warned me about this. Being British in the USA is like being One Direction at a One Direction concert. I first noticed it on the plane to Columbia, when I spoke to the man next to me and at least ten people turned around to stare. Everyone swoons over my accent, and I find myself speaking Queen’s English just to ham it up. People have asked me if I know ‘Wills’ and Kate, and when I tell them I’m from a small town in the North they say, ‘Oh yeah, near London, right?’ It does have its benefits, too. A man in the book shop gave me a $26 discount, and I made a friend purely because a guy wanted to talk about the English Premier League with me.

I hope the culture shocks continue because after all, I’ve come on study abroad to learn and to plunge myself in at the deep end. I’m in the Deep South for a while now, and can’t wait to see where my next ten days take me.

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