It’s official, I’m going to Northern Ireland next semester. The acceptance has been sent and the paperwork (well most of it) is in order. Now I just need to do a million more things before my feet actually touch Northern Irish soil, but that’s for later. For now, let’s just focus on how I even got here.
I don’t think I ever actually decided to study abroad per se. Instead, it was more like I knew I wanted to go abroad and I just needed to figure out where to go and how to go. The “where to go” would seem like it would be the easy part of that equation, except it’s not.
There are so many factors to think about like which schools offer courses relevant to my majors (I’m a double major in anthropology and history), how expensive is it to live there for a semester (exchange rates?), ISEP or no, and the list goes on. I’m going to be honest, despite taking French for years, I can’t speak it to save my life and I didn’t learn any other languages, unfortunately. So I had one factor decided, I needed to go to an Anglophone country.
Somewhere down the line after hours of research and avoiding doing actual homework, Northern Ireland came into the mix. I remember sitting dowm in my study abroad advisor’s office telling her basically everything I wrote in this post and the next thing I know I’m writing an application to Irish American Scholars. Fast forward into time and I’m watching capsule wardrobe tutorials and trying to plan for living in Derry and attending Ulster University.
It’s funny because my first year of college was the first time I had ever traveled outside of the U.S. I went to Croatia for my Journeys trip in 2018 spring. It was amazing. That was my first time on an airplane which for someone who is afraid of heights and not having the ground under her feet at all times is terrifying. But the adventure was awesome. Being in a different country and experiencing a different language, food, and place was mindblowing. But it made me want more, and here we are today.
Zagreb, Croatia
Traveling alone without the comfort of a large group or an actual adult guiding me through airports and check-ins is absolutely nerve-wracking. I’ve already gotten over my first hurdle which was finding and paying for a plane ticket and I’m going to bask at this moment for as long as I can.
Next up: deciding what to pack.
