Count Down To London- Pre-Study Abroad Blog Post

Hello All, My name is Ashley Williams and I am a third year Social Entrepreneurship and Business major and Global Health minor at Rollins College.

I can not believe that in twenty five days I will be in London, United Kingdom. The nerves of embarking this journey has not hit me yet, however I am very excited to live in this diverse city for four months. I only had  the opportunity to travel outside the United States of America by myself once, so I am excited to do it again. I hope this trip open my eyes to new things. allow me to appreciate cultures outside of my own, and help me grow on a personal and professional level.

When it comes to this study abroad experience I think my own identify definitely influences my experience of the world. My identify is the foundation of why I see things different from other that are around me. For example, being an African American female student growing up in low-middle income neighborhoods I might see other parts of the world as  luxury. While some of my peers may think other parts of the world are the norm because they look like what they grew up around.

Lastly, when it comes to my identity I think it will also influence my interactions with people while abroad and my perspective of the host country. I am visiting a country that do not have a lot of people that look like me, staying in a environment that I am not familiar with, and have to live with people I do not know, basically a stranger. I think this would be hard for me because I am the type of person that likes to be aware of my surroundings and be around familiar faces. Despite this being difficult for me to handle I think this will help me with getting to know people that are not like me and help me with trying things outside of my comfort zone.

In conclusion, I am so excited to go abroad! I am ready to create everlasting memories and new friendships.