Today I am thinking a lot about my future in my study abroad experience. I am excited, while of course nervous spending so much time in another country. The weather is one thing I am slightly worried about. I have only ever lived in California and Florida, so I haven’t lived in cold weather. I had to buy a bunch of new clothes to prepare! Having only lived in the United States, I will need to adapt and understand norms in the UK. Perhaps the way they eat, the things they say, as well as things like physical behaviors. Through traveling I have learned that sometimes it takes embarrassing yourself to learn something new about a culture, I have also learned that it is ok to make mistakes when you are learning new things. For example my family and I went to Thailand for a few weeks last year, and the first night we went to dinner at a local restaurant when we were served out food we asked for silver ware, the employees started laughing at us, we then looked around and noticed everyone was eating with their hands. I am sure I will run into situations like this in London as I learn about their culture, and I am ok with that and willing to learn from it. One identity I wrote is that I am adventurous. I have traveled a lot with my family, we have been to many places across the world. I am lucky in the fact that my parents will be dropping me off in London! Before the program starts, we will be traveling to Amsterdam, Paris, then London. Knowing this my worries are lessoned in that I will get to explore with them before the program starts in a country I have never been.
