I wanted to go abroad because I had talked to a lot of people who are alumnis and those who are now graduating seniors. A lot of them said that their biggest regret was not studying abroad. Therefore, I thought I had to take the opportunity so that I would not have the same regrets.
Before coming to London, it was a very stressful process. I was under a lot of stress to get my Visa because I was interning here in London. I personally have never left the country therefore, I didn’t know what I should pack or bring or how I would adjust to my life abroad. I was expecting this time to just fly by really quickly, but I have been here for a month now and it feels like everything is moving in slow motion
During my time abroad, I have an internship at a theater which is where I spend a lot of my time. I hope to learn everything that I can while I am there. So far, I’ve learned how I adjust in a work setting, learned how to make production calendars, and I’ve worked in a global team where members of my team come from at least 3 different countries. My goal while I am abroad is to become more comfortable with being by myself and creating a better me in this country. The skills I want to gain are learning how to take better care of myself and be more at ease with the person/professional I am becoming.
I’ve never been afraid to go outside my comfort zone. After my freshman year, I took a job and moved to Colorado to work for a company that I didn’t know anyone in, never heard of before, and no idea what I was going to be doing. The thought of getting outside of my comfort zone excites me and it really makes me think about who I am as a person. I’m never afraid to do things like go to new countries, meet new people, and do things in that genre. Things that freak me out about new places are always food, I’ve always been a picky eater and so trying new foods has always freaked me out and that’s the one thing I always worry about when traveling to new places.
Being in London at the time of Brexit is something that is very confusing and very splitting of the country. This change has torn a lot of the people apart and questions some of the beliefs in the country. This country is very full of sarcastic people because that is there a sense of humor and that is something I really enjoy. A large cultural aspect here is going out for drinks or going out with coworkers at pubs and things. This has been something that has been hard for me to adjust to because I am not a big drinker to begin with. Another big adjustment for me has been that people really separate their work and relaxing time. I’ve never been more forced to take breaks before. I have an hour lunch break between my class and work and if I show up any earlier than that, it’s like I have done something wrong and should be taking more time for myself. That has been such a big adjustment since I am such a workaholic and personally don’t like taking breaks