WAITING FOR NOW

Where to begin? Well, for starters, I’ve been trying to actually get this blog started for about two weeks now, but the words wouldn’t come to me. I just sat at the open word document, staring like a moron while words for stories and papers and other assignments came flooding to mind.

But of course, now that the weekend is here and I am supposed to be revising a paper, the words come to me.

Alright, so basically, if you know me in person, you more than likely know my cousin, Cheryl-ann – or you at least have heard of her since I talk about her more than any one person should be discussed. But she’s one of my best friends, so what can I say? Anyways – that is beside the point. The point is, it seems that when one of us does something, the other is not very far behind in doing the same – or something very close to it. In this case? Starting a blog. Coincidentally? Both blogs are sort of centered around these big, life-changing travels we are either making or hoping to make. Her travels, she is in the middle of now and you can read about it HERE.

But this blog isn't about travels that I am currently doing. This blog is about the traveling that I am hoping to take part in next year.

Currently, I attend the University of Texas in Austin. I'm a pretty good student and I study more than any one person probably should being an English major, but I can't help it. Studying is what I do. It's what I know without a doubt that I'm good at. I work my behind off and I get good results. Unless we're discussing science classes. Science is my greatest weakness and core requirements making me take science classes (and a couple of history classes) have killed my GPA. I accept that it is partially my fault that I am riding at a 2.8 GPA when I need a 3.0 to apply to my preferred program, but I'm trying to fix that by working my behind off. It's all I do anymore: go to school. I've focused on school so much that I've had to cancel plans on one of my friends three times to accommodate my educational needs. Perhaps that makes me a bad friend, but chasing dreams has to take priority sometimes.

So now that I've rambled off to left field (something I have a tendency of doing), I guess I should actually explain what all this is about. My university has some amazing Study Abroad programs. All my life I've wanted to go to England and experience life there, or go to Oxford, even if that just meant standing outside of the building and getting an Oxford sweatshirt to pretend like I went there. But the point is, with the Study Abroad program at my school, I can go to England and I can study there. Not at Oxford, but at an equally awesome university. 

I'm hoping to study at the University of Sussex in Brighton. It's right on the coast and it's beautiful and when I think about studying there, I just can't stop smiling. It's a dream that I could get to go, especially when I didn't really think that studying in England could be a possibility. Now it is.

In eleven days, I have a meeting to speak with a counselor about the possibility of studying in England, hopefully for a year, but if I can only go for a semester, it's a semester more than I had before and I'll be happy to take what I can get. I honestly feel like I am going to be studying in England next year. There's not very much doubt that I'll be there, following my dream finally.

To motivate me, I've started this blog. I'll be writing about a lot of things: life in general, things that frustrate me, things that happen...but I'll also be using it to talk about trying to get to Brighton and what that means and how I can reach that goal definitely. Something tells me that I'll definitely be in Brighton this time next year; its just a matter of how badly I want it and how hard I continue to work. 

Let's just say I want it pretty badly.

So, until next time: Keep Calm and Brighton On.

Or in the words of my cousin, "Keep Calm and Brighton On! For Narnia and the North!"