Tub?!

Sitting around in my common room on the last night of the semester, my roomates and friends decided that we should nickname the places that we're traveling to; hence, Tubs! Other fabulous names included: Ry-Ry(Ryan Hall, SMC), SanFran (San Fransisco, CA), Granobs (Granobal, France), Uncork and Pork (Cork, Ireland...for other John Tucker Must Die fans, we stole it from the movie!), and Dubs (Dublin, Ireland). Staying or leaving, we all had a place and that's what made it okay that we all had to say goodbye. I have to admit that the experience was bitter sweet since we were all excited to head home for the holidays but the closing of this semester was more morose than the others. We all knew that we were going to return to SMC in the Fall, but leaving the people who become family while at school makes it difficult to say goodbye. I knew that we're all going to come back different, changed, in someway but I can't help but believe that the ties my friends and I have forged will allow us to fall back into the same inside jokes, laughing fits, and late night talks that we share now. I will miss you all, but I look forward to the stories depicting grand adventures and epic shinanigans!

With views of the future daunting me in visions of packing and airports, the anxiety sets in. I've traveled abroad before, to Costa Rica, and the pre-departure emotions follow the same strict pattern: excitement, anxiety, dread, and my-life-is-sure-to-end-if-I-so-much-as-step-on-the-plane. But, at least this time I know that when I get to Tubs and get settled I will enjoy every minute of it! I'm nervous but also excited because having this opportunity handed to me makes me a very lucky person. Being an Education and English double major makes Bath the perfect place to go! I chose it because of what it offered me, especially in the Education department. The Education Programme allows me to spend a day each week inside a school in England, and it also allows me to take a class on Education in England. Having this opportunity to really experience education first hand is really going to give me a perspective on education that many do not have and I am completely grateful for it.

Deciding to leave SMC for a semester was a tough decision for me. I'm the type of person who becomes comfortable in an environment and I like to step ouside of my comfort zone, but not too far outside. And let's just say that across the Atlantic and in a new country was a huge leap outside my comfort zone. But, as I've learned, it is when I leave my comfort zone and am surrounded by people I don't know that I learn the most about myself as a person. I look forward to learning more about who I am and what I want out of life through this experience. College is about discovering who you are, and I hope to discover something new about myself through this adventure.

Stay tuned and follow me as I discover something about myself and the world.

Peace!