Cougs Abroad Blog Squad asks me to reflect on the goals I set for myself before I began my study abroad experience. While some of the goals have been met, I feel that I have changed the way I want to experience things and am excited to involve myself in “investing in my experience” by setting new, more manageable goals every day.
One of the expectations that I am happily meeting during my time abroad is traveling. Every week my friends and I seem to find somewhere new to travel to, and I am very grateful to have companions that are just as interested in experiencing the UK as I am (I am also grateful to be able to hang out with wonderful people on campus- I have definitely made good friends!). I have seen both nearby and more distant sights, from castles and coffee shops in my own town, to the country-hopping week break from class in which I toured Ireland, Wales and England, and am happily planning even more adventures (within reason of budget) for the coming weeks.
However, time flies when you have fun, and I realized with some panic the other day that my time abroad was more than halfway done, and in just 35 short days I would be back at home – hardly more than a month! In order to properly enjoy the rest of my time here I need to set a goal every day to see something new: whether it’s eating at a new place downtown, taking a walk on a trail on campus I haven’t seen before, or inviting friends to see a sight a little ways out of town. While I might not have much time or money left in my travels, seeing the small things nearby can enrich my experience just as much as my longer trips around the UK.
For the rest of my stay here, my traveling goals are to see a few specific places in Scotland: St. Andrews, Glasgow, the Isle of Skye, and a return to Edinburgh; as well as another short stay in London and a possible visit to Mousehole, Cornwall to pay homage to “Mousehole Cat Day” or “Tom Bawcock’s Eve,” a permanent part of my family’s Christmas celebrations courtesy of the television show based on a children’s book. More locally I want to climb back up to the top of the Wallace Monument and pay to take the stairs to see the view, cross the Stirling Bridge on foot, and find more good places to eat in town before I go.
I have been blessed with an amazing experience so far, and if it were to be ended suddenly I would be content and happy knowing I have visited so many places and gotten to know all the people I have. That being said, I hope time slows down in the next month so that I might be able to balance my schoolwork and campus life and scratch the itch of traveling. I would love to see a little Scottish snow before I go and take part in a few early Christmas activities as well. There is so much left to do and I am so grateful I am able to take it one day at a time.
My goal for tomorrow? To fully enjoy my University “chores” of grocery shopping (online with free delivery to my door, perhaps), laundry, class, dinner preparation and other odds and ends to their fullest, because you never know what you’ll miss when everything changes.
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