As of now, I’m really excited to study abroad. Right now I’m getting caught in up packing, doubling checking that I have everything, and trying to see as many people as I can. That hasn’t left me a lot of time to think about my decision or second guess myself which I’m really thankful for. Scotland looks incredible. I’m a sucker for castles and history so it’s right up my alley. I haven’t been anywhere outside the country before so it’s quite a leap to not only travel outside the country but to also live there for five months.

At New Paltz, I call my parents every day…needless to say that will not be the case when I go to Scotland. We’ve worked out that I’ll talk to them every Sunday night instead. FaceTime and Skype will make it a lot easier to say in touch with them though. When my mom studied in London, she had to go to a telephone booth every few weeks and talk to her parents for about ten minutes. I’m such a home body and really love my family and being away from them is going to be hard. I have such a strong support system at New Paltz and back home that I’m afraid I’ll feel lost once I get there. I’m trying to focus on the positives though!

As far as packing goes, I am taking one suitcase and two backpacks. I started packing or as my grandma likes to call it “sketching” my wardrobe and am careful considering what are the must-haves. I usually like to prepare for everything but in this case I am packing light and sticking to the basics. Scotland isn’t known for it’s warm weather so packing things that I can layer to keep me warm are a must.

I think my leaving is hitting people harder that it is for me at the moment and I’m worried I’ll start panicking at the last minute but all in all, I think I’m going to have a great time.