In about 3 days, I’m going to be getting off of a plane at Fiumicino – Aeroporto Internazionale Leonardo da Vinci and beginning my study abroad experience in Roma.

In ten days I will finally be departing on a 37-calendar hour journey to Christchurch where I will spend the next 5 months.  I haven’t exactly been to New Zealand so there won’t be any “Welcome Home” signs, but I have stalked the country enough on Pinterest and had enough day dreams to feel like when I finally set foot in Kiwi country, I will feel at home. 

I’ve made it through my first week of school!

At the end of last week, I had to make a few last minute changes to my schedule to make space for a new Spanish class. I originally had planned on taking a course called  “Chemical basis of engineering.”  When tasked with switching my schedule around, I had few options to choose from (that is, keeping my Fridays free of class!). I opted to switch into a class called “Numerical Methods of Biomedicine,” which, as it sounds, is a biomedical engineering class. 

At this point, two weeks in, I think that all of our predispositions about Beijing have been replaced or refined. I once saw a quote by Aldous Huxley that read, "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” While it may appear to be harsh and condescending, this has always resonated with me because of the truth within those words. Our past experiences, our current knowledge, or our future aspirations all contribute to the differentiation between the ways we all interpret things in our lives. What Mr.

Hey readers!

Oh South America, I feel as if we are the last group of students to depart for our program! I am so incredibly nervous and exited and I really hope I haven’t overlooked or missed any paperwork, or forgotten to sign a sheet. I’m over thinking everything from phone plans to making sure I see every ophthalmologist, dentist and general doctor before departure.

Last Friday I had my first Health and Disease seminar at Oxford and it's definitely my favorite class so far. We had a lecture about the risk factors of cancer given by a researcher specializing in breast, cervical, and prostate cancer at the university. Afterwards we had small group discussions about various study designs used in epidemiology. The lecture was incredibly interesting and the group discussion was very engaging and interactive. They didn't let any of us get away with not knowing how to answer a question.

If you had asked me three weeks ago how I was feeling about my impending trip to Berlin, I might have started crying right then and there. As someone who commutes to school and never really "left" for college, the thought of a whole semester away from my family and my home filled me with fear and doubt. I was terrified. Since then, I have had time to slow down, to reflect, and to prepare myself for this trip.

Days of waiting have come to an end, and it's time to pack it up. Pack lightly, pack efficiently, and be prepared for whatever might get thrown at you, easier said then done. While meticulously folding shirts and matching pairs of socks, I turned on the news for one last brief before I made my great push South. Gwen Eifel's calm voice delivered headlines that sent a cold chill down my back, each seemed more grim then the last: plummeting markets, school shootings, and suicide bombings targetting inncocents.