So, since some of you might not know me too well, I thought I would catch you up on what has been going on in my life this past summer. Picture this: moving to a new house, in a new state, with all sorts of new people you don't know. Sound exciting? To a point, yes, but to a college student, it means a summer of loneliness. How lonely? Let's just say that I have read around 35 books this summer along with knowing my 13 digit library card number by heart. No, I wasn't just home alone all summer doing nothing, i did work 40 hour weeks yet still had the time to become an antisocial nerd. Don't tell me this is not sad because it is and if you try to comfort me and tell me it's not that bad, I will check to see if your pants are on fire because you are definitely lying to me.
I can now look back on my sad summer and laugh and see what God wanted me to get out of this challenging time. I realized how important friends can be and the impact they can have on your life. I worked to improve my relationships with some of my closest/oldest friends and then strengthening my relationships with some of my newer friends.
I was inspired to travel abroad from my older sister. She went around- the- world for a semester and she said it was the best experience she ever had. Since Concordia Wisconsin doesn't have an around -the- world program, I started looking at the other opportunities my school had to offer. Now, something you should know about me is that i completely suck at learning foreign languages. It's why i took 2 years of Sign Language in High School and then endured one semester of Spanish in college (and even that was a struggle, ask my roommates). It just doesn't click for me and all I could tell you today was how to say cat or dog. So, London was the clear winner and it was one less worry I had to think about! I knew if I didn't grab at this opportunity, I would regret it later on in life.
I'm really looking forward to the life lessons this adventure will teach me and how much I will grow as a person. I am looking forward to meeting new people (even though meeting new people is always a pain in my butt. You always have to go through the mundane questions with everyone and you end up saying the same thing 30 times in a row) and learning from them.
EXAMPLE OF THE WISHY WASHY CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU FIRST MEET SOMEONE:
"Oh hi! my name is claire and i'm from the States. Yeah, i am pretty excited to be here. I'm actually a senior this year at Concordia University Wisconsin. Oh that's an exciting subject to major in! I'm actually a Business Management Major with a Minor in Marketing. No, I have no idea what I want to do with my major yet. I'm just hoping to be employed after I graduate."
Ugh! Its exhausting and sort of pointless since after you meet that person, you forget what they said, what their name was, and any other information they gave you since you're so busy meeting the next person in line! I think I will include something weird about me so that people remember me. Like how I can touch my tongue to my nose. That should make me memorable and unforgettable (hopefully not weird and crazy....that would suck). Anyways, we have all been in this situation sometime in our life and soon we all go into auto pilot, smack a smile on our face, and rehash the same speech we have given before. It's part of life and getting to know people. Ya just have to grin and bear it.
Now, why did I choose the University of Westminster in London? Well, just give me a few more minutes of your time and you will find out.
I was inspired to travel abroad from my older sister. She went around- the- world for a semester and she said it was the best experience she ever had. Since Concordia Wisconsin doesn't have an around -the- world program, I started looking at the other opportunities my school had to offer. Now, something you should know about me is that i completely suck at learning foreign languages. It's why i took 2 years of Sign Language in High School and then endured one semester of Spanish in college (and even that was a struggle, ask my roommates). It just doesn't click for me and all I could tell you today was how to say cat or dog. So, London was the clear winner and it was one less worry I had to think about! I knew if I didn't grab at this opportunity, I would regret it later on in life.
I'm really looking forward to the life lessons this adventure will teach me and how much I will grow as a person. I am looking forward to meeting new people (even though meeting new people is always a pain in my butt. You always have to go through the mundane questions with everyone and you end up saying the same thing 30 times in a row) and learning from them.
EXAMPLE OF THE WISHY WASHY CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU FIRST MEET SOMEONE:
"Oh hi! my name is claire and i'm from the States. Yeah, i am pretty excited to be here. I'm actually a senior this year at Concordia University Wisconsin. Oh that's an exciting subject to major in! I'm actually a Business Management Major with a Minor in Marketing. No, I have no idea what I want to do with my major yet. I'm just hoping to be employed after I graduate."
Ugh! Its exhausting and sort of pointless since after you meet that person, you forget what they said, what their name was, and any other information they gave you since you're so busy meeting the next person in line! I think I will include something weird about me so that people remember me. Like how I can touch my tongue to my nose. That should make me memorable and unforgettable (hopefully not weird and crazy....that would suck). Anyways, we have all been in this situation sometime in our life and soon we all go into auto pilot, smack a smile on our face, and rehash the same speech we have given before. It's part of life and getting to know people. Ya just have to grin and bear it.
So, despite all of my comments above, I am really excited to start this new journey in my life and I will miss so many people. The nerves are starting to set in and I'm afraid of forgetting something important (I always worry about the unknown.) I already know I will break down and cry just a few days before I leave, ( boy am I looking forward to that) and my parents will have to sooth me and tell me everything is going to be okay (I won't believe them, but I will soon come to my senses and realize I was a huge cry baby) . I will try to keep up with the blogging and putting pictures up on Facebook, but I can't promise anything.
Hopefully I have entertained you with my banter instead of scaring you away and hopefully you will come back to read my next blog post (whenever I get around to writing it). Prayers would be much appreciated as I go through this journey. Prayers for safety, patience in times of frustration, flexibility in times of the unknown, and peace for the things I cannot control.
See ya later!
Claire
Hopefully I have entertained you with my banter instead of scaring you away and hopefully you will come back to read my next blog post (whenever I get around to writing it). Prayers would be much appreciated as I go through this journey. Prayers for safety, patience in times of frustration, flexibility in times of the unknown, and peace for the things I cannot control.
See ya later!
Claire
