I want to go back to college so I can do this again....

One of the best decisions I have made in my life was choosing to study abroad in college. Yes it cost me and my parents an arm and a leg, and yes I was paying off my credit card for years after, but it was single handily the best experience I've ever had.

I decided to spend a summer in the United Kingdom to study British history at University College of London. I did not know anyone else from my college going (it was a huge school) and it was not the most exotic location I could have chosen, but that was where I wanted to go.

The evening I left, my parents took me out to dinner before driving me to the airport. For some reason I remember I ordered fish and chips which is ridiculous because that is like the only thing the British serve other than bangers and mash. On the way to the airport, my mom asked me if I was nervous and I told her not at all.

I had never flown alone at this point and the only time I had left the country was when my parents took us to Mexico. But I wasn't scared at all, just excited.

The moment I landed I knew I would love it. My program consisted of three months in London, ten days in Edinburgh, and four days in Bath. I had friends that were traveling other places in Europe and planned to stay after the program ended to visit Rome, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

I met some of the coolest people. People who are dear friends to this day.

We drank a lot of cider in the cutest pubs. Did you know in London you can get beer and cider in a two liter plastic bottle? I was so excited by this and started buying it to drink in my dorm, then the RA told me only homeless people buy those and I stopped....just kidding I still loved them. (Please ignore my ridiculous pose)

It wasn't until I went to Europe that I learned to love wine. Turns out it was cheaper than beer so we drank a lot of it. I sipped wine in Rome, and it was magical. I feel in love with a waiter named Valentino....but only for a night and probably because of the wine.

I took pictures next to sweet ass fountains and learned not to be afraid to explore things on my own. I found out I was totally confident and could make friends anywhere. That was pretty empowering at that point in my life.

I visited the iconic Abbey Road and failed miserably at getting a picture like the one the Beatles took...it's a busy road that shit was hard. We quickly gave up to drink more wine.

I prayed...ok I didn't but I did visit some of the most beautiful churches in the whole wide world, and that is cool whether Jesus is your homeboy or not.

I swam in Loch Ness, and climbed a mountain in Scotland. I stole a shot of absinthe from a customer at a pub in Bath, and visited Billy Shakespeare's hometown. I discovered Stone Henge is super lame, but London is the best city on earth. I found out the Irish are really crazy fucking drunks and almost got arrested for open intox in Dublin. I "ate some sandwiches" in Amsterdam and thought it to be an incredibly beautiful city. I was moved by a visit to the Anne Frank house and entertained at the Sex museum. I saw amazing art in the museums of London and kissed boys from all over the world.

The coolest part about study abroad was unlike a trip that is over too quickly I got to live in London for three months. I had a dorm room and went grocery shopping and did anything a college student would do. It was an emersive experience unlike any I have ever had. I hope I am able to spend that much time traveling again one of these days. I know it's probably just a matter of weeks until I find out I have a trust fund I never knew about....at that point the world will become my oyster. 

The second coolest part about my particular study abroad program was that our professor was retiring just a few weeks after the semester ended and he felt the best way for us to learn was to explore and experience the UK; I am guessing he just didn't want to grade papers or prepare lectures. We spent approximately 4 hours in class in those three months and just had to write book reports on five books that none of us read. I could not have been happier with his teaching methods, or the 4.0 I received in his class.

If you want to hear more cool travel tales and read one of my faveorite blogs, click on this link: