A Study Abroad Walecome

This semester I am lucky enough to be studying abroad at Cardiff University in Wales! (see title). I’ve been in Cardiff for a few days and now that I’ve gotten some sleep, unpacked a little, and explored the city I’ll be living in for the next three months, I can reflect on how I got here. It’s strange to look out my window and not see W&M’s campus. I’m in a completely different country and yet I still expect to see someone I know walking down the street, something practically guaranteed in Williamsburg.

It’s amazing how easy it was to get here. It took a seven hour flight, a two hour bus ride, and a 5 minute walk to get to my new living space, but the most work I did was walk off the plane onto the bus and off the bus to my flat. The Reves Center, along with the International program at Cardiff, really made the process so much easier. Reves told me exactly what I needed to do and when I needed to do it in order to apply and be accepted. My program’s Reves liaison, and her Welsh counterpart, organized all of the traveling and living resources I needed to arrive and survive my time abroad. Cardiff University provided free transport from the London airport and although our luggage fell an hour behind in a van following us, Cardiff was quick on their feet to make sure we all got to our rooms and caught up with our luggage when it arrived. I hate to imagine what would have happened if my bags were delayed even further or lost on my first day in an unfamiliar city.

Although W&M’s semester is in full swing now, mine hasn’t even begun. It’s still a week until classes start but I know that William & Mary and the Reves Center have prepared me to take anything on, especially when it comes to homework. I have no doubt that my time abroad will be educational inside and outside of the classroom. And before you know it, I’ll be back in the ‘burg sipping tea on the terrace and looking back on my amazing semester.

Check back on my blog to keep up with my travels abroad!