The beginning...

I have almost officially been in Newcastle for one month and somehow i am in shock that it has already been a month but yet feels like i have been here for ages.  So much has happened in such a short period of time it feels a bit like a whirlwind, however I could not be happier to be here.  When I arrived at the airport the Sunday of my departure the nerves definitely started to sink in.  All of the typical questions and fears started popping in my head as I gathered my bags from the car and my family walked me to the British Airways bag drop.  As I delayed reality we got one last drink together, hoping to calm my nerves, and enjoyed our last few moments together.  Saying goodbye to my family has never been easy for me but I like to think of it as ill see you later, rather than a final goodbye.  Last hugs and kisses while I tried not to feed into the lump in my throat and through the security doors I went, I knew that would be the hardest part. 

Once I arrived at the gate I felt slightly at ease and could not believe this moment which had seemed so far in the future for a year finally arrived.  For the most part I knew what to expect so I knew I had an advantage with the experience of my gap year, traveling to Australia, New Zealand, London, and Venice on my own.  I kept telling myself to keep in mind that it would be a process of discomfort and waves of different emotions but that it would all pass and become a normalcy to me as other big changes in my life have.  However, different than my two gap year programs I didn’t expect to become so comfortable so quickly and to make such fast friends. 

The flight to London and then to Newcastle went by fairly fast.  With little sleep and a fair share of anxiety I arrived to my new home in Newcastle, Windsor Terrace.  After just a few minutes to drop our stuff off we were off into town to grab some necessities and arrange our cell phone plans.  Once everyone grabbed what they needed we arrived at a tapas restaurant for an early dinner.  Everyone seemed a little on edge and shaky with the mixture of sleep deprivation and the reality that this city was really our new home and study abroad was finally here.  We all enjoyed our dinner and hurried home to catch up on sleep, unpack, and settle in.

Since the first day, it has all seemed like a blur.  Although I can’t believe we are already on our fourth week of living in Newcastle, it also feels like I have been here for months.  I told myself at the beginning to give it time, and that everything takes getting used to.  However it has surprised me how little time it took to get used to.  The friends I have made here have become great friends in little time.  I am lucky to have a group of open-minded and outgoing peers because the group you study abroad with can make all of the difference. The first day of classes seemed to shake everyone up a bit again, however like everything else it just took some getting used to and time to become routine.  Now that we are almost finished with our third week of classes already, everyone is settled and the routine has begun. 

All in all this city and this university has given me everything that I initially wanted when looking into colleges.  Everything is walkable which I absolutely love.  It is so nice to be able to get around by foot and really be involved in the city.  Newcastle University is also a much bigger school than Loyola which I had also initially wanted in a college.  Newcastle University has 30,000 students compared to Loyola's almost 5,000 students.  I knew that chances were I would love it here and that this experience was one not everyone was fortunate enough to have.  However it wasn’t until I arrived in Newcastle and really began my study abroad experience that I realized just how appreciative I was for this experience and how this place fulfills everything I ever wanted in my college experience.  I am so grateful that everything worked out the way it did and that out of all the study abroad programs I chose this one.

Although the past 2 and a half years have been amazing at Loyola through all of the ups and downs, now that I am here I cannot imagine my college experience without this semester abroad.  It was everything that I needed and it could not have come at a better time in my life.  This is everything I have wanted since my gap year ended.  I couldn't be happier with the decision of coming here and based off of the short amount of time I have already been here I know that the next few months are going to be some of the best months of my life, and I can't wait to see what it has in store.