And it begins ....... - Greensboro, NC
Greensboro, NC
The day has finally arrived, after months and months of waiting, stressing and most of all worrying. I first knew about study abroad on an open day that I attended before becoming a student at TSD, I then spoke to Louise Salmon, International Officer, in the freshers fare during the first week of term and that's when I knew I couldn't pass on this amazing opportunity. I submitted my application in March 2013 and later heard that I had been accepted for an interview on April 28th. Not long after the interview I was that I GOT ACCEPTED! I was so delighted and excited for this opportunity! It was a long and tough wait until I received my Welcome Pack from UNCG in early November. I then had to apply for a student visa to be able to study in the states, again this was a tough process but something that was vital. I had my visa approved on November 9th and booked my flights soon after, it all started to feel so real at last! Anyways enough of the babbling about the application process, let's get to the good bits! Packing - every played Tetris? It was exactly like that. What do you pack for 4 and a half months with various weather conditions and social situations? My answer was EVERYTHING. Only taking one suitcase soon turned into 2 plus 2 carry on bags but at least I have everything that I think I will need. Journey to the airport - after saying farewell to my friends, family and of course Oliver (the dog) it was time to set off for London Heathrow. My parents drove me to the hotel at the terminal ready for my flight on Friday 3rd January. The journey seemed to take forever but knowing I had to say my last goodbyes it was kind of a good thing. Got checked into the hotel and went to my room, saying bye to my parents wasn't as bad as I had first imagined but it was closing the door behind them was the hardest part. As most people who know me know I'm not a very compassionate or emotional person but I did shed a tear or two and had 5 minutes of thinking WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING? But it really was just 5 minutes and during that time I thought of the amazing and once in a lifetime opportunity I had ahead of me and knowing my parents are 100% behind me in everything I do soon cheered me up. Nightmare journey - I made it to the airport in plenty of time to check in, got the the desk and the guy told me that my flight was probably not going to leave London Heathrow because of the snow in New York, not the best start. He told me to go back to him in 30mins for an update.. 30mins went by .. My flight was leaving and it was on time too, could not have been happier. As time went on it was time to board, got on the plane, got onto the runway ready to take off and there was a technical fault, great. We were told it wouldn't take long to fix, it didn't get fixed. After 4 hours sat on a plane on the Tarmac at Heathrow we were told the aircraft would not be flying today and we were going to be transferred onto a different aircraft that was leaving 4 hours from that point, I was now 8 hours delayed, not the best start to the adventure! Anyways, I eventually took off, landed at JFK in New York and headed to the hotel. GOOD MORNING NEW YORK CITY I met Chloe at the lobby of the hotel and ventured out in the sub zero temperatures of New York City! Our first stop was at the Rockefeller centre, we went to the to of the rock and saw the breathing taking views of the city, something I had never done on previous trips. From there we headed to Central Park, it was so beautiful, all icy and full of snow. We headed to the lake that people were ice skating on and just watched for a while, trying to take everything in. We later made our way downtown to Macy's and the Empire State Building. We queued for a little while but made it up to the top before the sunset, being so high up felt a little strange. We stayed at the top until the sun set and could see all the bright lights of the City,it was simply spectacular and I've seen it all before but still so spectacular! Day 2 - up early, not used to the time difference quite yet. We headed to the 9/11 memorial and one world trade centre. We picked up our passes and followed the crowd. I visited there almost 4 years ago, I couldn't believe the development that has been made. The atmosphere is very strange and erie, makes you think of the devastation that happened on September 11th and the chaos that the city experienced. Made me think how lucky I am. Later into the afternoon it was time to shop and as most people know NYC has quite a few shops! I tired myself out and headed off to bed early ready for the early start to the airport today. TODAY Woke up before my alarm but it was time to once agin tackle the Tetris of packing and adding my new purchases. Once I was ready I waited in the lobby for my ride to the airport, Chloe had already gone ahead of me so I was a lone traveller again. Got to the airport at the wrong terminal, met Chloe and headed to the right one. Checked in our bags and headed through security. Got to our departure gate to find Beth, who had flown out form London this morning. So happy to see her again, it all started to feel real as I had just felt like I had been on holiday in NYC with Chloe. Got on the plane and it was the smallest plane I have ever been on, didn't feel too safe but oh well, it's time to go! A nice lady swapped seats with Beth so she could sit by me to have a natter, which was great. The captain has just announced 20mins to landing, all of a sudden scared and nervous to eventually be in North Carolina! Tonight we stay at the holiday inn express with a few other internationals from Uruguay, Finland and Australia! Can't wait to finally meet them after chatting only though Facebook the past few weeks. I'll be posting this as soon as I get some wifi. Tomorrow I move on to campus and I'm sure thee will be a lot to write about that!!