I am revealing the official countdown... I am moving to Nottingham, England in 100 days!! For those unaware, I will be attending the University of Nottingham for my Masters in Public Health, specifically international health.
Moving in general is not easy, but moving abroad is even more challenging. I'm totally up for it though!! I have a checklist and I'm moving through it steadily to make the transition as smooth as possible. Outside of the business stuff like my visa application I have been doing tons of research on the city, specifically trying to educate myself on social aspects. I read the UK headlines on BBC every day. I certainly don't want to want to look uninformed upon arrival! I have also been researching things to do in the city as far as public events. I downloaded the app for the local newspaper to keep up to date on markets, festivals, and such.
I visited Nottingham in March, which was great to get a basic introduction to the city, see my campus, and meet with some professors. I left feeling very excited for my future! I've been wanting to move to a city for years and I genuinely feel like this will be the perfect fit. It's like the porridge in Goldilocks, not too big, not too small. There is a great music scene, trendy shopping, and a young population as it is home to two Universities.
Things I'm most looking forward to:
1. Markets - buying local items, especially food, and thrift shopping.
2. Living alone - having my own quaint, English apartment. I'm looking in the Lace Market area which are old factories converted into apartment buildings. The romanticized image of exposed brick walls, gas stoves with tea pots, and huge windows for natural light all comprise my ideal home. I've already mentally sketched my decor and schemes! It'll just be charming.
3. Learning about/experiencing first hand a Nationalized health system - having spent the last seven months working for a doctor and seeing first-hand our health system I am thoroughly intrigued to see a different take on it all. As I will be in the UK for a year I will be allowed access to the NHS. From what I know now I register with a doctor during my first week. Past that it'll be an adventure!
4. European fashion - I love studying people. History, politics, culture.... Part of my sincere interest is fashion. I may not always be the most daring, up-to-date, or trendiest person, but I enjoy observing the styles and what it imparts about ideals. One of the things I'm enamored with, yet intimidated by, is military-style boots. They give off a more aggressive feel than what I'm used to, but they're versatile and I'm intrigued! We shall see what other things I find to obsess over.
5. Public transportation - Finally!! I cannot fully express how fond I am of public transportation. I am so excited to not own a car. In six months I may be eating my words and missing the convenience of coming and going whenever I please. But right now I do fully expect public transportation to be an easy transition for me.
Things I'm most nervous about:
1. Relearning how to spell English - We speak the same language, which was one of the main reasons I applied in England and not elsewhere. However, we spell things differently and within my courses I will be expected to use UK English. So far I've narrowed it down to two rules to live by: when in doubt substitute s for z, and always add a u.
2. Making friends - I've always made friends easily, so this may seem silly. But I've also always been in circumstances where I'm forced to socialize. And by this I mean, when I moved to NC for college I had a roommate, who thankfully I got along with splendidly and we were fast friends! Since I am choosing to live alone and away from campus it will just take more effort to put myself in situations to meet people. We do have a welcome week for international students where I will have ample opportunity to meet other foreigners. And of course I have my classmates. At this time I don't think I am particularly interested in student organizations. I do intend on finding a volunteer opportunity, internship, or some kind of job and maybe I'll befriend some coworkers.
3. Deciding on a dissertation topic - Aside from the fact that my dissertation is a minimum of 10,000 words, which will break the record for the longest paper I've ever written, it also needs to be a topic I can maintain interest in researching for a year. And then thoroughly defend upon submission. I am interested in so many things that its hard for me to narrow down a subject area. I'm hoping that one day it will strike me... Maybe some class topic or guest presentation will grab my attention.
I have endless ideas of how the year abroad will go, but (other than my education) my two main goals are to travel around Europe on the cheap as much as possible. Might as well take advantage when you don't have to pay for a plane ticket! And then also to blog about my life there. It will be impossible to keep up with every one regularly, and blogging will be the easiest, most comprehensive way to fill all my family and friends in on my year in England.
I'm also very interested to read how much my blog posts change throughout my time there! Talk about self growth.
