While it's meant to make you feel more excited about everything to come, it was really just more intimidating. To have the best year of my life at age 20 seemed like a lot of pressure to me. On top of this, I had just finished the best summer of my young life working at an incredible summer camp in the middle of nowhere New Hampshire for kids with all types of emotional, social, and behavioral disabilities. When September began I was still adjusting to real life with mirrors, electronics, jeans, and uninterrupted sleep. It was hard to imagine that life could get much better than the camp high I experienced for 3 months, but once my younger twin siblings left for their own respective college experiences I was (desperately) ready for my own to begin.
And so on that Wednesday Mum, Dad, and I packed up the car and drove to JFK. Luckily, the group of students from Loyola traveling to Newcastle this semester is around 45 so it was easy to find other confused and anxious Americans with whom to navigate the airport. Our flight left New York at around 9 pm US time and got into London at around 9 am UK time. For the record, a 7 hour flight across the Atlantic is just as a bad as it sounds, even with free movie access and our first legal alcohol order. That didn't stifle the excitement of being in London when we landed, however, especially when I was able to skip ahead of the customs line and walk straight through with my British passport (the first time I would get a strange look for being a Brit with an American accent but certainly not the last).
The unfortunate part of this journey was the 5 hour layover that awaited us in Heathrow's terminal 5 before our connection to Newcastle. After the initial excitement of making our first purchase with pounds (regrettably Starbucks, true to our Loyola roots) there wasn't much more to do than sit and wait. The rest of the day is nothing more than a jet lagged blur: our connection at 1:30 pm UK time (8:30 am US time); a gift bag from our Newcastle hosts including an orientation schedule, room keys, and a surplus of Digestives; being dropped at the wrong location by the coach and hauling our suitcases a mile through the city of Newcastle; crying in my room because of confusing wifi passwords and light switches that require key card activation; and then finally dinner in an Italian restaurant with all 45 Loyola students.
It's safe to say that if you had asked me that night if this would be the best year of my life I would have laughed in your face and then passed out in my bed. Despite all of that, however, I was still enchanted by the city from the second I was dropped into it. It's hard to put into words because it's unlike any city I've ever experienced in the US, but I suppose that's what I love about it. The walkability, the friendliness, the traditional English architecture mixed in with modern, quirky university buildings- they say Newcastle is one of the best college towns in the world and I can see why. It also doesn't hurt that year-long international students receive amazing university accommodation seconds from the city centre, more resembling a hotel than a dorm room. Regardless, studying abroad finally feels real for the first time since I received my acceptance letter nearly a year ago and so if this is the best year of my life, it's off to a good start.
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