S'mae!

(pronounced S' my) That's welsh for "Hello!"

Wales!

So this will be my first study abroad blog post!! And I just submitted my visa application!! I know it is "late" for me to do that, but I am just so excited!!

I am so excited to be starting this blog, and even more excited that studying abroad on the beautiful Welsh coast is a good enough excuse to do so!  My name is Jessa, and I will be spending the next academic year abroad in Aberystwyth, Wales. This trip has been long in the making. I attempted to go my sophomore year of college, but had to put it on hold in order for me to take care of general education classes and such.

I was so unsure about how to begin this blog: I hate doing background info and I am really not creative enough to do anything poetic.  Thank goodness I have been obsessing enough to find this article: Butlin's Bognor Regis and the Summer That Changed Everything.

It's perfect.  I am truly hoping that I can experience some of the growth that she experienced when she went abroad for the first time. I know that my expectations are high as I go into this adventure, just like I think most people's are when they study abroad. But I know the dangers of that.  Even a place that seems so close to us and our culture is vastly different, and the things that count the most are the ones that are too small to even notice at home.  But I think I am ready to find out what those differences are and experience them; whether they are horribly annoying or not.

I really hope that you will join me as I explore my biases and mindsets and ideals on this journey and that you will support (and critique) me by commenting and sharing with friends.  I also really want this blog to aid future travelers as they go abroad, so if you ever have questions, please ask and I will do my very best to answer.