The Voyage

In Pittsburgh…
In less than 12 hours, I will be studying abroad at Brasenose College at the University of Oxford in England. Oxford is considered by many to be the oldest university in the English-speaking world. With the first record of teaching in 1096, it tops WVU’s 1868 founding by almost 800 years. The three weeks that I will be in Oxford is part of a summer program offered by the West Virginia University English Department. The program will be headed up by a small group of WVU professors who will serve as tutors and guides as we explore British literature. Along with diligently studying the British poetic form, I will also be visiting Big Ben, Stratford-upon-Avon, Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, Wessex, Cotswold, and the Lake District. :)
Though I am completely excited, I’m a little nervous too. This will be the longest that I have ever been away from all members of my family!


In New York…
Well, the first leg of our journey is complete—with the long one still to come. We landed safely in New York with very little turbulence. I had to hold my breath when they were checking my luggage in Pittsburgh. There is a 50lbs weight limit on baggage and after an hour of rearranging and decreasing extra items last night in my living room, I certainly didn’t want to go through that experience again in the middle of the airport. As I heaved my bag upon the scale, I glanced nervously at the red flashing number: 51lbs, one pound too heavy! I offered my most innocent and winning smile to the bag-checker-man who, much to my delight, looked the other way and slid my bag onto the luggage belt. My second trial came after we boarded the plane in Pittsburgh. The plane was tiny! There were only four seats in each row, with maybe 12 rows total. (I know that there are planes 20x smaller, but this was the smallest that I have ever been on, so needless to say I was a little nervous.) Well, my fears were completely unfounded because the flight ended up being quite smooth. I sat beside a very friendly PT from Salt Lake City. We talked about traveling, cross-country, track, WVU, missionary work, home schooling, foreign language, backpacking, and teaching—some of my most favorite subjects!
Well, it is now 20mins until we board our jet to Europe! Updates soon to come. :)