How it Began

Once upon a time, a girl named Krissy traveled to London for her final Spring Break in March of 2005. There she lost her heart to the city and was bitten by the travel bug. Since then she's pined for England and longed to return to London, the city that captured her heart. She never thought she would return because--alas!--traveling is expensive. But! Hark! A glimmer of hope appeared on her radar when she returned to school to obtain her Masters Degree in Student Affairs Administration.

That glimmer of hope is the Bowling Green United Kingdom Study Tour. And I! Am! Going! (Knock on wood.)

I first found out about the tour through my friend, Gareth, who had the good fortune of going on it during the summer of 2007. He returned and put together an independent study extravaganza based on his experiences. This included Irish step-dancing! A cafeteria menu filled with British foods! A multi-media presentation! Invitations that referenced Harry Potter! It was inspiring. I was jealous (mostly of his ability to get credit for being creative and referencing Harry Potter in the process). But more than that I was curious; my appetite was whet. I began to talk to him and my professors about the experience. The only thing Gareth said was "do it." Every professor I talked to got an excited gleam in his or her eyes and all they could say was "do it."

England. In the summer. Going to half a dozen universities. Seeing all areas of the U.K. (Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland). Experiencing new cultures. Getting credit and exercising my creative muscle. Staying in the Harry Potter castle (Alnwick Castle).

Uh, hell yeah I'm doing it. When everyone around you is encouraging you to do something, it becomes less of a pipe dream and more of a reality. The positive feedback and encouragement I got from so many of my colleagues and friends made up my mind. (And ok, so seeing that I get to stay in the Harry Potter castle kind of cemented the fact that I wanted to do this. I'm not going to lie--it was a factor. It's the Harry. Potter. Castle.)

So now, $1,100 and two months later, I'm registered for the UK Study Tour, set to depart from the Detroit Airport on May 9, 2008. I am completely excited. England, I'm coming back!