And So, It Begins...

     It's my first post ever, and I have to say I am kind of excited!

     This entry serves as a test post, as well as an update about things going on here in Texas before I depart Thursday afternoon. I plan to make weekly posts, and I really hope I will manage to keep up with them.

     As you all know, I am hopping the pond to attend Keele University in Newcastle-under-Lyme (Not to be confused with Newcastle-upon-Tyne) near Stoke-on-Trent, England (UK). It's a very small school compared to my home university of UTSA, with 6,000 or so students as opposed to a near 30,000. I've been told that, because of its size, Keele is really a place of community, and that excites me. It's also located in rural England, which I am really looking forward to. All in all, I hope to have a truly British experience while I am here, while striving to gain a new perspective on my country, the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, as well as finding a better sense of myself.

     My departure date is fast approaching. It has really been a long road up to this point, seeing as how I started the process to this entire ordeal at the end of my freshman year. Now, I depart this Thursday. It's almost surreal! From applying to Study Abroad, to applying to Keele, to getting my Visa, and now I'm leaving. It felt like just yesterday that I was counting down the days from six months away.

     Tomorrow, I am finishing up some stuff at UTSA, such as meeting with my advisor, saying good-bye to former co-workers, helping Education Abroad Services with their Study Abroad fair, and saying one last Farewell to many of my friends. I will miss everyone, but hopefully through the power of Facebook, Skype, this Blog, and other miscellaneous resources, I will be able to keep up with many of you. 

     Wednesday, I will be forced to finish packing, cleaning, and everything else. I will be gone for nine months, and it's already difficult figuring out what parts of my life to take, what parts to leave behind, and what parts to get there.

     Again, this is mostly a test-post, but I appreciate anyone and everyone for taking the time to keep up with it. I'll update with more, better information once I am actually in the UK. 

Peace!