And so it begins...

My new experience, I believe, can officially be considered under way. While my student visa application is rather tentatively still pending, I am confident it will be completed swiftly and simply-- and most importantly, in time for the beginning of term.

Where am I going? What am I doing? I am embarking on an academic adventure quite outside my comfort zone for an entire year in pursuit of a Master's in Environmental History. My new home as of September 16, 2008, will be the University of Nottingham, just a couple short hours north of London.

To say the least, I am brimming with a variety of emotions. At times I am inexplicably excited and can't help but itch to leave right away. At other times I am anxious about the massive change that is about to happen. Nothing will be as I know it. Everything will be different. Well fine, maybe not everything. But still, I am moving over 3,000 miles away to live in a different country-- how much can really stay the same?

Over the course of the next year, I plan to take note of my observations and experiences as an American student studying in England. I decided that September 1st, a date that most American university students are either in class by or are at least back at school preparing to start very soon, would be the right time to start my journal.

Hopefully someone other than myself and/or people I am immediately familiar with will enjoy what I intend to share, and can reflect on my experiences with me. We'll see if I can manage to be interesting enough to entertain someone besides myself for an entire year.