This week was another incredibly quick one. One day I was enjoying a beautiful snowfall at a golf course in High Wycombe, the next I was on a 10K run through the fields near my home. This week my housemates and I went out on Tuesday and Friday, celebrating a 21st birthday with a proper pub crawl in town to start the weekend. Surprisingly, it’s a pretty big birthday here too, even though the drinking age is 18. 

This week I went grocery shopping on my own after a swim, which was interesting as I had to commute home with a big bag. However, as the weeks progress I feel more and more comfortable getting myself around and being pretty independent. In fact, there were moments when I really felt at home. It’s easy to get caught up in work and let things like the weekend go to waste, but luckily each day I spent some time out of the house. 

I got to talk to my mom and boyfriend quite a bit this week, and even planned a trip to Amsterdam with my best friend! I can’t wait to start exploring other places and take advantage of this amazing location I am in. I’m thrilled to have seen so many places in England, but places like Iceland, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and more are calling my name.

That’s all for now, 

Reading Letters and a Sunday Trip to Reading, England

This past week absolutely flew by (weird how that happened again). It’s already been 15 days, which works out to be about 10% of my time here in the UK.... crazy. I’m starting to feel more at home; settling into my house, daily routine, and feeling comfortable getting around via public transportation. 

Almost everyday went by like a blink of an eye, which has a direct correlation to when I was productive, or filling my day with things like work, swimming, exploring, and spending time outside of the house. The times this week where I found myself feeling homesick were when I was alone, doing things I could do in the US (sit around the house, watch Netflix, etc). My perspective is that there is a limited amount of time I will be here (clearly it will go by fast) and if I am not trying, seeing, or doing something new, it is wasted time and opportunity. I know not to be over ambitious and I expect that some weekends my “adventure” will be a simple trip into town or going for a nice walk around my neighborhood. Luckily, I have housemates that like exploring as much as I do, which means I’ve been able do a few day trips via the trains, to nearby towns. 

I was surprised and absolutely blown away when I received two letters from my boyfriend, who lives in Boston, this week. He is so incredibly kind and manages to make me feel so completely loved from thousands of miles away. His loving gestures blow me away and I decided to incorporate the letters into my room decor. Little things like his letters remind me how lucky I am to have him. 

Things that went down: 

Work things: I spent the majority of the work week getting more adjusted to my position, getting logistics sorted for my UK bank account, and figuring out a schedule for my swimming 

Social things: Went to a work Holiday Party on Friday 

Travel things: Took a train to Reading on Sunday

People things: FaceTimed/ video chatted/ called my mom, dad, sister, older brother, and boyfriend. My mom is going to come visit in London and I can’t wait! 

Going All Over England and Figuring Things Out

In seemingly no time at all, I have experienced almost 10 days of being in the UK. During the time I’ve been here I’ve seen a lot of Maidenhead’s town center (centre) and nearby towns like Cookham, Windsor, and even Oxford using the train and my own two feet. I even got to go into London, TWICE! I really saw the sights the second time, which was for a 20K charity walk with some of my colleagues and fellow interns. 

I luckily found a 25m pool I like in town and soon will get into a sort of training routine. The plan now is to be at College Club Swimming Nationals in March with my team, it’s just a matter of training equivalently to my teammates back in Boston. The one thing I didn’t imagine would be such a challenge in that I have no way to transport myself without depending on someone else. However, I have plans to get creative and either fix up one of the old bikes we have around the house, run, or just take the bus into town. It’s just going to be an obstacle I can easily manage with some creativity.

On the work side, I’ve been trying to pick things up quickly because it is such a short time I will be at the company. The environment is fast paced and there hasn’t been a single day where I’ve felt bored. In the scheme of things, five months is nothing, and I’m learning that if I keep myself busy, it will absolutely fly by.

I have been keeping in contact with my family, friends, and boyfriend, while still being social with my intern housemates. I do miss everyone from home, but I know those relationships, that matter so much to me, won’t be going anywhere. The people I am surrounding myself with now are great and I will make the best of my time with them. I felt pretty homesick last week, but something that a friend said to me has helped significantly. He said that “being abroad you experience the highest highs and the lowest lows” and it is a time for extreme self-discovery and growth. This unique experience is ultimately one that will shape me. While it is scary, it is helping me find out who I am and what is really important to me. 

TTFN, 

M

Day 1: Made it to Maidenhead

Hello! It’s officially closing in on day one of my adventures in England. I arrived to this country around 06:50 GMT, or 1:50am EST. Now it is 23:30 and I am about to pass out, since I only got about 4.5 hours of sleep on the flight. Jet lag is a beast, I want to beat it in time for my first day of co-op on Monday. I can’t wait to start and I’m actually quite excited to get into a routine, like swimming/lifting after work with my housemates, posting in here on weekends, as well as FaceTime with family and friends as often as possible. 

In terms of what happened today, I got picked up from the airport by one of my housemates, got a look around nearby shops and grabbed some lunch/snack foods, unpacked, went for a walk in a park, watched a show called Luther (starring Idris Elba) with my housemates, and then went to a pub called the Thatched Cottage for dinner and drinks. 

As this day comes to a close, I can’t stress enough how important a support system is for an international co-op, both in your host country and at home. I know it is only the first day, but I feel like I do have a team of people that are there for me if and when I need them. 

TTFN,