On To Oxford!

In two days, I will be leaving the soggy campus of Abilene Christian behind, en route to Oxford, England.

In a lot of ways, it's hard to process, even though I've been preparing for it for months.  Way back in April, our Study Abroad team began to meet for pre-departure chapels, going over the basics of scheduling and preparation. Then, it felt surreal, but I figured that reality would kick in once we drew closer to leaving.

Two days out, I still feel the same way. I've turned in my travel portfolio, planning out trips within England and Europe; I've packed all my bags (and I'll repack them in the next 24 hours); I'm sitting through daily sessions, as our professors go over the final preparations for our four-month journey. Yet I still can't quite grasp that I'm going to England.

Part of the problem is my own tendency to live in the present: I find it hard to visualize the future.

When I'm looking at this—

ACU's opening assembly

—it's hard to remember that I'm going to this:

Photo of Oxford from Google

It seems ironic to me that, after living in a foreign country for four years and doing a significant amount of international traveling, I am unable to grasp the idea of living in England.

Yet, here it is. The reality of my study abroad experience is almost here; the bus to DFW is arriving in less than 30 hours.  By Thursday, I'll be across the Atlantic, in a foreign land that I've only ever seen on a screen or in my imagination.

I could write something sappy here about the dreams I've had of Britain, or of the places I'm going to go, or of the great people who will be going with me. But this quiet anticipation—this still air before the storm crashes down—it is a feeling too deep for words.

All that is left is to wait.