It’s been a cold week in Belfast. The kind of chill that you can feel to your bones. The kind of chill that makes you never want to leave the comfort and warmth of your home.
I don’t actually think it is unseasonably cold, nor is it colder than winters in Boston (though I have heard through the grapevine that it has been an unseasonably warm winter in Boston). It is just the sharp contrast with the wonderful weather we had the two weeks before this one. The fickle weather has me thinking about something I hadn’t really thought about, though. One of the things you don’t consider when planning an entire year abroad is that you will experience all four seasons. Given the bulkiness of winter clothes (which are absolutely necessary if you are spending winter in the UK), I neglected to bring summer clothes with me. In about a month/two months’ time I will have no choice but to buy summer clothes, which is both an expense I hadn’t considered and a problem when it comes to packing at the end of the year. I have yet to come up with a good resolution to these problems.
As the semester continues, I find myself thinking more and more about life back in the States. I have been interviewing for summer jobs, as well as started worrying about housing and my next semester courses. I guess I am slowly tipping my feet back into American waters. This experience has made me glad that I came over for the entire year despite problems such as the one above. I have been able to fully immerse into life in Belfast. I still had to fill out forms and keep an eye on my Wellesley email, but not to the extent to which I have to keep it in mind now.
Another great thing about studying abroad for a whole year has been time. I’ve had enough time to settle in, enough time to experience the culture, and a lot of time to travel (there’s definitely never enough time to travel). It is so much cheaper to travel around Europe once you are actually in Europe, but if you travel every weekend you don’t get to fully experience the country where you are living or concentrate on your classes.
I haven’t been too bothered by the opportunities I have missed by studying abroad. I will be unable, for instance, to meet Hillary Clinton, who is going to Wellesley not once but twice this semester. However, meeting Hillary Clinton would have been difficult anyway, because (1) tickets for her visit sold out within minutes, and (2) Wellesley will surely not allow the entire school to stay for graduation. Even if I had stayed, it would not be guaranteed that I would meet her. The thing that bothers me the most is definitely that my grades for the entire year won’t count towards my GPA. This annoys me because I have done well, and I have put a lot of time into my classes. I am sure Wellesley has its reasons not to count my grades, but I am annoyed nonetheless. Then again, I knew all of this before deciding to study abroad, so I can’t say I wasn’t warned.
This month will be difficult, but I am really looking forward to my sister’s visit. Saint Patrick’s Day (or week, really) in Ireland should be an incredible experience. I also have my April trip to plan, and perhaps more importantly, to look forward to.
Until next time~