An Amazing Experience

So far this experience has been an amazing one! I can't believe the amount of awesome people I've already met who are from all over the world, yet still have so many common interests. I'm from Jericho, Vermont which is a really small and rural town in northern Vermont and only about an hour from the Canadian border. Although everyone from home is really nice and open-minded, we still don't see much diversity. I've always felt a little bored in Jericho, as if I would feel more content in a busier and MORE exciting area. Richmond is exactly the place for me. I feel so at home here and it is the perfect mix of rural beauty as well as loads of awesome places to go to.

I was a little nervous that Richmond students wouldn't be very friendly because I had heard rumors that the English weren't very outgoing. However, I've found that students here (and other people I've met from Richmond or London) have been really warm and talkative to me. It was really tempting in the beginning in the beginning to just stick to the Western New England College kids I already knew, but I knew I should branch out and that decision has been extremely rewarding. For example, last weekend I went on one of the trips organized by Richmond University to go to Scotland and I didn't know anyone going. It was a new experience for me because I usually try and do things with at least one person I already know, so it was definitely out of my comfort zone. I met so many great people though, a few that I got really close too and I can't imagine how much I would have missed out if I hadn't gone on the trip. There is truly nothing like bonding with people over going to a new place and having new adventures with them. Talking with new people has made me realized how unadventurous I normally am. Many of the people I met on my Scotland trip had already been to many other European countries and were shocked I hadn't done much traveling yet. A common motto seemed to be "We're in London, why wouldn't we go everywhere we could?!" People's spontaneous and adventurous outlooks on life made me start thinking about all of the opportunities I have had while being over here. I'm already much more aware of how many amazing experiences I've had and will have in the next three months. I can't wait to try out my new outlook and see where it takes me, for I know anything that happens will be a memorable experience.