Pre-Departure Thoughts

Yep. That's it. Four months and four days packed into three bags. And yes, I know I said I was going to fit it all in one bag and a carry-on, but come on, let's be realistic. This is packing pretty darn light for the girl who takes a carload going from Iowa City to Lincoln for ten days.

I'll be driving up to Omaha with the fam in approximately t minus 9 1/2 hours. From there Chicago, and from there, well, London. In about 24 hours I will be a foreigner. Weird right? Tell me about it. I still don't really have a grip on it. To be quite honest, I've been so stressed trying to organize last minute things, pack my suitcases, and make sure I have the necessary paperwork to get into England that I haven't really been able to dwell on the reality of what is about to happen. I'm going to plop myself in the middle of complete and utter unknown. Holy. Crap.

Color me terrified.

What if my plane crashes? What if I get suctioned to the airplane toilet when I take a whiz during the 7 hour flight? What if they don't let me into England? What if I lose all my hard-packed luggage? What if I get lost on the tube? What if I get pick-pocketed? What if I lose my passport? What if no one likes me?

Whew. Breathe.

I'm going to London. At this point, I've worried so much, stressed so much, worked my bum off, and what it comes down to is it's going to happen, good and bad, and I'm going to deal with it as it comes. And considering I'll be in Europe, how bad can bad be? It's all going to be an adventure and a story to tell the grand kids (and you, of course, dear readers).

Alright, on that note, let's have a scavenger hunt. And by "let's" I mean me. Starting from Monday January 31 at 6:25 AM (if all goes smoothly) and going until the next blog post (or in other words, who the heck knows) --
1. Find a chippy and sample fish and chips -- 5 points
2. Ask where the loo is -- 5 points
3. Ride a double-decker bus -- 7 points
4. Visit a pub -- 8 points
5. Hear someone say "bloody hell" - 10 points (bonus points if they are ginger)
6. Find Platform Nine and Three Quarters - a million points

And with that, I bid you adieu to watch one last episode of Doctor Who and have sweet dreams of my marriage to David Tennant.

Peace, love, and more love,
Sarah

Why London

Dear World,

This is me, Sarah M. Kosch, starting the blog that will keep you up-to-date on my adventures studying abroad this semester. There are approximately three weeks until I depart, my packing list is still in limbo, but my excitement meter is off the charts (obviously, since I can't even wait until I'm in the UK to start writing this).

I thought I'd use this first post to talk about why I've been set on going to London from the get-go. Yes, I wanted to get out of my bubble and see the world, but why London out of the entire planet? Five reasons (in no particular order except for their potential for clever transitions):

1) When I was somewhere around ten years old, the second man I ever fell in love with (after Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was an Englishman named Nigel Bailey from one of the many obscure, nerdy television shows my parents followed. It was a show called Relic Hunter that was inspired by Tomb Raider and starred Christien Anholt (Nigel) as the wimpy sidekick of bad ass relic hunter Sydney Fox (played by Tia Carrere). If memory serves, this was the moment I realized there was something magical about British accents.

                                                         Nigel! And Sydney.

2) Speaking of magic, reason number two is of course Harry Potter. Although crushed when I did not receive my acceptance letter to Hogwarts when I turned eleven, I have never wavered in my obsession with all things HP. I mean I had a Hedwig backpack in sixth grade and even when the cool kids laughed at it, I still wore that bad boy with pride. That is true fan-dom, my friends.

                 I will be finding Hogwarts Castle while I'm in the UK if it's the last thing I do.

3) I'm also a fan of "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging" (hey, look the inspiration of the blog title!) by Louise Rennison. This young adult book series focuses on Georgia Nicolson, a witty English teen dealing with the woes of growing up, finding yourself, and snagging a boyfriend. Besides the fact that these are just great books in general, I loved that there had to be a dictionary in the back of each book to decipher English slang. Because let's just admit it, guys: the British have THE best slang EVER!
For example:
Knickers = underwear
Nuddy-Pants = birthday suit
Snogging = kissing
                                       Bezzy mates = best friends
                                       Bloke = man
                                       Loo = bathroom
                                       Minger = not a nice person
                                       Nutter = crazy person
                                       Slaggy = slutty

I just dig it. So, so much. There's also a movie based on the books called "Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging." I've watched it at least seven times in the past six months, and I have yet to get tired of it. I can't get enough of the witty zingers and hilarity. 

 4) Speaking of humor, the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail has forever changed me. Thankfully, not into a newt, though. But seriously, that is quality humor. A Holy Hand Grenade? Killer Bunny? The Knights who say 'Ni'? Classic.

                                                  'Tis but a flesh wound...


5) Another classic is of course Doctor Who. My love of this British Sci-fi has been rekindled in the past year, but once again, it originated back in the day because of my parents' TV taste. I grew up watching the Doctor, so it will always hold a special place in my heart along with the urgent desire to find a blue police box. And/or David Tennant.

                                                                                 
And as we come full circle with nerdy TV, I believe it is the appropriate time to reveal the epiphany I had while writing this. I was fated to be British. Blame it on the psychology of the nature and nurture debate. I inherited my parents nerdiness and nurtured it with my own collection of nerdy loves. And with these nerdy loves comes the desire to be among the British who I hold so dear. Ergo, I was destined to be a faux-Londoner. Ergo, I am going to London. Ergo, I need a Tardis so I can jump ahead in time to January 30th.

Cheers,
Sarah