Amber Jean

The main question I’ve been asked since I decided to participate in this exchange program is: ‘Why London? Why England?’

In my head I think ‘Why NOT? It’s London!!!’ Even members of my own family didn’t understand why I wanted to come here. Some of it I could explain rationally, and some I couldn’t. Not only do I love traveling, but I came here a little over 9 years ago with an organization called People to People Student Ambassadors and promised myself I’d come back. And by here, I mean London as well as other cities in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Even though I was 11 years old, that trip opened my eyes to how different other places in the world are. I could feel my mind opening and realizing there was more to the world than just the United States. I knew I had to return someday. Three days in London simply wasn’t enough for me. Even as an 11 year old I knew there was more to this city than towers, castles, and famous bridges: there was culture. People. I knew the only way to understand the British culture was to live with them and experience it first hand.

So here I am. I’m now 20 years old, living and studying in London. How did I get here?

Over a year ago I applied for an exchange program for the Fall of 2011 but was politely wait listed. When I got the notification that I’d been rejected my heart felt like it shattered and I burst into tears. At that very moment I was sitting in the USF St. Petersburg library studying for a French exam. I was so heartbroken that I had to take the exam another day. Everything I’d planned, everything I’d hoped and expected just went down the drain. My mind immediately raced to what I should do to fix it. I tried applying to a different University in a totally different part of England, and still it was too late for the Fall 2011 semester. Then, even though my heart was set on London, I switched my application to the Spring of 2012 in Oviedo, Spain. My thought process went a little bit like:
“Yeah, Spain sounds good. Its warmer, probably less expensive, I’ll become fluent in Spanish. Yes! Apply for University of Oviedo!”

Then, after I went through the process of switching my application yet again, I had second thoughts and simply told the exchange office to switch my application to Middlesex University in London for the Fall of 2012 when the application period started again. All this waiting and rejection took a serious toll on me. I started having second thoughts as to whether I should even go anywhere abroad. It was all of you who really pushed me to stick with it. Mostly adults who had been through college and had their fun, regretted not doing a semester or two abroad. Why not? Scholarships help pay for it!
I didn’t want to have that regret when I got older. I wanted to say I’d gone to London and learned from it. I wanted stories to tell and lessons learned.

The process of becoming an exchange student was much harder than I’d imagined though. I had difficulties from the start. Picking a university and actually getting them to correspond, getting courses approved with my University, and making sure I had the money were a few of the many obstacles I had to get through. I’m STILL dealing with some of them even while abroad, but what counts is that I made it and I’m here. I chose London. I did it! I’m enrolled in MIddlesex University and looking forward to the semester ahead of me!