Abroad from abroad

Eventyret er i gang, jeg er en Lynx nu (deres maskot og derved det, vi alle sammen hedder når vi repræsenterer Rhodes) orienteringen er i fuld gang og døgnet har ikke nok timer. Jeg får deja vú til rusugen sidste år i Aberdeen hvert 10. sekund. Skemaet er fuldt. Og den rigtige rusuge er ikke engang startet endnu. I lørdags startede vores internationale orientering, og siden da har jeg været sammen med de andre 4 udvekslingsstudenter og 17 andre internationale studerende, der skal til at påbegynde deres 1. år. Dagene har været pakket med alt det, der bliver nyttigt for os når først timerne begynder og collegelivet går i gang for alvor. Briefings om alt lige fra campus sikkerhed til deres writing center, hvor man kan få hjælp med opgaverne som jeg forventer vil hobe sig op, så snart jeg træder ind i klasseværelset. Vi har været på bådcruise på Mississippi-floden og lært lidt om Memphis' historie. Vi har haft besøg af en højt respekteret FBI agent, der fortalte os lidt om sikkerhed i Memphis (og som også fortalte, at han desværre ikke havde haft fornøjelsen af at møde præsident Obama endnu..). Jeg har skrevet en stor bunke emails til professorer, hvis fag jeg gerne vil tage. Jeg har købt mine bøger, været på shoppeture til Target med de andre for at købe alle nødvendighederne til et dorm room.

Rhodes College er en stærk konkurrent til Aberdeen hvad angår pænhed. Rhodes er smuk. Bygningerne er magiske. De ligner alle sammen hinanden, men det er en del af skønheden. Det er gotik i den absolut smukkeste form. Campus indeholder alt, hvad vi nogensinde kan få brug for: spisehal med et hav af forskellige retter, svømmepøl, fitness center, kæmpe bibliotek, boghandel, atletikbane, eget posthus og alle vores venner, næsten lige ved døren. Alt sammen til fri afbenyttelse. Hente en pakke eller sende et postkort? 2 minutter fra min dør. Et hurtigt dyk i poolen i solskinnet? 3 minutter. Morgenmad, som jeg ikke engang selv skal lave? 4 minutter. Det er vores egen lille, sikre verden.

Imorgen torsdag flytter alle de nye førsteårs studerende ind, og jeg forestiller mig allerede nu, at det bliver kaos. Præcis ligesom i film. Men det betyder nye mennesker og nye venner. Jeg glæder mig.

ENGLISH I'm a Lynx now! I've been in Memphis since Saturday now, and everything continues to be new and exciting. 2nd year of university, and in a different country! Studying abroad from my home abroad. If I was still in Aberdeen, first week/orientation week would smooth sailing. But once again, I'm starting from scratch, and several times I take myself getting deja vú to last years Fresher's Week back in Aberdeen. There's stuff to do every single second, places to be and people to meet. It's exactly the same as last year, and the real Fresher's Week hasn't even started - the new freshmen don't move in until tomorrow. So, for the past 5 days, I've been with the new international students (exchange students, Teaching Assistent's and new freshmen from all over the world). We've been through a ton of info sessions with all the stuff that'll come in handy once classes start. One thing that I love about Rhodes is all the different stuff we have available on campus (paid for through the tuition); there's a writing center, ESL-service, a huge library with a media center, fully staffed dining hall, a swimming pool, a fitness center, post office, an outdoor track, free laundry, a bookstore (with Rhodes merchandise - very important!).. basically, all the stuff you could ever need as a student. It's amazing. Send or receive a package? 2 minutes from my doorstep. A quick dip in the pool? Three minutes. Breakfast cooked for me in the dining hall with my friends? Refectory's 4 minutes away. It's like living in a bubble where you pay for people to do the work for you. I guess that's what college's about, isn't it?

So yeah, so far I've been with the international kids and our international orientation is coming to an end tomorrow when the new freshmen move in (it's going to be insane!). It's been really nice getting to know the campus and some of its people before everybody else gets here tomorrow. We've been briefed about academic life, Greek life (sororities, fraternities and all that shit), campus safety, we've had an FBI agent visit us to talk to us about safety in the Memphis area, we went on a cruise on the Mississippi and learned a bit about Memphis history in the process, we've been trying out different Memphis foods on different restaurants around the city and the list goes on. The schedule has been absolutely packed so far.

Rhodes' campus is beautiful. A very worthy competitor to the beautiful scenery we have back at Aberdeen. Both places are like Hogwarts in their own way. Both places are magical.

Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

Denne her blog var oprindeligt for at give min familie og mine venner et indblik i mit 'nye' liv, da jeg for første gang tog afsted mod USA tilbage i august 2013. To år er gået, og meget har ændret sig siden da. Det var faktisk lige præcis to år siden i går, at jeg fløj mod New York City dengang. Der er løbet meget vand under broen, som nogen ville sige. Som de opmærksomme og trofaste læsere/min familie nok ved, holdte jeg kun 70 dage i Texas dengang - noget, som jeg egentlig nok allerede godt vidste taget omstændighederne i betragtning. Min store drøm var jo ikke at tage til USA for at være au pair, som så mange jo sirligt påpegede, da jeg entusiastisk delte nyheden dengang. Nej, det har altid været et andet lys der brændte og det har den store portion amerikanske college-film, jeg har slugt gennem tiderne, ikke været med til at slukke. Det har kun gjort det stærkere. Min drøm har jo nemlig altid været at tage til USA for at læse, og nu er muligheden her. Nu tager jeg endelig afsted for at opfylde min drøm, jeg får endelig mulighed for at se, om det er alt hvad jeg drømmer om, og denne her gang bliver det ikke under andres betingelser - det bliver på mine egne vilkår - og hvis I spørger mig, så er det præcis sådan, det skal være.

For dem af jer, der ikke har helt styr på detajlerne endnu, så kan jeg fortælle jer, at jeg skal studere to semestre på Rhodes College i Memphis, Tennessee. Jeg vil vove at påstå at jeg efterhånden ikke mere er fremmed til hele oplevelsen med at 'starte op' et nyt sted, hvor jeg ikke kender andre end mig selv; jeg har jo rejst og resideret lidt forskellige steder i verden, men udvekslingsstudent, det har jeg alligevel aldrig været. Men nu skal det være. Og det er egentlig dejligt at have lidt rutine i det, for jeg husker stadig tydeligt hvor nervøs jeg har været mange af de første gange, hvor jeg skulle til et nyt sted uden at kende en sjæl og samtidigt skabe mig tilværelse. Hvad end det har været kortvarigt eller i en længere periode. Men man når et punkt, hvor det nye og uvante føles hjemligt og rart, og hvor følelserne ikke længere sidder uden på tøjet.

Jeg sidder pt. i Københavns lufthavn, og venter på et fly til Ft. Lauderdale i Florida, hvor jeg, efter en forhåbentlig smooth immigrationsprocess, skal flyve videre til Memphis i morgen tidligt. Evie, en vældig sød pige fra Manchester, som er en af mine venner fra mit uni, skal også på Rhodes og vi skal bo på hotel imorgen aften indtil lørdag morgen, hvor et par flinke folk fra Rhodes kommer og henter os. Og så går det hele løs. Udflugten til Target lige når vi er ankommet er et stort højdepunkt!

Under alle omstændigheder, så glæder jeg mig enormt mig til at komme tilbage til USA. Selvom min tid derovre endte brat og uventet for at sige det mildt, så havde det absolut ingenting at gøre med hverken landet eller staten. Der er ingen tvivl om, at jeg skal tilbage til Texas. Og jeg tror også, at Tennessee kommer til at falde i min smag. Det skal nok blive fantastisk. Udfordrende på det akademiske plan og det personlige plan, men fantastisk. Det bliver vildt, uforudsigeligt, hårdt, og vigtigst af alt, worth all the trouble.

Jeg kan mærke den spændte følelse; den der fortæller mig, at jeg er klar til det her, og det er den samme, jeg sad med, dengang jeg var på vej mod det ukendte for to år siden. Og alle de andre gange, jeg har trådt ombord på et fly, der skulle tage mig et helt nyt sted hen. Det endte ikke helt som forventet, dengang i Texas, men det ændrer ikke på, at jeg har lyst til at prøve det hele igen. 

ENGLISH As some of you might know, a burgundy passport was created back in 2013. In April, if I'm correct. I remember this due to the fact that I matched with my host family back then. That's when I knew for sure that I was on my way to the States. As an au pair, granted, but I was still going. Which brings me to the original purpose of this blog. Initially, it was supposed to my American diary, the place where I'd share all my adventures from across the Atlantic. And granted, it kept this purpose, but not for long, because what I thought was going to be a year was cut short to just 70 days. Being an au pair was as far from what I wanted as humanly possible and I knew that from the very beginning, so I ended up going home and my American dream was crushed. Or, to be fair, I never actually got to live out my dream. I got to smell it and see other people live it, and that's exactly why I liked our local library - it was a part of the local college. So maybe you've guessed it now? 

Yes, my big dream has always been to studying the US. Cringy and corny, I know. But finally, that's what I'm going to do. On my own terms this time. My visa is not tied to an employer this time; it's tied to myself and my commitment to my studies. Which is just how I like it. So, my blog will now be what I always wanted it to be, at least for the next couple of months: a place where I document my adventures, the ups and downs that college life will inevitably throw at me and where I'll share my memories, thoughts and words on this crazy experience that lies ahead.

For those of you still unaware of the plan, I'll give you an update: I'm off to study two semesters at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee (will go home for Christmas to celebrate with my family and Chris'll come to Denmark, finally, hehe!). I'll be rambling about my classes and schedule and all when it's settled, but already now I know that there are three specific courses I have to have in order to progress into 3rd year upon my return in Aberdeen. It's gonna be some Modern Ideologies, International Relations Theory and International Political Economy. Besides that, anything goes, which is also making me really excited. Academically speaking, this year is going to challenge me, but also prepare me for Honours back in Scotland. Hopefully. Let's see.  
As far as the whole 'new-place-new-people'-experience goes, I'll dare to say that I'm kinda used to it all by now. This is far from the first time I have to do this, and I have to admit it's incredibly relieving and relaxing that I no longer feel nervous by the thought of a whole new beginning, and new people I have to turn into friends. The perks of being an experienced traveler, right? This doesn't mean I don't feel the excitement that follows - it just means I'm calm. Not afraid. I know it's gonna be okay no matter what happens. Eventually, you reach a point where the unknown somehow becomes familiar, where you find comfort in new places and you can feel at home wherever you are. 

As of right now, I'm sitting in Copenhagen Airport, waiting to board my flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After a couple hours waiting and me making my smooth way through custom and immigration, I'll fly to Atlanta and then finally arrive in Memphis tomorrow morning local time. Upon arrival, my roomate from Rhodes is going to pick me up (overly excited to meet her as well!) and we're gonna drive to my friend Evie's hotel. Evie is a friend from Aberdeen and she's gonna be at Rhodes for the next year as well. So, to be fair, I'd be lying if I said there's not gonna be any familiar faces in the crowd. This is actually a first. I've always done these things alone. So many firsts here, huh? Anyways, after a good night sleep and a shower to beat the jetlag, nice people from Rhodes are picking us up Saturday morning and then it all begins. International Student Orientation, a Fresher's Week for us foreigners, will last 6 days and then the new 1st year students will move in next Thursday. Which means another Fresher's Week. Good luck me. I had so much during Fresher's Week last year in Aberdeen, but it was exhausting. Pray for me.

I'm not gonna lie, this year has changed my dreams and my priorities, but saying no the opportunity I've been waiting for for what feels like my entire life would be a disgrace to the travelling soul I used to be.. and the adventurous soul I continue to be to this very moment. Due to the way my last stay in the States ended, I have to underline that this had nothing to do with the country nor Texas as a state. Quite on the contrary, Texas was amazing and I absolutely have to go back there before I go back to Europe. No doubt about that. But this year is going to be tough. It is. However, it means the world to me that I have people close to me who only want the best for me and supports me in this even though I know it's tough on them as well. They're really the people making all of this possible. 
It's not easy being head over heels in love with someone who's on the other side of the world, but you know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.