25 Days Til Europe...

For my first post I thought I would give you all a little bit of information about me. I want you to understand where I am coming from so that you can experience my journey with me. I know it may sound a little strange but I believe that you must know at least some about a person before you can understand stories from their point of view.

My name is Victoria and I have lived in Southern California my whole life. It is not uncommon to go to the beach or even the mountains. Southern California has both, so why not enjoy both? I have actually gone from the beach to the mountains in one day. I have grown-up in a close knit, small family. I only have one sibling, my younger brother Brett. Most of my family lives in Southern California and has for a long time. I have traveled all over the United States but have never actually been out of the country. This trip to Europe will be my first time traveling out of the country. I am so excited to experience the different cultures and people. I am expecting this trip to open my eyes to the world. Even though it is Europe, not exactly the direct opposite of the United States, I feel I will be able to learn a whole lot about people and the world by traveling. I am a Sophomore and I will be traveling with PLNU's art department through a program called Euroterm. I will be traveling with 15 other PLNU students led by Eugene Harris, an art professor from PLNU. One of my fellow Euroterm travelers, Stuart Ballew is also a PLNU study abroad blogger. He is a fantastic photographer and is bound to have some amazing photos from the trip. I am hoping to keep up. I love photography and am hoping to go into the business of wedding photography eventually. I know I will have many opportunities for some fantastic photos while I am traveling and will have way too many pictures to sort through after my trip.

Well... it is officially 25 days until I get on that plane to London. The excitement is building up more and more. Even though I am excited to go, I can't stop thinking about everything that I need to do before I leave. I have enjoyed my first week or so off and it is nice not having to think about school over the break. Luckly, the only thing I must do for next semester is read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo for my Lit class, pack, and get on that plane. I am trying to predict what it will be like in Europe. I have heard from the experiences of others, but I guess I will never know for sure until I experience it myself. I pray that we have safe travels and a blessed time while we are there. Meanwhile, I am realizing that most of my friends are going back to school within the next 2 weeks and I am still going be home. My parents will be back at work, my brother and friends back to school, and I will be left to find something... anything to do. I have my appointments such as a trip to the dentist, a facial and a haircut. I have a lot to get done, and then I'm sure a lot of down time. This should be interesting. I am beginning to miss my friends at Loma and it is difficult realizing I will not see many of them until August. All I know is I am enjoying my time at home and I am very excited to travel in the coming semester.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it.
God Bless,
Victoria