First Blog- Introduction and Boston

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I am a 20-year-old college student from Norfolk, MA. I currently study Marine Science at the Unviersity of South Carolina and will be studying abroad this upcoming semester. I decided now was probably the best time to switch from writing in my leather-bound journal to an online travel blog. As much as I love my old journal, being able to type and share my experiences is simply too tempting.

This February I fly to eastern Australia- James Cook University in Townsville, QLD. I will continue taking major credit courses in Marine Science, which is what makes Australia the perfect place for me to study abroad. I love the warm and desperately want to SCUBA dive the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is probably the most influential reason I chose northeastern Australia as my study abroad destination. I have always wanted to see more of the world- in fact, attending the University of South Carolina was my first step in getting out into the world. I was born and raised in the suburbs outside Boston. Norfolk is a good-sized town and I've lived here, in the same lovely house, for my entire life. That is, until I went away to college. I'll never know exactly why USC called to me above all the other schools I toured and was accepted into. Part of it was the money they offered, maybe another part was the distance and the opportunity to get out of the northeast. USC was the farthest school from MA I was accepted into and one of only two with Marine Science offered as a major. Regardless, moving to South Carolina and studying in their msci program was the best decision I ever made, but it was not without its bumps and growing pains. My first semester away from home was miserable. I knew absolutely no one and I had no idea what a culture shock SC had in store for me. I was a born and bred northern girl without a clue what she was doing in the deep South. So much was different- from the way my roommates spoke (with heavy southern accents) to the name of a shopping cart (a "buggie") to chivalry (I looked at the stranger who first graciously held a door open for me like he was a five-headed alien.) Slowly but surely I adjusted and grew to love so much about South Carolina. As a junior, I've now mostly figured out how to thrive in a different part of my own country and that means its time to take it up a notch- lets try the other side of the world, shall we?

Before I discuss my plans for this upcoming semester, I would like to set the stage and take a few lines to discuss Boston, MA. One of my friends once described Boston this way: "Think of the best place in the world you could ever imagine. Now turn it down a few notches, and you have Boston." I feel this is an accurate description. Boston has so much to offer, yet it has its flaws such as any place. Until this past summer, I never spent much time in the city itself. There were the occasional trips into Boston for special events, like high tea at the Langham Hotel, as well as day trips with friends just to explore, but I had never regularly gone into the city. This summer I spent interning at the New England Aquarium and aside from being the most incredible experience of my life thus far (which I will dedicate and entry to), this internship allowed me the opportunity to spend more time in the city and get to know it better. I spent some mornings and evenings exploring the areas around South Station (where I killed far too many hours) and Central Wharf. One of my favorite visions was looking out at Boston Harbor from the small dock where aquarium volunteers all ate lunch to see planes flying over to the airport and all sorts of boats sailing about. I always envy my friends who go to school here and can spend time exploring all the restaurants, night-life, parks, museums and more that Boston boasts. Yet at the same time, once the summer ends and the frigid winter weather hits, I'm always eager to scurry back to the eternal summer of South Carolina.



To come: South Carolina

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