Becca in America: Part One

In April last year I was given a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was offered a place to study abroad for just over six months in Georgia. Studying abroad (specifically in America) has always been a dream of mine, so when I found out I was selected to study in the US, I jumped at the chance! It only feels like yesterday that I got offered a place but now, almost nine months later, I’m finally here in Georgia along with three of my classmates from back home. I’ve decided to start a new series on my blog where I will talk about my experience as an exchange student, I basically want to share experiences, give advice and overall, be reminded of my time here in the USA.

There isn’t an awful lot to say about the first day as it was basically just saying goodbyes, a long nine hour flight and settling in. On arrival we were met by three lovely people (and a really cute sign) who picked us up from the airport and looked after us, they took us to Walmart to get some basic necessities (yes, we were all VERY excited for Walmart), and then took us to The Cracker Barrel, which is basically one of the nicest restaurants ever!

After living in the US for just over 48 hours, it’s fair to say I have only seen a small portion of what there is to offer, but I can already see major differences between here and home. The first being the size of everything! My university campus back home is located in a small town and has a couple of buildings, everything is basically around the corner, the area is small and the number of students is tiny compared to my American university. Here in the US, the campus is huge and it even has a Starbucks in the university and a shuttle that takes students to different areas of the Campus and to the mall and Walmart! Before moving to Georgia I heard the phrase ‘southern hospitality’ a lot, and after meeting a number of the locals I can honestly say that so far everyone I’ve met is so friendly and helpful, the Southern hospitality levels are so high, everyone is so nice and willing to help you! Almost everyone I’ve met has complimented my accent, which never happens at home, but I guess that’s just what happens when your accent is a rather brash mixture of cockney and Essex! 

I got very lucky when it comes to the accommodation I’m staying in. I know that In the US, a lot of people have roommates however, I’m in a suite with three other girls and we all have our own bedrooms and bathrooms and all we share is a kitchen. The accommodation here is a lot bigger than my accommodation back at home, again because the campus is a lot bigger and has a lot more students (I heard around 30,000 so a LOT more people than what I'm use to!).  One of my favourite things about my accommodation is the view from my apartment, from my window I can see the whole accommodation complex and they sky is always stunning. 

Before moving to Georgia, there were some things I was so excited for, one being shopping! If you know me then you probably know that one thing I was looking forward to was going shopping, especially for make up! There are so many make up brands/products that are not easily available in the UK so I was (probably overly) excited to be able to try new products and stock up when I got here. When my fellow Brit’s and I took a trip to the mall to explore things that we can spend too much money on, we were not disappointed! I have come to a decision that Sephora is my favourite place on earth, all of the products that I’ve been dying to get my hands on are now so easily accessible for me, so expect a make up haul and some reviews pretty soon!

So that's about it for my first couple of days here in the USA. So far, home sickness isn't so bad because I've been super busy everyday and I'm too busy seeing things I don't get to see everyday in the UK (specifically Sephora, seriously I'm in love with the place) . I'll be posting regular updates on here about my new adventure so stay tuned for more!

Until next time. 

Love, 

Becca x