My name is Erica Surgeary (yup, just like the operation). I am a senior majoring in Event Management. I am from Long Island, New York so I’m already used to traveling across open waters to go to school (haha). At SCSU I live on campus as a Resident Advisor, I am a Peer Mentor Coordinator, Orientation Ambassador, and a tour guide.
I am studying abroad in Liverpool, England from September 14th – January 6th. I will be an exchange student at Liverpool’s John Moores University. I will be sharing a suite/flat with five other SCSU students in a building called Capital Gate.
Livin n’ Liverpool
You say goodbye, & I say hello!
Wednesday’s occur 53 times a year, it’s the hump day of a long workweek, and it’s commonly known among teens as the day you wear pink. I’ve spent years of dreaming, months of planning, and days of counting down to this Wednesday.
Well, this Wednesday is finally here! On September 14th, I leave the owl’s nest for four months to study abroad in Liverpool, England for the fall semester! But, I’m not just studying abroad… I’m proud to say that I am a pioneer for Southern Connecticut State University’s student exchange program and Liverpool’s John Moores University.
I’ve been waiting on standby for almost two years for this “Atlantic Crossing” program to take off. Now, you may ask, why did I wait for fall semester of my senior year? (FYI, college really does fly by). Well, my insightful advisors in the Recreation, Sports, and Event Management department were the engineers of this exchange program. They put the pieces together and paved the runway for students like me to be the test pilots for this adventurous flight.
I’m feeling excited but nerves are kicking in. I am ambitious and optimistic. This experience will help challenge me to become more adventurous and live more independently. It still hasn’t settled in yet that I’ll be away for four months, but as my twin sister said, who studied abroad in Prague last semester, it will hit me when I arrive. (BTW Allee, my sister, has been the best resource & guide to me throughout all of this!)
In March 2016 I spent my spring break in Prague visiting Allee. We went to Vienna, Prague, and Budapest in 10 days. My short time in these three European cities gave me new perspectives. I was overly exhausted, my shoes were stuffed with band-aids and tissues from countless blisters on my feet, and we probably got lost twenty times, but it was the best trip I’ve ever had.
So now I am thrilled to take these lessons learned into my own adventure abroad. I will be joined by 5 other students from SCSU who are also test- piloting the program. We really don’t know each well yet and we have different majors, but we decided to share a six-person suite. (Check out Chris’s blog too!).
Did I mention we each get our own room and bathroom??!!?!
In preparation for my flight, I returned home last week to Long Island, New York after spending my entire summer at SCSU working for New Student Orientation and interning with the Office of Student Involvement. I’ve been in the driver’s seat all summer steering the Peer Mentoring program in a new direction. My summer experiences were challenging and incredibly rewarding (making it a million times harder to say goodbye).
But now, it’s time to say hello to OWL the places I’ll go!
*I’ll apologize in advance for the OWL puns… can you tell I’m in love with Southern?
So like a hot air balloon, I’m going to hop on and ride across the pond. These next few months are filled with unknowns, but I can’t wait to see how much I’m going to learn and grow. Follow me along the way because this blog is intended for OWL WHOOO want to know what it’s like to liv across the sea and call Liverpool my home!
My adventure is waiting. I’m on my way. Bon voyage USA!
Signing off….
AmErica n’ Liverpool