In a little over a month, I will board a plane that will
take me to Detroit. “Detroit?” you say. “How exiting!”
I know, right?
But fortunately, I will get on another plane that will take
me to Amsterdam. From there I’ll board a plane bound for Edinburgh, Scotland.
And thus, my adventure abroad will begin.
My mother is accompanying me on the first twelve days of the
trip. We will spend four days in Scotland, exploring the highlands, Edinburgh and
Glasgow, visiting a castle that was once the homestead of our ancestors, and,
of course, searching for J.K. Rowling.
Then we’ll spend a few days in the Manchester/Liverpool
area.
Let us take a moment to acknowledge the fact that the
Beatles are, by far, my favorite band. Ever. Period. To attempt to put my love
for the Beatles into words would just be silly. Let’s just sum it up with this:
I saw Paul McCartney in concert two years ago and it’s safe to say it was the
greatest night of my life. Ever. Period.
Needless to say, I will be spending a day exploring the home
of the Fab Four, and, quite possibly, be crying the entire time.
From Manchester, my mom and I will head south to Bath and
explore Wales and other areas of southern Great Britain, including Stonehenge
and possibly Stratford-upon-Avon.
We’ll end up in London, doing all the touristy things we can
fit into three days. We’ll take a double-decker bus tour, explore the Tower of
London, watch the changing of the Guard.
And did I mention we’ll be going to the Leavesden Studios??
That’s right. I’ll get to walk through the sets of the Harry Potter movies,
wander down Diagon Alley, and hang out in the Gryffindor common room.
Jealous?
I would be. Maybe I’ll get you a souvenir. Perhaps a new
broom? A Golden Snitch? A copy of Hogwarts,
A History?
You’re welcome.
On July 3, my mom will board a plane back to the States. But
my adventure will just be beginning.
I always wanted to study abroad, but never got a chance in
undergrad. Timing wasn’t on my side. So while studying at The University of
Alabama, in the School of Library and Information Studies, I decided to make it
happen.
Last summer, before I’d actually started grad school, I
decided I wanted to go to London this summer. I didn’t quite know how to make
this happen, but I knew I wanted to do something in London that had to do with
children’s literature. So when I got an email about a study abroad opportunity,
which revolved around children’s literature and applying it to new multimedia
programs, and did a lot of research and thinking and whatnot, I decided this
was too good to pass up.
So for the month of July, I’ll be studying abroad with
Florida State University. My group will be traveling throughout London and
surrounding areas, exploring libraries, museums and various locations where
classic children’s stories are based, which will include, among other things,
flying kites at Primrose Hill like Mary Poppins!
We’ll be learning to use all sorts of multimedia tools,
utilizing compact digital cameras, editing pictures and videos, creating podcasts
and digital stories, and, well, blogging.
Here on my blog, not only will I write about my experiences,
but I will also be posting assignments and multimedia I’ve created for class.
So maybe you’re reading this because you love libraries and
librarians (I see you, Ryan Gosling) or maybe you’re reading this because you
love London.
Maybe you’re reading this because you know that if my mother
and I are going to a foreign country together, then there will surely be some
interesting tales to tell.
Whatever your reason is, I hope you enjoy following this
adventure.
I have to write about it either way…
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