All About Me, Why Aberdeen, and Semester Goals

Hi everyone! Although there is already a short bio about me on the blog page, I thought I would share some about me just to reiterate. I am a 21 year-old junior from the San Francisco Bay Area. In terms of family, I live with my mom, dad, and brothers at home, when all us kids are there for the holidays. I have an older brother who is turning 28 in April, and a twin brother who is 15 minutes younger than me. That last bit is one of the things I love most about myself. I absolutely love having a twin, and it is something that is a major part of who I am.

In terms of school, I go to school at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where I am pursuing a degree in English with a minor in Biology. I have plans to attend Physical Therapy school after college, but I’m not sure where yet. At school I do a lot of different things. I am in a co-ed service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega, I am in a social sorority called Gamma Chi Delta, I work as an intern in the Office of Admissions, and I also work in the Athletic Training Room. There have been other things that I have participated in for some time or other during college, but those are the big things that stuck.

A common question that I get is, “Why did you choose to go to school in Texas?”. The basic answer is that I fell in love with Trinity, and it happened to be in Texas. So far, I have absolutely loved going to school in Texas, even though I never thought I would even go to school out of state. After visiting in my senior year of high school, I knew it was the place for me. This train of thought therefore lends itself to answering the question, “Why Aberdeen?”. I first chose Scotland because I have a grandfather from Scotland, and because it was my favorite place I visited the last time I came to Europe. Then when it came time to choose where I wanted to go in Scotland, Aberdeen was recommended to me by the Study Abroad Office at school. I didn’t have my mind set on one place in particular, and I knew someone who went in the fall and loved it, so I decided to go!

As far as my goals for the semester are concerned, I would love to gain more independence during my time abroad. Going to college 2,000 miles away from home has already helped me with that, but I would like the kind of independence that comes from travelling alone. I have always been one to do something new, as long as someone is coming with me. So studying abroad with no one I knew was a big step in itself. After being here, I would like to be more comfortable travelling to new places that don’t resemble any place I have ever been before. While I am here in Aberdeen, I would also like to learn more about the differences in the education system in Scotland, and about Scottish culture. Lastly, I would love to make friends that I want to visit in all the places they are scattered around the globe. But all in all, I’m just excited for this big adventure!