It’s only been two days and I am already so glad that I made the choice to study abroad in London.

It’s amazing how many assumptions we make in daily life which help us get through the day in autopilot. For example, in America I find it petty and annoying to carry around change with me so I dump it all in a container at home or throw it in a donation / tip box. It took me two days to realize that there are no single or two pound bills and in fact they are the coins in my pocket that I undervalued.

I created this website 7 months ago but never got around to posting on it until now. After finally getting through a crazy roller-coaster of a semester, I’ve added the finishing touches to the website and hope to write a few posts every now and then. It’s especially fitting because I’ll be studying abroad next semester at University College London.

I often make important decisions by carefully weighing my options, examining the pros and cons, and gathering as much information as possible. However, the decision to study abroad isn’t one of these. In ‘Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,’ Malcolm Gladwell argues that some of the best decisions are often those that are impossible to explain to others and how the subconscious mind ‘thin-slices’ information to filter the very few factors that matter. We aren’t aware of this process because it happens subconsciously. Studying abroad has always felt like the right thing to do ever since I’ve started at Rice and I can’t explain why it’s so important to me.

I look forward to my time in London and I plan to explore the city, meet new people, try new things and travel around Europe as much as possible. Until then, I’m relaxing at home in Florida and enjoying a nice Christmas break.