I am living in a castle.

That is all that was running through my head as our coach pulled up to Harlaxton Manor where I will have the opportunity to be attending school for four months. The first few hours when we arrived were for us to freely explore the manor and take countless photos.

While many people were exhausted from their travels, I was lucky. I have been in England for about a week and a half with friends that I work with during the summer. We celebrated New Years together, explored London, and talked almost constantly about camp.

There are a few moments in your life where all the pieces of the puzzle seem to be together and being with them was one of those moments. Over half the people that were together for the reunion were from the United States, which made seeing sites even more exciting. At one point, we had 15 camp counselors from the past summer together in one place.

Saying goodbye to that group was almost as difficult as saying goodbye at the end of the summer, but I had just gotten my adventure started. In a matter of days I was on my way with a whole new group of students to Harlaxton.

The first speech we were given was by the President of Harlaxton, Dr. Kingsley, and inspired me to make the most of my opportunity while abroad. This is an adventure of a lifetime that many could not even dream to experience and my entire goal is to not take it for granted.

It is difficult coming to a place where you have to get to know people all over again, almost like repeating freshman year. Many people already know each other and it’s difficult to figure out how you fit into the spectrum of students.

The people I have met so far have been some of the friendliest and most interesting people and I have realized that there are so many people I could see myself getting close to.

Our first night at the local pub called Gregorys ended up being a wonderful experience in itself. A large group was in a side room of the pub where a man was celebrating his 60th birthday. A live band was playing folk songs on guitars, violins, and recorders, and before long John Denver’s “Country Roads” was played and our group of Harlaxton students joined in singing.

It was when I looked around at those people that I could first said, “I can see myself being friends with these people.” It was like being a freshman in college all over again and making friends for the first time.

My British Studies professor, Edward Bujak, spoke to us our first night at Harlaxton about how even though we were from many different places and liked many different things, we would all come together because of Harlaxton. That night at Gregory’s it all made sense and we were all on the same page.

I am looking forward to the many experiences I will have at Harlaxton College and the many people I will come to know. It has only been a few days, and I can already proudly call this place home and proudly say that I live in a castle.