by Caroline Tidwell| Fall 2024 |
Stepping foot into Europe for the first time, I realized I was living my dream by moving to England. Young me had danced around in a beret and wished upon any star, believing I could one day move to a magical city in Europe. I was accomplishing my dream! Traveling with the honors group to Oxford, England, I made many new friends on the first day. I knew some other students, but many were unfamiliar faces I did not know. Throughout the semester, they would become my family. Our faculty in residence was Dr. Shelly Sanders, who is a professor in the English department. I adored getting to know her and her family, even though I was not enrolled in her Children’s Literature of Britain class. Our global director was Jacqueline Morrison, who loved us dearly and set a wonderful example for us. She taught us how to thrive in our new country and brought many opportunities for the students to draw closer together. She also taught our Introduction to Great Britain class, which helped acquaint us with local customs and history. Our classroom in town was next door to the meeting place of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, which was incredible considering I was taking a class on Lewis’s works just feet away.
Our classes extended from Monday to Thursday, with the earliest being at 10 am. A week or two into the semester, I realized I had been spending lots of time with the people I came with. While I was happy getting to know them, I desired to meet locals and dive deep into life in England. This task was rather easy to do with service hours and church. Meeting other students from local colleges was an experience I will never forget! We traded stories and comments on each country’s food and traditions. Questions were tossed around, and lots of laughter exploded at tables during student lunch after church. I learned about the football teams I should be following, how no one actually believed tumbleweeds were real things, and how differently the education system worked. I learned to approach these conversations with an open mind and a willingness to laugh. The locals welcomed me with open arms, listened, and gave me grace frequently. I learned the art of the crosswalk and bus stop by constantly walking around town. I also got to grow closer to my fellow ACU students when we explored town together.
I also met people and explored new places through travel on the weekends. Leaving on many Thursday nights, we traveled through the night and woke up in a new country every Friday. These thrilling adventures consisted of places like Italy, France, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Spain, and many cities in the UK. I was gifted with the most amazing travel partners through the study abroad program. We would explore God’s magnificent creation and learn more about his love and creativity. Through living in Oxford, I have learned independence, made a new family, and grown so much. Studying abroad might just be the best thing that exists!
