“Yeah, I’ll totally study abroad at some point in college” is what I would often tell my friends and family when our conversations led to the topic of travel; however, it always felt like a go-to superficial response. I knew that thousands of UT students used the plentiful resources at Texas Global to make their wildest dreams come true, but, unsurprisingly, making your wildest dreams come true seemed like a terrifying task to embark on. So, I hid behind the phrase “at some point” and made no real effort to make my voyage to Europe actually happen. Well, at least until the end of my sophomore year, when I finally told myself that some point was now, and pushed myself to go to the first info session.
I am Brett Coulston, a third year sociology student, going to study at the University of Glasgow, and I am now sitting in the airport ready to fly across the Atlantic for the first time. I want to say my two years of nerves were justified in procrastinating this adventure, but I instead feel entirely prepared and excited. Having spent my whole life in Austin, part of what initially held me back from this experience was the idea that I would lose all my connections here if I were to ever leave home. However, as I wait in line to board the plane, I am getting endless “good luck” and “we’ll miss you” text messages from everyone I love. It seems I won’t be forgotten overseas. I know these next 24 hours of travel will be incredibly long, but I am ready for the journey to finally start. I will keep you updated when I land.
I am officially in Europe, and on the train from the airport in London to Glasgow. After seemingly endless hours of travel, I must look like an exhausted sewer-rat, but I am a thrilled-world-traveling sewer-rat, so I think I’ll be okay. As I enter Scotland, I’ve been greeted with chilly weather and views of beautiful Scottish hills. I am getting more and more excited to arrive at the University of Glasgow, the place that I will call my home for the next four months, and of course, the place that inspired the creation of Hogwarts. I am so thankful for my friends, family and UT’s support system that helped me turn some point into now.
This post was contributed by Brett Coulston, a 2019 Global Ambassador majoring in sociology. Brett is studying at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
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