The trip begins...

Welcome to my journey to London! First let me begin by telling you how it all started.

About a month and a half ago, I received a letter in the mail saying that I had been nominated for the London Scholars Program. I heard a little about the program from my former RA, Sharde, who went last spring, but didn't know a whole lot about it. I replied to Dr. Massey, the program's director, by way of email saying that I would love to attend the informational meeting. It was scheduled for late October, so I marked it on my calendar, and other than mentioning it to a few close friends and family, left it in the back of my mind. I understood from some others interested that the number had gone from 20 or so being nominated to only 8 people interested. The meeting came and I got more information about it, and was told that I had two days to decide if I was interested! I became an applicant for the program, doing various things for the application process such as writing an essay entitled "How I Expect to Benefit From a Semester's Study in London," getting an official transcript, having my advisor, Dr. Watson, write a recommendation for me, and having all my current professors sign a sheet saying what my midterm grades were. I also discovered that the original number of eight had been dramatically reduced to three! There were two spots open, and only three applicants. Then I waited.
I didn't have long to wait. The number of days from the time I officially applied to the day I found out I was accepted was only 7! One short week for my whole spring semester to change dramatically! I had a relaxed attitude about it all, realizing through God's grace that if He really wanted me to go, I would go. I had the easy part! All I had to do was apply, and God did the rest. The fateful Monday afternoon came. Dr. Massey had informed us that we would hear from him sometime after 3:30, so I sat in the library checking my email repeatedly. Finally, it was 4:45 and I still hadn't heard from Dr. Massey, so my boyfriend, Greg, suggested that we go get dinner. I relunctantly agreed and we left. Not twenty minutes later, I answered my phone to an ecstatic voice shouting, "We got it, Keilah! We're going to London!!!" It was Laura Kerr, the other scholarship winner. She and I excitedly talked a few minutes and I went to check my email so I could see for myself that I had indeed gotten the scholarship! It was true!
After a few meetings with Dr. Massey, my schedule is planned, the money for my plane ticket has been sent, and I am on my way! That is, if my passport arrives in time! I have sent all the necessary information in, now it's in God's hands. In a few short weeks, I will be an International Enrichment student attending Imperial College in London, England. The program is called International Enrichment and has 39 participating colleges in America. The program is run through the home office in Illinios, where they make the arrangements to rent space at Imperial College. They pay faculty to go to the college and teach the classes offered to the students. They also rent whole apartment buildings for the students to stay in, only about a mile from the college. I will be staying in a "flat" with about five or six other girls, one of whom I am hoping is my fellow BC scholarship winner, Laura.
My schedule looks like this. Monday, I have three classes in a row, in the mornings, beginning at 8:30. I have "Slavery and the Abolition Movement" at 8:30, "Globalization in Historical Perspective" at 9:30, and "Non-Western Religious Thought" at 10:30. The 10:30 class lasts until 12:30 on Mondays. Tuesday, I have the same two classes at 8:30 and 9:30, but the 10:30 class only lasts until 11:30. Tuesday night from 6-9pm, I have "British Life and Culture," which consists of British faculty from the college. They will speak on anything from Shakespeare to Big Ben, and the following day all the students in the program will board a bus and take a field trip to the place we just heard about the night before! Thursday I will have the 8:30 "Slavery and Abolition" class, and 9:30 I have the "Globalization" class. Friday, there are no classes to allow the students long weekends to go explore the area, or take longer trips to parts of Eastern Europe. Laura and I are planning to take a trip to Italy for our spring break. Come join us if you would like!
The flat is furnished, and the kitchen contains the necessary utensils for cooking our own food. We are responsible for buying and making our food, meaning that I have to come up with about $3,000 for the trip, out of my own pocket. I've also been told that the cost of everything is about double what it is here, due to various reasons, including the exchange rate. But God will provide the money too, I know He will!!!
So that is my journey thus far. I would ask you to pray for me in everything, and thank Him for this opportunity! I know I will never have this chance again. It's a once in a lifetime experience that God has blessed me with, and I cannot wait to take advantage of it all!!!