How do you say Thank you to a study abroad when so many people made it possible and made it the amazing experience that is was? Good question, I don’t have the answer. I’m doing the best I can

First off Thank you to my home University and Dance Department for partnering with the study abroad program to even allow this trip to happen. Thanks to our intercultural office for prepping us for our trip.

Thank you to my two amazing travel buddies. For dealing with me and all my anxiety. You really had so much grace with me and were such a great support the entire trip.

Thank you to my parents for being supportive of me trying something new (Like going out of the country to study). Thanks for doing airport drop offs and pick ups. Thanks for the video calls(even when I forgot about time difference and called you while you were sleeping)

Thank you to our host University and their Dance Department. Words don’t do all the lessons justice. I have grown as an artist, dancer, and person from your amazing faculty and curriculum.

Thank you to the awesome friends I made while abroad. You were so welcoming and made me feel like family. I love you greatly and will see you again.

Thank you to London for being a beautiful city full of history, art, and life.

I don’t need a penny to share my thoughts…

Wow sorry it’s been a hot minute since I wrote something so this will just be a hodge podge of random thoughts and things from the past month.

I read somewhere that you’ll always be a villain in someone’s story. You can’t change that no matter how hard you try because it isn’t your story to write. That hit me hard. I’m a people pleaser, I like people to like me for who I am. I thought about it more and I admit I have villains too, people I feel belong in that portion of my storybook because of something they did to me. So it’s okay that people have me be a bad guy in there book because they have their own reason and I don’t need to know it. This has been a hard concept to put into practice but I feel like it’ll help my life be more positive and less toxic.

I’m a senior in college and it’s almost my last semester! Freaking out excited, nervous, anxious, all the things I’m feeling them. The pressure of finishing strong and with all my credits. Questioning what I want to do when I graduate. This thought is like BRAND NEW, like I haven’t talked about it except to my fiance new, my stomach still hurts when I think about it new. I have always seen myself as a teacher/choreographer because of past events and I just naturally assumed that’s what I’d do straight out of college. And I could. but. This semester I have been pushed as a dancer and I found myself falling in love with it again. So maybe I’ll perform after I graduate and then switch later. Who knows!? I don’t

So along with the loving myself as a dancer again I have really enjoyed my time abroad. Removing myself from my normal environment forced me to really ask myself who I am. I won’t share a lot with you forsake of time and also personal reasons. Just know I’m growing and I like the growth.

Also I ate peanut butter cups for the first time today in like 2 months and I almost cried.

Thanks for coming to my rant session hope you found something you liked in it!

As a dancer I get so many questions and comments about “oh, dance that’s fun. What’s your actual career plan?” “Can you even do things with a Dance degree?” “Thank goodness you have a minor in Business right because then you’ll be able to do something”

It gets hard to listen and sometimes I doubt myself too. Maybe this wasn’t the right choice. I got injured in high school so much so that dancing seemed to be going to the backseat in my life. I thought realistically I’ll be a teacher and choreographer then at least I’m doing something with dance. I love sharing my passion, choreography is my creative outlet and I couldn’t love it more. But I stopped seeing myself as a dancer thinking I could never be that anymore.

Coming to study in London has changed that. Last week a professor gave us an in class assignment. “What if instead of having a negative outlook on wobbles we instead partnered them with balance. How would you move? How can you dance with abandonment and become balanced in your wobbles?” I thought nothing of the assignment until she said “It’s kind of like life, we wobble but we’ll balance ourselves when the time is right.”

I’ve wobbled a lot in my life and right now it’s time for me to find my balance. I will be a dancer for life. Dance has taught me so much including to never be ashamed of wobbling.

They told us we’d get homesick

I knew they were right and that it’d hit me hard but it wasn’t until yesterday when we visited an American Candy Shop and it was my dog’s birthday. Stupid little things make me miss home but little things help me feel at home.

• My fuzzy travel blanket; that my mom bought me a month before I left for London so I wouldn’t get cold and because I could never have to many blankets.
• Coffee; because my parent’s house always smells like freshly brewed coffee in the morning because my dad makes my mom coffee before she wakes up. I also miss making coffee and helping people have a better day.
• Rice cakes; because one of my best friends and I used to eat them 24/7 our sophomore year of college.
• Long walks to a studio; apparently Residence Halls are never near the Arts buildings.
• Technology; that allows me to speak to and see my family and friends
• Studio spaces; because I’ll always be at home in a dance studio

I opened up a little bit in my last post about some daily struggles I have. One of the biggest ones being anxiety. Before even coming to London I was already anxious and even though I knew I wanted to travel my interaction with people went something like…

Person” Oh London! How fun are you excited!?”

Me “Uhm, yeah just not quite there yet…”

100% excited while also being 100% anxious delayed my joy of traveling until when the plane literally took off. Trust me I looked forward to this term all summer just the way my brain operates wouldn’t allow me to experience or express excitement like a “normal human”.

There are tons of different forms of anxiety and everyone is different for each of them as well. My anxiety comes out as borderline OCD, constant planning, taking leadership to feel calm, panic attacks that involve zoning out or bursts of irritability. Smaller things include playing with my hair, squeezing my hands together, holding one of my thumbs, staying in bed for longer then normal, etc.

So here are somethings I do to help myself stay calm especially for traveling

• *Drink lots of water and stay hydrated
• *Use essential oils (roll-on ones are great for travel)
• *Allow yourself to plan (enough to feel calm but not take away from the experience)
• *Travel smart and comfortably (make sure if you think you might need something have it accessible to you)
• *Limit caffeine (if you know me yes I just typed that, I am a caffeine queen but sometimes it isn’t worth the jitters)
• *Know yourself (if you have calming techniques be prepared with them or if you are traveling with someone you know and trust sometimes having an exit buddy is useful)

I’m not claiming to be an expert on anxiety these are just things that work for me. I also feel that it is important to talk about anxiety because it’s more common then we realize. Break the stigma let’s talk about mental health.

It’s officially day 4 in London!!!

It’s been a journey full of firsts for a simple girl from Pottstown, PA. I was on an airplane for the first time since I was 3 on Tuesday, I was outside the U.S. for the first time on Wednesday. I got an oyster card and rode a public bus on Wednesday and rode the train today (Saturday). Still not sure if I’ll end up being a city girl but it’s good to know it’s feasible.

All that may sound super simple but it is these little things that are reassuring me that I’ll be ok. Going away from home for 3 months to another country was a tad scary a year ago but I have great people here with me and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m naturally introverted with anxiety and depression amongst other diseases and illnesses that should stop me from living and everyday is a battle but the struggle makes me stronger. Don’t let anything stop you from doing what you dream of, even yourself.

Here’s to adventures, lessons, and maybe more stamps in my passport…

Hi everyone!!!

First off thanks for taking the time to read this I am super excited to share this journey with you all!

Hi, I’m Sara a Senior Dance Major and Business Administration minor at Messiah College. I am honored to have been accepted to study at Roehampton University in London this coming fall semester.

I have been dancing ever since I was born and was officially enrolled in dance classes at the age of 5. I always dreamed about being a ballerina and loved everything about ballet and taking classes. I grew up at Premiere Dance Studio and studied ballet, modern, jazz, tap, lyrical, and contemporary. I attended three of my high school years at The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts as a dance major. My love for ballet has always been strong but I found a new passion in contemporary. I have always explored creating choreography and had the ability to serve as a student/assistant teacher at Premiere while I attended. I have also interned at LeRoux Dance studio for 2 summer seasons as a guest teacher for intensives and as a choreographer for their competition team. At Messiah I have been the assistant choreographer for a J-term musical (The Boyfriend), and choreographer for shows such as Alice in Wonderland and Live in Color. I have been a student choreographer for Acclamation Dance Ministry and for Givim Dance Ensemble during my time at Messiah. Dancing has always been a passion and one I look forward to continue sharing through instruction and choreography.