My very first post!

Hey kids! Or maybe I'll say "cheerio"!

I am beginning finals week in true Chris Maggio style - with procrastination and avoidance of work! While sitting down in The Pub to work on my Quantitative Mass Media Research final paper, I decide to create my blog that I'm going to keep portraying my adventures in London.

With five days remaining in Ithaca before I leave for winter break, the reality of my study abroad program is beginning to set in. Although I've been aching for my days in London to begin (with Financial Accounting and early morning classes everyday a distant memory!), I'm starting to feel a bit apprehensive about actually leaving. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to touch down on the runway at Heathrow and scramble to find a flat in the city I will be calling home for the next six months! I do know, however, that saying goodbye to my dearest friends and family will be bittersweet, and that stepping outside of my comfort zone and into a foreign country will be a challenge. (I think going to another English-speaking nation is intimidating, I couldn't even imagine what Ryan went through preparing for and adjusting to life in Shanghai!)

Here's the good news: as of today, 1 British Pound is the equivalent of 1.5022 U.S. Dollars, and hopefully this will continue to devalue in our favor! I also chose classes for next semester. I'm taking "Contemporary British Pop" where I will attend mainstream and indie British rock concerts and write papers evaluating the performances, "Sports Marketing" which counts for my International Marketing requirement for IMC, and "Drama and the London Theatre" where I will be attending plays several times a week and discuss and write about the theatrical elements I experience. My classes only meet once a week for about three hours at a time, and only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mondays and Tuesdays are reserved for my internship at River Communications, a small PR agency focusing on tourism and consumer accounts.

That's all for right now, folks, but I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences! I embark on my semester-long voyage January 12th, a month from tomorrow!

Cheers!