Gearing up for a totally NEW experience!

So, I've been accepted into a study abroad program at Middle East Technical University (METU/ODTU in Turkish) in Ankara, Turkey. If everything goes well, I will be there at the end of August to start a semester of studying! I'm very excited and I can't wait to finally spend an extended amount of time outside of the United States!

I'm also very excited because I see this as a great way to cap my experiences as an undergrad. Once I finish my semester in Turkey, I'll be back in the States for my final semester of college! Woohoo!

I've decided to do a blog while I'm abroad for two reasons. Firstly, I applied for a scholarship which requires a project be done after studying abroad. I didn't want to show up after I was done abroad and start the project, so I'm doing a blog that local middle and high school students can access while I'm there. That way, they can ask questions and learn about things over the course of the fall. When I come back, I will (hopefully) be going into classrooms and giving presentations to continue teaching. If everything works out, this will be a really cool way to teach and include topics that students (and anyone else reading, for that matter) really care about.

With that, PLEASE comment with any topics or questions you have!

Secondly, I'm terrible at keeping myself on top of things. I figure, if I know there are people out there reading this (or, if I can imagine that people are out there reading this), then I will be more likely to keep a journal. That means that I will actually be able to go back and read about things rather than having to "just remember" them. :)

For now, I hope anyone reading this gets excited!

Over the summer, I will be posting - though not regularly. You can read all about the visa application process and how difficult it is to pack for 6 (wintry!) months in just one bag!
Be on the look-out for more posts to come.

Once I get to Turkey, I should be posting weekly (if all goes well!).

Thanks for the interest!

(I will also be writing a column for my university's newspaper, so I'll post a link to that when I get it.)