CAPA WORLD

Meet Makenna Sturgeon, an official CAPA blogger in London, England for Fall 2019:

University: University of Colorado Boulder
Major: Journalism
Study Abroad Location: London, England
Internship or volunteer placement: N/A

What are you most excited for during your study abroad semester?
I’m excited to be introduced to new cultures and a new way of life. I’m really interested in wellness trends, and have found that Europe follows those trends much more differently than the United States does. I’m looking forward to trying new, healthy foods made with different ingredients and talking to people who actually live there about what they do to stay comfortable during their day-to-day life. I’m also really excited to travel because it’s so much easier to travel to different countries over there.

What are three of your hobbies and interests?
I would say my number one hobby is travel. I try to get out of town, or into a new neighborhood every weekend to get new photos and experience a new place. I am really passionate about pushing myself out of my comfort zone and have found that travel is a great way to do that. I’m also really interested in coffee. I run my own coffee blog and have found that it’s a great way to learn about the different regions that we are in and how people use coffee to communicate or rewind because it’s very much a social experience. Writing is a big passion of mine. I write almost everyday and have found that I’m really interested in continuing to write about the new places that I visit.

What’s one personal goal you hope to achieve while abroad?
Learn something new everyday. I don’t need the “something new” to be big or out there, I would just like to know that I’ve pushed myself and taken advantage of my time abroad the whole time that I’ve been allotted. I think setting that goal will motivate me to try new things even when it’s rainy and I want to stay in, or when I’m feeling overwhelmed and nervous. I recognize that culture shock is a thing, and I think this goal will really help me overcome that.

What’s one professional goal you hope to achieve while abroad?
I hope to figure out what I want to do next. I will be graduating after my time abroad, so I’ll either be looking to go into a career or go to grad school. I’m hoping that this time will inspire me to choose one of those things to commit to it with passion. I’m striving to be exposed to new career paths while I’m there to see if I’d ever be interested in living abroad.

What can we look forward to reading in your posts?
You can look forward to reading a lot about where to go and how to travel. I think it’s important to give a real glimpse of what it’s like to travel in a new country, whether that be how to pack light or how to plan a trip for a weekend. You can also read about the things I do everyday in London. I want to make sure to document the things I had a hard time adjusting to and the things that everyone should try while they are there.

Anything else you’d like to say to people reading for the first time?
I hope my writing makes you feel as committed to this adventure as I am.