Newcastle Awaits!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my travel blog, Sofia in Newcastle! My name is Sofia Karras, I am from Glen Rock, a small suburban town in Northern NJ, and on January 22^nd, I leave to study abroad in Newcastle, England for the spring semester!

When I am in the states, I am a psychology major and a writing and theatre double minor at Loyola University Maryland, and I am curious to see how these subject areas differ in a new country.

In terms of my interests, I am an absolute nerd for anything psychology-related and like to involve myself in clubs on campus that are related to the field. Additionally, I am an active member of Loyola’s theatre company, the Evergreen Players, where I enjoy acting alongside talented peers. I love to write and joined the literary magazine staff this year as a nonfiction editor. I hope to join similar clubs (or as the Brits call them, “societies”) while in England.

I am not quite sure what classes I am taking yet, as classes in Newcastle are not finalized until I get there, but I anticipate taking English, philosophy, and psychology courses.

Although my adventures have yet to begin, my excitement remains high, and I constantly find myself having new things to look forward to. I have never been to another country, let alone flown on a plane since 2012: This makes studying abroad all the more thrilling, yet nerve-inducing.

I owe the reasoning behind my country selection to my grandmother, an immigrant from Little Hampton, Sussex. She has encouraged me to expand my knowledge always and understand the importance and value of growing closer to my roots. I have family in England I have never met and cannot wait to finally have the opportunity to get to know them.

England is a destination I have always wanted to visit: the sights are iconic, the people seem interesting, and of course, I am British myself. I am eager to explore the country, and others located within Europe.

With England being the birthplace of Shakespeare, and with him, all things theatre, it is inherently even more thrilling to me. I have taken a special interest in how theatre is expressed in England present day, with the knowledge of its history. My favorite mug for years is a souvenir a friend from high school bought me from the Globe Theatre in London. Pictured on it, is a graphic of the famous theatre and a quote from Shakespeare’s “As You Like it” that reads, “I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.” It is surreal to me that after years of having that mug, I finally get to experience the place it comes from myself.

Mug from the Globe Theatre: Photo by me

The Globe Theatre: Photo by Joe Daniel Price, travelandleisure.com

Something I am looking forward to experiencing is the Geordie accent, the way of speech found in Newcastle. Pre-departure, I have been researching the accent, listening to how it sounds, and growing fascinated with its origins and how it differs from the speech found in other regions of England. My grandma’s accent is referred to as “Queens English,” and this is the only English accent I have been exposed to. I was surprised to hear how Scottish the Geordie accent sounds and am eager to hear it, learn typical slang words, and get used to it.

I have found the type of education conducted in England to be quite fascinating. Newcastle is comprised mainly of courses that emphasize individual study. Therefore, more work outside of class must be done for students to be thoroughly prepared. I was shocked to find that in some courses, the only grade you may receive is simply one final exam or one essay. This is intimidating; however, I am up for a new challenge that exists outside of my Loyola comfort bubble.