It seems that every decision I have made through college has led up to this moment. Putting off taking basic classes in order to focus on my major and deciding I wanted a B.B.S which requires an insane amount of electives. The study abroad program in London gives me the opportunity to check off all these things on my list. Such as taking British literature.

Being the worrier that I am, I was not looking forward to the potentially ridiculous things I was going to have to read for this class. They still had not informed us of the book list for the semester until I received an email from my professor and I was relieved. Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. My stressed out heart could relax! I have already read both of them and enjoyed them immensely. My 8th grade heart is skipping a beat with the thought of reading Pride and Prejudice in London.

On the other hand, my 4th grade heart is panicking with the mere mention of Harry Potter. The reason for this being that I wasn’t allowed to read nor watch the Harry Potter movies and books growing up. Something about being devoted Baptists and being interested in witches didn’t sit well with my family. But we have since gotten over that hesitation. When I was a senior in high school I found a Harry Potter book in my mom’s classroom library and sneakily read it. I loved that book more than Twilight and the Hunger Games combined. It was so clever and I could have never predicted the ending. So my obsession began. I ended up buying all of the books and reading them like tomorrow would never come. I bought the movies, all the while my parents watched from the sidelines wondering why the heck I was so fascinated with this series. But then I drew my dad in and he likes the movies as much as I do. I mourned for the lost opportunity of growing up on these movies like every other kid my age. But look at me now. A grown woman reading a children’s book for a class. And I couldn’t be happier.

*not my photograph