Happy Fourth

Independence Day. It's the quintessential American holiday--remembering national heroes, fireworks, cook-outs, games with the family. But is that really only American? Having never traveled outside the US, I can't really say for certain what is truly American and what is something we have claimed, but which began as part of another culture long before "American" existed. How many of these values are singly American, and which are common to multiple cultures? This is just one of the many reasons I am so captivated by the idea of studying abroad and all that comes with it. There's the excitement of traveling somewhere new, the fear of leaving home and family, the eagerness to meet new people, the strive to gain new knowledge, the anxiety of the unknown...the list goes on and on. And with only two days left until the grandest adventure of my life so far, trying to pin down any one emotion or thought about my upcoming trip is nearly impossible. 

I'm certainly excited to meet my host family. They've hosted over 100 American students over the past 18 years, so any naivety on my part will hopefully be overshadowed by their experience. Furthermore, I'm looking forward to directly learning about the modern German culture, and making new friends along the way.

I also can't wait to actually be in another country. I've always loved the summer road trips with my family, so travel in and of itself is something I adore. But the actual sensation of crossing a national border, albeit in a plane, is something I've always longed to do. However, this does bring up the issue of staying someplace where English is not the primary language. I am so grateful to Olivia for teaching us enough German to hopefully get by, but I still wish I knew more. I'm definitely going to study those handouts more before landing in Frankfurt.

Then of course there's the actual studying part of this study abroad trip. I can honestly say there's no other subject I'd rather study in a country as rich in history as Germany than history pertaining to medicine. My entire life I've been interested in some form of medicine, be it human or animal. Usually I lean more towards the veterinary field, and working this summer in a clinic with three full time vets (all of them Aggies) has done nothing but foster my desire to be involved in veterinary medicine. The history of Germany itself is also interesting to me not only for the large role it has played in the development of the current world status, but on a more personal level as many of my ancestors were German.

All told, I think I'll settle on anxious as my current emotion, but whether it's anxious-nervous or anxious-excited depends on the moment. For now though, I'm going to put my ambiguous anxiety to the side and concentrate on spending time with my family this Fourth of July.