Adventure Time!

Naturally, I am writing this post about 10 minutes before I leave for the airport. And, I just realized my passport is in the copy machine at my Mom's office... so directly after this I will be headed that way before I leave for the airport. It is currently 2 AM, and I have never been so excited to wake up so early in my life.

Right now I'm not too nervous about the long day of traveling, except maybe having my luggage lost again-- flashback to traveling to Tanzania and being stuck wearing the same clothes for 3 days in the middle of summer in Africa. Hopefully that doesn't happen again. I'm most excited to be in another country for longer than 10 days with the opportunity to live with a host family and feel like a part of the community rather than just a transient tourist. This is what drew me to this program in the first place. A semester abroad didn't work with my school schedule, but 6 weeks during the summer was perfect, and I get the opportunity to backpack for almost 3 weeks afterwards. Honestly, that is what I am most nervous or anxious about. I'm happy to have these six weeks with other people to get used to the transportation system and traveling in Europe before venturing out on my own solo adventure in Spain and Italy.

My roommate, who was here for a semester, as well as another friend both have been on this program before and had a great time. I'm excited to take their stories and experiences and knowledge and create my own and see all the places they've talked about for myself. My expectations for this trip are: great food, new friends, and learning about and appreciating new cultures. All of which seem very doable. See you soon Germany!