Did I remember everything?

So we're one day away from flying halfway across the world and the emotions I'm feeling are mixed to say the least. Anxiety, excitement, anticipation, joy, restless thoughts and clammy hands are just a few words I would use to describe my current state. Mostly, of course, it is unrelenting excitement as I anticipate boarding the plane and flying off to a foreign country to explore and wander for over a month. When I first looked into doing a study abroad program, I kind of just bounced the idea around in my head, never really expecting anything to come of it. I told friends I was thinking about it, to which I received the obligatory "do it!" from everyone who thought the idea was one I shouldn't even have to question. As I started to explore it more, I realized it was something I could actually put together, and all of a sudden the little thought I had at the start of the year was becoming a reality.

The truth is I didn't know this specific program existed when this all started. I had planned to do the full semester program and had started running down that path when I realized I would need to miss the spring semester of my senior year. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that missing my last semester at A&M was not something I wanted to do. While it may have been incredible, I would have missed all of the last chances to spend time with friends before we all split off and head into our lives, along with all of the Aggie traditions in my final hours at the university. Because of all of this, I thought I wouldn't get to go on a study abroad program at all, before my academic advisor casually tossed out the fact that a summer session program existed. I quickly looked over all of the information and my trip was restored. Now that I'm heading into it, I know I made the right decision. It's less time in the country, true, but also means I'll get almost all the benefits of study abroad without missing my last semester in College Station. I'm excited for the chance to experience a different culture and live with a host family as I immerse myself into everything Germany (and the rest of Western Europe) has to offer. Most of the fear stems from the obvious things: will I be able to get around, will I get along with the host family, will I be able to talk to people well enough, did I pack all the things I need, things of that nature. The reality is I'm pretty sure that they're fears that will vanish within the first couple of days of the trip. I think I'm most excited for the chance to grow and venture out away from family and the comforts of home. Sure, college is a step away from home and towards freedom, but the reality is I'm still just 3 hours from home if anything really goes wrong or if my family just wants to show up in College Station. Here, I'll be fully on my own (sort of) and I'll have to learn to work through problems by myself or with the other people going on the trip (also shout out in case any of y'all read this cause I think the group is pretty cool even though I haven't actually met most of you). At the end of the day, I'm just excited to get on the plane tomorrow and start this journey, and I'm sure most of this I'll have to figure out along the way. See you in a couple of days, Germany. Lets hope I didn't forget anything.