It's finally time!!!

As I sit here in bed, doing my blog post at the last minute (oops), it is completely surreal to me that I am leaving for Germany in less than 8 hours.... I am BEYOND excited, but at the same time admittedly a little nervous. Going to a foreign country as a 20 year old who will be somewhat on her own is a little frightening. I like to say I'm responsible, but then again sometimes I can't even remember to grab my keys before leaving the house, so who knows how this will all go. I probably didn't even remember everything that I needed to pack. Will I get lost in a foreign country? Maybe. But the journey ahead of me is going to be an amazing one, that I know for sure. I am definitely looking forward to getting to see a part of the planet that I have never see before. Bonn looks absolutely beautiful from the pictures I've seen, and I'm sure it will live up to my expectations. I'm excited to finally get to meet my host family, and also nervous because I hope they like me (honestly don't we all). I hope that I will take time to cherish every moment, because I know these next few weeks will be over before I know it, and I'll be back here in Texas sweating to death. The weather may actually be one of the things I'm most looking forward to. Being able to step outside and not sweat for once is going to be sweet. I also hope I actually pick up some German while I am there! The German language is one that has always puzzled me because of all the guttural noises involved and the immense amount of consonants in words. So knowing at least a few things would make me feel like I really accomplished something. Last but not least, I actually am very excited about what I'll be learning, aside from my cultural learning experience as a whole. I think I will learn a lot in a very short time period about medicine while really being immersed in the history, which I expect to be a unique experience. History has always been a subject that has fascinated me. Learning about the pioneers of medicine in the places that they lived and worked is far different from reading about it in a textbook, and in my opinion, a much better option! This is going to be a once in a lifetime experience, and I think I will learn a lot about myself and a lot about other cultures while I'm abroad. I expect to be somewhat changed when I come back, but definitely in a good way. With that being said, adios Texas! See you in a few weeks!