Almost time to go!

My travel experience thus far in my life has been mostly limited to the U.S. except the one time my family and I went on a vacation to Mexico. However, that is not even remotely comparable to what this experience is about to be. My entire life I have had the burning desire to travel and see the world but just never had the guts to actually do it. If you had told me one year ago that I would be packing a suitcase to spend a month in Europe I would have said that you were crazy.  Studying abroad was never really something that crossed my mind until the end of last semester when my friend simply mentioned that I should look into it. When I found out about the Germany History of Medicine program I immediately knew that I needed to do it. I knew I needed to take a leap and try something that I had never done before. My biggest reason for deciding to go on this program is that it is a travel experience unlike any other, and if I did not take the opportunity to do it now then I might not ever get the chance to do anything like it again. I am so excited to be able to learn about a field I love, while getting the opportunity to experience German culture firsthand in a host family. I want something to put me farther outside of my comfort zone than I have ever been before and this will undoubtedly do just that. I am about to embark on a journey that is almost entirely full of first experiences for me and I am definitely anxious about all of the unknowns that come along with being in a foreign country. Since I have never been to Europe before, I’m most nervous about the communication barrier especially when trying to travel around Bonn and to other countries. I am trying to prepare as best as I can for those situations, but I also know that I need to keep an open mind about everything and appreciate the process of learning. I know that this program will challenge me, and change me in ways I cannot even imagine at the present time as I sit here and write this. I am looking forward to exploring Europe as much as possible and meeting so many new people. I cannot wait to arrive in Bonn, and it is crazy to think that in just one week I will be there!