How Will I Make These Mountains Move? Blog 1 for OVS

Study abroad. I have been in the process of preparing for this opportunity since I decided to attend Maryville College, and yet now that the date of my departure inches closer and closer, I cannot help but to be overwhelmed by a mix of sensations. Part of me is ready to go; excited to get on a plan and not come back for months. The rest of me is cowering in terror as I realize that I am going to get on a plan and NOT COME BACK FOR MONTHS!

While this debate is ensuing in my body, I cannot help but to constantly think about the trip. I do not know where I will be going yet but that detail is almost unimportant to me. I have set my mind on the experience and the physical act of spending a semester abroad that the smaller details are ones that I know will fall into place on their own.

Every good traveler must have aspirations about their trip. Mine involve personal growth, forming lasting relationships, and learning about a city, a country, a people, and a way of life through experiencing even just a fraction of it.

It’s one thing to set these goals as I sit here in the library at Maryville College, thousands of miles and an ocean away from any of my possible locations, but it will be another for me to actively pursue these goals as I settle into a new way of life for four months.

In order to make these goals a reality, there are a few things I need to remember to be conscious of while I am abroad:

1.      Don’t stress about having every second of every day planned, go with the flow, let new experiences find me and don’t be afraid to allow for changes in my daily routine.

2.      As a follow up to the above, set some goals, make some plans for things I really want to do and see, and finally, follow through with them.

3.      Have the strength to represent myself, my country and my way of life here in a respectful and respectable manner.

I strongly believe that I can do these things and that they will have the power to make my experience the best that it can be. Each of those points will have their difficulties, but life is full of difficulties and as my girl Miley says… “It’s the Climb”.