Whenever I first decided that I was going to pursue studying abroad, I was a junior in high school. One of my requirements for the college I was going to back then was that they had a strong study abroad program or more programs if possible. The moment I found out that their programs were weak or hadn't been fully developed yet, those colleges were out.
With that in mind, it becomes clear to me that I have always wanted to travel. While books and tv shows are nice, they don't sate the hunger that I have to experience the world that's out there. Watching heroes find the clues to their mysteries is all fine and good until I am left with nothing but the familiar walls around me. To sate that hunger, even if it is only for a semester or a break-time, would make going abroad worth all of the stress that I currently have about money and deadlines.
Beyond that, I recognize that the world is becoming more and more interconnected. The internet, Skype calls, and blogging have made asking questions, getting answers, and making connections easier than ever before, even if it is not always at the fast pace that I have come to expect. Having a connection in another city is nice, but having a connection in another country implies that not only have you made an attempt to travel, you have done so to further pursue your career. I have been taught for a long time that networking is the most important thing you can do for your career path and I hope to utilize that lesson while I am abroad.
As mentioned before, most of my feelings at the moment revolve around my stress levels and the questions that I have. Where am I going to get placed? Where am I going to get money to go abroad? When am I going to leave? When am I going to get back? How am I going to pack my life into a suitcase? Is my family going to be okay while I'm abroad? Are my friends going to be okay while I'm abroad? Is the metal detector going to go off because of my braces?? I only have the vaguest of ideas for most of these questions and a definite "no" on the last one, which is slightly comforting. I know most of these questions will be answered by the time I leave and in the months to come, my stress levels will hopefully come down to Defcon 5 instead of around Defcon 3 or 4 depending on the day.
In addition to that, I want to see what I can do while I'm on my own. While being in college gives me a "test run" into being an adult, being in another country with a slightly lower safety net truly puts everything that I have learned thus far to the test. I know in my the pit of my heart that I'll be fine and I'll look back on my journey fondly, but right now it is all in a future I can't fully imagine yet.
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