3 WEEKS BEFORE LEAVING FOR DUBLIN...

With only twenty-one days until I depart for Dublin, I have a lot of things on my mind. I’m extremely excited, but also a bit nervous. There are many things I’m worried about. However, I would say that my excitement far outweighs my nervousness.

First and foremost, I am excited to immerse myself in a new culture. Coming from such a small town with a population of 1,114, everyone is pretty much the same: white, conservative, farmer. Northwest has broadened this scope a little bit but going to Dublin and visiting places like Paris while I’m abroad will completely change my perspective. I’m excited to try new things like Guinness and boxty pancakes! Normally I don’t like to spend money on trying new things because I’m afraid I won’t like it and it would be a waste of my money, but in Dublin, I’m absolutely willing to spend money on trying new things, even if I end up hating it. I’m also stoked to go to London and see my friend James who came to the US for university. I haven’t seen him in over a year now, and he’s going to spend an entire three-day weekend with me, showing me around the best spots in London. I could go on and on about other things that I’m excited for, but I think you get the gist of it... I’m very, very excited.

With the excitement also comes worry. I’m a little worried about the plane ride and navigating the airport all by myself, as I’ve never been in an airport, nor on a plane. I’m very worried that I won’t make friends. I’ve always had a hard time clicking with people, so I’m nervous that I won’t connect with anyone and end up spending a lot of time alone. With that, I’m worried that if I don’t find anyone that I can become close with, I’ll end up becoming very homesick. I don’t think I’ve ever been away from my parents or my cat for two whole months, so it will be a challenge. Additionally, I’m a little nervous about taking two graduate classes while I’m over there. Even though one is first block and one is second block, I’m still worried that I will focus too much on homework and not experience Dublin to the fullest, or that I’ll be so busy exploring Dublin that I’ll do poorly in my classes.

The photo that I’m sharing for this journal is me and my parents at graduation this past weekend. They are the reason that I work so hard. They always believe in me and push me to do my best, and I know that they are just as excited (and a little bit nervous) as I am for me to finally get to live my dreams and travel! While I’m both nervous and excited, I know that everything will work out how it’s supposed to, and this experience will be a great start to my future career.