Preflight-Jay

Germany?

It is only hours before my flight which will take me thousands of miles away. I'm fumbling around with my passport and ticket at DFW Airport Security. Holding up the line, I try to speed up. When a TSA worker asked me, "Staying or Going?" My mind went blank when i attempted to think of a response. Unable to answer the worker, I look up at the man with a dumbfounded stare as I walk through the X-ray machine and collect my things.

Situated at my gate, I began to realize That I have not put much if any thought at all into this trip. I did not learn any German. I did not pack any school supplies. I started to panic. Did I leave anything important? Are my friends going back home to forget about me? What will I do if my host family hates me? What am I going to do if my host family only eats beets ?! I HATE beets! Who the hell signed me up for this trip?! Oh crap! That was me. What was I thinking? 

Calmed down by a few deep breathes and some rational thoughts, I knew these worries were just a bit of pre-trip anxiety. Still though, I felt unprepared to embark on this journey, especially since this trip would be my first time traveling alone. Then I began to think of why I wanted to come in the first place.

I knew growing up where I did and going to school at Texas A & M, I was part of a bubble, unaffected by the changing world around it. Going to Germany would be an opportunity to burst that bubble and really explore an entirely different world outside my own small one. All I have to do is talk to the people. Coming to Germany would give me a chance to travel alone for the first time in my life. Knowing that I could single-handedly navigate myself through international borders not only gave me an incredible feeling of independence, but also gave me an enormous amount of confidence.

Lastly, this semester will allow me to grow as to adult and take on more responsibility than I ever had in College Station. I always had a roommate in college station to keep myself in check with coursework. Now I do not have anyone living with me to yell at me when I'm procrastinating. Between navigating my way through a completely new City, staying on top of my coursework, and making new friends I had plenty to keep me busy.

The more I thought about Germany and the experiences that I could have, the more my anxiety turned to excitement. Now, my head was buzzing with what's going to come next. Unsure and excited  of what to come I stepped on the plane, and completed my first leg of my flights towards Germany.