Not an awful lot is happening at the moment. Just waiting around for when it's time to head out to the airport and get things rolling. Right now, I'm pretty much just wasting time.
I'm excited, I think. This is certainly going to be a new experience for me. I've been all over the US, and there's an awful lot to see here. But it's still only one country. Today will be the first time I actually leave US territory, unless you count about five minutes in Canada from a camping trip up in Minnesota (most people don't). And, like a lot of things, that has me excited. I think. A lot of this trip's prospects have me flipping back and forth between childlike glee and heart-pounding terror. 'Excited' is really the only word for it, because it could mean both 'looking forward to it' and 'terrified.'
Way back in August, when I decided I wanted to give this a try, I went ahead and started trying to teach myself some basic German. 'Hello','how are you','oh god please tell me where the bathroom is', you know. Basic, useful stuff. Turns out, German is more complicated than I expected. Without cheating and consulting a book, I can only remember how to say hello ('Hallo.' Thank you, cognates.). This after teasing my older brother over his struggles with Spanish for years. He must never know my shame. Honestly, that's what has me the most worried, I think. The language thing. I grew up in a place where everyone spoke the same language - my language. The idea of not being able to communicate with people is terrifying, even if we're going to a country where most people's English is probably going to be much better than my German.
Everything else seems fantastic, though. Living with a host family. Trying new foods. Working on a project with a real biomedical company. Taking Differential Equations. I'm ready, I think. I'd be more ready if I was already on the plane headed out. As it is, I'm just sitting here at home, wasting time.
(Otis Redding)
No comments:
Post a Comment