PreGermany: Pros and Cons

Last spring when I received the first of many emails about the Bio-sciences trip to Bonn I made a quick mental pros and cons list in my head.  Pros: I want to study abroad and I've never been out of the country (except for Canada). Cons: I don't know anyone going, Germany is freezing, I'd be gone for a whole semester and I don't even know the language.  I decided that this trip wasn't for me. A couple weeks later I received the next email and casually mentioned it to one of my best friends. She surprised me with her enthusiasm (why is my best friend trying to get rid of me for 4 months??) and encouraged me to look into it more.  

When the next email came I followed the links and found the blog of a girl who had gone on the trip a few years before. Reading her blog I began to reconsider the idea of applying for the program, but still wasn't convinced. The next week I brought up the idea to my mom who also surprised me with her immediate answer, "You should go, its sounds fun!" (Should I be at all concerned that the closest people in my life are so eager for me to leave?) Becoming more and more interested in the program I continued to read the stories from the girl's blog but was still unsure. Then one day in the biomedical engineering building as I was riding the elevator I realized that I recognized the other girl in the elevator, she was the girl who wrote the blog about Germany. I don't know if I really believe in fate, but this seemed like a pretty big coincidence. Trying not to seem too creepy, I introduced myself and told her I had been reading her blog and was considering going on the trip. After telling me it was the best decision she ever made and how much it impacted her I was convinced that I had to go. 

Since then I've gone back and forth between excitement and anxiety about moving to another country for the next four months.  As I told all of my friends and family members my plans it was reassuring to know that some of them would in fact miss me while I was gone, but they all shared in my excitement and made me promise to take thousands of pictures to share.  As I prepared for the trip I met many of the other students going and am excited for the friendships we will form over the next semester.  I also downloaded an app to teach myself German, although so far I only know how to introduce myself, and bought some warmer clothes because being a native Texan I have never really experienced real winter weather.  

In this last week before leaving I have begun the tedious process of jamming as much as I possibly can into two suitcases and saying final goodbyes to my friends. While leaving my friends and family for a whole semester will be sad, I look forward to all the adventures I will have, the people I will meet, the friends I will make and the cultures I will experience. And as I prepare to leave I have made a new Pro Con list. Pros: I get to spend a semester in Europe, I'll make lots of new friends, I'll learn a new language, I get to participate in a different culture, I got to buy a whole new wardrobe of cute winter clothes and I'll have some quality Instagram posts. Cons: There's no Mexican food (although one of my friends has offered to ship me a jar of queso). I've decided this trip is definitely for me and cannot wait for the adventure to begin.