Can I really do this?

The answer is yes.

As the week came to a close, I became more and more apprehensive about my travels. What was I going to do? I was alone for the first time in months, and I would be alone for weeks. As I watched all my friends say goodbye to Bonn, they were sad to leave but happy to see their families. I was leaving Bonn, but I would not be seeing my family. I didn't even know which city I would go to first. I didn't know my path. I didn't know where I would sleep.

I had known since December that I would be in Europe until June. That end date has since extended into late July, but nevertheless I always knew I would be traveling alone for three weeks and away from my family for 6 months. Nothing about it EVER scared me, until now. Now, nothing was planned out for me. I wasn't heading into a pre-determined program full of Aggies and Americans and English speakers. Now it was up to me.

It is not my first solo trip, but it is the most daring, and up until Tuesday, I was mostly nervous and not excited. That was until it dawned on me how absolutely free I was. I saw flixbus tickets to Paris and realized I could pack up and leave at this very moment. I saw flights to several countries, I saw cheap hostels and I realized

I 

Am

Free

I had no responsibilities. Nothing tying me to a place. No people wanting to go one place instead of another. With the loneliness came freedom.

And although there have already been bumps in the road- like realizing I had to book an extremely last minute flight to Portugal if I wanted to make it to Sevilla in time for Feria without paying $300, and not checking in on time, and missing my connection and having to throw away some luggage, and only having a Deutsche Post Marathon drawstring bag and my pink Magellan to sustain me for two months, and- it didn't matter. It worked out. And now I'm taking an unexpected trip to a Portuguese beach and staying in a 10 dollar hostel. With no data, but a downloaded google translate language and a maps.me navigator.

And I think I'll be just fine. If anyone knows how to make it through tough and abrupt situations, it's me. Can't wait for you to hear all about it. Tchüss.