Now that the summer is upon us, we're all shifting into our secondary routine. Home, work, sleep. So much sleep. At least, this is what most of us are doing.
Some of us are about to go study abroad, spreading out to all corners of the world. Whether we're learning new languages or continuing ones we started to learn in high school, whether we're going just for the experience or we're participating in service projects while we're there, it's bound to be one heck of an experience.
In one week, I will be in Austria. It's cool and all, but I just got home from an incredibly long traveling extravaganza that included a 13 hour layover and going through six different time zones.
I'm all for experiencing a new country, and I'm not worried about traveling at all, but I'm still a little nervous. Here's why.
1. Traveling with classmates is different than traveling with family.
We all have our peculiarities, and I tend to get pretty overwhelmed in new places with a lot of people around me, especially if some of them are asking me questions. I apologize in advance for any snippy comments I may make.
2. Money.
So much money goes into studying abroad, even if 'abroad' is only a six hour train ride away (perks of growing up overseas). You've got your plane/train/boat ticket you've got to get. That's already a heap. Then you're paying for your tuition, which, depending on your school, only gets scarier in the summer. Then, well. Let's be 100 percent realistic here — ain't nobody going to a foreign country and returning without buying some form of souvenir. Also, we need food. And shelter. Help.
3. Constantly having to carry important documents on you, or trusting the place you're locking them up.
This trip will include excursions to Hungary, Czech and Slovakia. We're going to need our passports. I'm not super worried about this, but it's just one more thing to worry about. What if Murphy's Law decides that one of these trips is the one to strike on?
4. The language barrier.
Now, where I'm going, this won't be too much of an issue. Granted, Austrian German is different from German German, but it's still a form of German. I could not imagine. Ever. Studying abroad in a place where I only know how to ask where the bathroom is and how to order a schnitzel. Kudos to you guys. For real.
5. Getting terrible roommates.
Or a host family from hell. Or not knowing where to stay if the local hostel is full. In my situation, we're getting apartments for the month through the program we're going with, so I'll be rooming with two other girls. Now, I'm not exactly worried about this, I know one of them from class and the other from work. But those situations are totally different than living with them. On the bright side, this is new to all of us.
6. Facing the mostly negative stereotypes I've had thrown at me for years.
The refugee crisis has taken quite the toll on Europe, and especially in some of these countries, will we notice it. I have a list of countries I've always told myself I wouldn't go to on my own. Now I'm going to three of them. There's no actual reason to be nervous going there, but that's just how my brain is set. It's like when you're walking along a busy street and you see a shadowy part that's perfectly fine during the day but gives you the heebie jeebies at night.
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to tackle all of these "fears." I'm making it my mission to debunk all of them to the best of my ability, though the money one might need some extra work. Over the next few weeks, I'll embrace my inner tourist and make the best of this experience that I know I'm lucky to be taking part in.
