As the big day starts to draw nearer and the reality of me going to South Korea is kicking in, I can't help but look back to two summers ago when I traveled by myself for the first time. Nervous and excited all at once, I decided to visit Charleston for the but this time, by myself. Throughout the years I had visited Charleston with friends and family but never alone. That trip was me proving to myself that I was capable of traveling solo. And since traveling is a career I'm heading towards, this was a really big deal to me.

My biggest fear in life is to look back and not have accomplished anything.

So I took a step that was the beginning of my future as a travel writer. I not only had a great time, exploring the city from a different perspective, but ate at a restaurant solo for the first time in my life. It took a little bit to get used to and I couldn't help but laugh while enjoying my meal as it was such a wonderful feeling. I could travel at my own pace and not worry about accommodating friends or family, I could do whatever I wanted.

I will take that same courage as I study abroad in South Korea in a few weeks, and have fun. Because taking this trip took a lot of courage and there were moments where I wanted to back out because it is such a big, international trip to a place where the language and culture is different from what I'm used to, but I can't let that sway me from experiencing a once-in a lifetime opportunity to study in another country. What I'm trying to get out here is this, don't let the presence of the unknown stop you from trying out something new. Life is all about the experiences good and bad that we will go through and it will define and strengthen us to be better people who are more aware of the things around them.