In preparation to leave home we must consider the following:

Where am I going?

What am I doing? What will I do?

How will I get there?

Am I ready?

These are all things that seem to be remotely easy to answer. Consider college: When we leave for college we know exactly how to answer these questions. I am going to _____ University. I will study _____. I have graduated high school, and I am ready.

But what about if something were to change? Or what if you decide to do something else last minute?

I am a planner. I'm a Type A Extrovert and I have never known myself to live a day unplanned.

I am also studying abroad next semester- holy shit.

Leaving home is terrifying. That moment when you realize that the simple comforts of home- like knowing where to find the forks and having access to two-ply toilet paper- will no longer be guaranteed, you may start to panic.

I chose to go to college farther away from home than most of my friends. I went the distance and traveled a whole 4 hours (sans traffic) to scenic New Jersey...yay. Don't get me wrong, I love school, but coming from a lifetime of New England seasonal changes, New Jersey doesn't even hold a candle.

So let me catch you up: three years getting adjusted to living in a small dorm room on a small campus and finally as I start to feel at home, BOOM! I'm going to Italy.

Like many other college students, I have chosen to spend a semester abroad. However, I've been planning my study abroad based on the idea that it's still two years away and the freshman 15 is still only a myth.

Time flies, my friend.

Leaving home is scary enough even if going somewhere only a few hours away. I've always been 13 going on 30, and way too independent for my own good. Alas, I'm nervous!

I could tell you about how it's the language barrier. I could also tell you it's because what's been happening in Europe recently is pretty scary stuff. I could also tell you it's because i'm really going to miss everyone. Now, while all of these are totally correlated with my anxiety, they are not the cause. I'm nervous because i'm so excited.

Those questions I asked in the beginning, Where am I going? What am I doing? What will I do? I don't really have the answers. But the answer I do have? I am so ready.

I am ready to learn, to take chances, to experience culture, to explore, to not have all the answers.

I am ready to step off that plane with my right foot first and take in all that the world has to offer.

There's a quote I like that is kind of overused and a little corny but, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" (Saint Augustine).

And I like reading.