This morning, I will leave for the longest trip I have ever taken. I’ll be gone for exactly a month, to the least Western countries I have ever visited. I am so excited, but I’m also a little nervous. I’ll be visiting 7 countries all in the span of 3 short weeks, and staying in the last one for 10 days. Here are my final thoughts before I take off for the Balkans.

I have no idea what I'm doing. I’ve spent the past year learning about the history of this place. The Balkans is one of the few places in the world where three very different cultures meet and merge in (relative) harmony. I have learned so much about the history, the people, and the culture here, but even so, I’m clueless. I have no idea what it’s like to live in a place that has been ripped apart by two World Wars, let alone several internal wars after that. This is a place where neighbor turned upon neighbor and whole neighborhoods were burned no more than 24 years ago. The babies born during the breakup of Yugoslavia are just a little bit older than I am. I could never imagine what it is like for these people to live in such a place and be at peace, with each other, with the past, and with themselves. I guess I’ll just follow my professor’s lead.

I have learned maybe two words of the language. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I haven’t tried. I know the word for milk and the word for thank you. I can say what my name is and that I am American. But in terms of speaking, conjugating verbs on the fly and using the right noun case, I am hopelessly lost. I spent about 7 weeks in a language class that I haven’t really had time to process because I was so busy doing other homework. I intend to make a pocket guide to the words I will need the most, and I hope I can still connect with the local people, even if I don’t fully understand what they’re saying.

I hope no one gets lost. For the one year I have known my class, we’ve become great friends. I love all of them dearly, and think very highly of them. That doesn’t change the fact that some of them are more prone to distraction than others. I know they’re all adults, and they can all manage themselves. I just hope no one gets accidentally left behind. The professor in charge has extraordinarily long legs and I imagine it will be difficult for everyone to keep up.

I hope I don't forget to bring anything back. Everyone in my family wants something different, and I keep promising to bring certain friends something cool. I just hope I don’t forget anyone that I promised a present for. That would suck.

I hope I haven't forgotten to take anything there. It’s been a flurry of unpacking my college stuff and repacking the things I need for my trip all while trying to make it to every single one of my sister’s lacrosse games. I have seven things to keep track of every day, and I’ve been very busy. I really hope nothing gets left behind in the chaos.

I can't wait. For a year, I’ve been hearing about how beautiful the scenery is, how nice the people are, how important the historical events, and how delicious the ice cream. I cannot wait to get out there and experience it all for myself, to see everything I’ve been learning with my own eyes. It’s going to be the best thing ever.