Traveling has always been a thing I have wanted to do, even at a young age. I remember playing as a child, and pretending to be on the beaches of California from my front yard in Appalachia. This doesn’t mean I don’t love my home, because I do. I am such a home person that sometimes, even being at college is torturous. But I want to see what the world has to offer. I mean, doesn’t everyone?

When I was a senior in high school, I was able to travel a far distance for the first time in my life. My parents allowed me to go on a school trip to tour major landmarks of England. My trip was only about nine days, but it was the best nine days of my entire life. I felt so bold and independent and cultured. Even though British culture is similar to ours, I still felt like I was Posh Spice for a little over a week.

My desire to travel did not die there, but only continued to quietly grow. I was recently awarded the Maxine Moose Bruhns Scholarship for Studying Abroad. This means that this coming summer, I will be spending five weeks in Accra, Ghana, Africa to study and immerse myself in the culture there. When I was told that I would be traveling for essentially no personal cost, I was ecstatic. I am still extremely excited and thankful, but as my departure time creeps up on me, some hidden fears have started to bother me.

Having little to almost no communication with my family back home makes me nervous. The only time I will be able to communicate with my mommy and siblings will be when I have Wi-Fi, which will not be often. That mystery and distance is unknown to me and concerns me.

Having minimal clothing and money makes me worry. What if I have an emergency, and not enough money to cover it? Or not enough food? Or what if I don’t bring enough clothes to withstand the environment?

I could probably write and write about this small concerns, but then I remember. These concerns are just that: small. And very first world. I am having the opportunity that many would kill for, and I cannot let a little bit of quiet and lack of quality clothing scare me out of going. This opportunity is once in a lifetime and I refuse to let my worries prevent me from that.