I will fly to London, England tomorrow. As someone studying abroad for the very first time and having only been on a few short flights in my life, here are some of my anxieties. I am anxious to make it through security and for my flights to be on time. I am anxious to be on a plane for 12 hours straight. I am anxious to be in a new country without my family. I am anxious that I have not preplanned enough excursions for my trip. I am anxious to get along with those with whom I am traveling.
These anxieties are completely normal.
I am so excited to travel and see the world. I cannot wait to go to London and Paris and Lisbon and Porto. I truly believe I have the potential to grow and learn so much on this trip and yet new can be scary. I acknowledge that I am beyond fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad; however, coming from a family that doesn’t travel all that much makes this a little scary.
I am packed and prepared and yet I am still anxious, so it is okay if you feel this way too. You can be excited and nervous. You can be prepared and yet feel as if you know nothing about what is about to happen. The important thing is to embrace that change and new is inevitable. We do not grow unless we are put in situations that stretch our comfort zone. So if my suitcase is over 50 pounds or I have trouble fitting my liquids into a quart sized bag, no matter what I will grow and the next time I travel I will be even better at it.
