Hi! My name is Sarah Mitchell and I’m majoring in Classical Civilizations and Latin at UA. I want to get my PhD in Classical Archaeology and I hope to be a professor and archaeologist. I’m around a week and a half away from my trip to Greece. This is both my first time on a plane and my first time out of the country. I haven’t even left the south for the most part. I am super excited to be traveling to Greece this summer! I decided on Greece because of several things. First and foremost, I chose it because of my major and my interests. Second, it is a faculty led program and I’m familiar with the professor, so I was hoping that would help with my anxiety. I also decided on the particular course I’m taking because of the many places we will be visiting while there. Being able to experience different towns and cities is super important to me because I think it will allow me to have a better understanding of the culture and the people.
I have been getting ready for my trip since December of 2022. The passport process was difficult, but I had to make sure I would have it in time. Other than the logistics like my passport, flights, and money, I have been doing the pre-departure work that my professor assigned. I have really enjoyed the work I’ve been doing for this class and I am so excited to get to see all of the things I’ve read about in person. I’m a little over a week away from my trip, so I will begin to pack very soon!
Despite my excitement, I am very nervous. I have an anxiety disorder, and though I am medicated it can be hard to manage sometimes. I’m scared that it will act up while I’m over there and I won’t have a good time. But I have been working on my mindset for this trip and have been making mantras to go over when I do feel overwhelmed. I know that most people also feel nervous over things like this too, so acknowledging that I’m not alone in my feelings is really helping me right now! Besides the negative stuff, I really do think that this is going to be a life-changing experience that will influence the rest of my life in the best way possible.