So far, my only journey out of my hometown was 4 hours away to the University of Alabama. Today, I’m packed up and getting ready for a flight to Brussels, Belgium, and the butterflies are finally kicking in. I have no experience abroad, and I fight even know anybody with a passport, so I’ve had to look to google for how to dress, act, exchange money, navigate, ect. What has been the most helpful, in preparation, is the immense support from my family. My parents, though worried, have been very enthusiastic, and my aunt and uncle even volunteered to take me to my flight! It finally hit me that I was going somewhere different when my girlfriend’s parents handed me a stack of euros as a s going-away present. As I’m pulling up to Atlanta international airport, I couldn’t be more excited. I am on this trip to experience foreign government from a first person seat, but I’m also eager to practice my French, as it is the main language of the city I’m staying in. It feels like this program was created for me because it matches my interests so well! I’m spending three and a half weeks in Belgium, with excursions to London and Paris. I’m taking care of two classes that I needed to graduate next semester, and getting my feet wet with international politics. By the time I come back to the States, I plan to have a ton of souvenirs, even more memories, and knowledge I could have only hoped to gain before finding out about this opportunity
