Ahoj!

As many of you know, (or maybe you don’t, thats cool too) starting January 30 (8 days!) I will be embarking on a 5 month study abroad trip to the beautiful city of Prague, Czech Republic followed by a month of backpacking!

My semester will consist of 5 classes including one very intense Czech language course and 4 other history and culture classes that I’m sure will be way more interesting than the chemistry class I would have been enrolled in if I had chosen to stay stateside. I’ll be doing weekly blog posts about my adventures along with photos that I’m sure will be National Geographic worthy. So here’s my pre-departure post where I tell you about running around New Braunfels like a chicken with its head cut off trying to gather the necessary items along with items I’m sure I’ll only use once, but it’s better to be over prepared.. right? Right. From setting up international credit cards, booking flights, and spending $50 on travel size stuff from Walmart preparation has been whirlwind. I am almost certain that my suitcase (although I haven’t started packing.. procrastination at it’s finest) will be busting at the seems with the amount of sweaters and socks I have laid out.

Packing for 6 months in one suitcase and a backpack is proving to be even more daunting than I initially imagined, how the heck do I pack for freezing cold weather and spring/summertime all in the same suitcase?!

Although I have had more than one nightmare about packing where I forget all of my socks and only bring one sweater to wear for 3 months straight the thing causing my insides to twist in to a knot the size of a small dog is the idea of leaving all of my loved ones, friends, family here while I go to the other side of the world. The idea of not being able to make weird faces at my sister for 5 months, being away from my mom for the longest amount of time since my birth and not being able to have my stepdad tease or pretend fight with me is causing more inner turmoil than I realized it would when I initially sent off my check to reserve my spot.

But let’s not talk about that. Another aspect of the program that I will be traveling with is weekend excursions to places all around the Czech Republic along with one trip to Berlin and one to Austria. Yes, I will be doing the Sound of Music tour and I will be that crazy girl that runs through the hillside screaming the lyrics to “The Hills are Alive”.

Along with these 2 expeditions I will be attempting to venture even further on the weekends to some surrounding countries such as Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary! EEEEK! WHAT?! IS THIS REAL LIFE?! SOMEBODY PINCH ME!

That being said, I invite you to follow along with this blog, add me on Facebook, follow me on Instagram. Read about my experiences and like my Instagram photos, send me letters, and lots of love, good energy, prayers, whatever good stuff you wanna send my way, I will accept. This is definitely going to be a whirlwind adventure and I can’t wait to see what this Earth and Europe holds for me.