The Start

Every time I go out, I’m afraid I’ve forgotten something. And now that I’m about to study in Germany for a month and travel Europe after, the stakes have never been higher. I’m checking everything again and I think I’m all set, but I won’t know for sure until I’m there.
I’m not panicking. I’m no stranger to travel, and as a former expat kid, I’m pretty comfortable in an airport. Being an expat is why I wanted to study abroad in the first place. Traveling to other countries is a nice taste of the culture, but living there is eating the whole meal. And I know being in Berlin for a month isn’t exactly a residency, but it’s better than a few days. I’m confident that I’ll know quite a bit about the city after all is said and done.
Why Germany? I may not look it, but I’m actually part German. One of my regrets is that I haven’t learned a lot about that aspect of my heritage. I know next to nothing about German culture and I want to remedy that on this dialogue. The German culture class we’re taking should definitely help with that, and I’ll also learn a lot by roaming around Berlin with my camera (another goal: learn how to take good pictures in the photo class).
As with all classes, I’m afraid that I’ll fall behind or fail to understand the material. However, I’m pretty confident that I can stay on top of it. Jetlag, however, is another story. I worked out a plan that should hopefully get me lag-free in a day or so. Now I just have to follow through. My main worries are things that I know are out of my control (The plane goes down! My suitcase gets lost! All the food mysteriously disappears!) so I can’t stress out over them. At least, I shouldn’t.
Instead, I can look forward to German food! I’m not a serious foodie or anything, but I really like trying different cuisines. Compared to others like Italian, Chinese, and Mexican, it seems like German food doesn’t really have a strong presence in America. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a German restaurant here, but maybe that’s a reflection of a lack of effort on my part. Regardless, it’ll be fun to discover some authentic German dishes.
But really, am I ready for this?
I think I am. I just finished my first year of college and I was definitely afraid to leave home, but it worked out. So now I’m ready for Round 2. And if I forget something, it won’t be the end of the world. There has to be space in the suitcase if I want to bring back souvenirs!