With Full Abandon

Disclaimer: I am not a blogger. Now, no offense to all of you skillfully trendy bloggers, I enjoy overanalyzing your sepia-toned quotes and digging through your DIY How-To-Antique-Everything-You-Own tutorials just as much as the next Pinterest addict, but the idea of keeping an Internet journal just really isn't my "thing." Of course, with that said, here I sit trying my hand at being trendy by creating the ever-cliché travel blog (i.e. the purpose of this blog is to keep my family, and prematurely-failing memory, up to date with my experience abroad).

After graduating from UGA this past December and being forcefully removed from Athens, I decided that moving to Europe was the next logical task on my to-do list. After all, what else do you do with a Marketing degree?... Jokes, Mom. Long story short, I found a German family in need of an American au pair and I'm currently trying to cram an obscene amount of "necessities" into two suitcases that will meet me in Düsseldorf, Germany at the end of the week.

For the past several months I have been envisioning myself galavanting around Europe like a professional tourist, but just as quickly as my flight is approaching, my nerves are setting in. I mean, aside from the fact that I'm terrified of flying, I also speak little to no German. Just kidding, I don't speak any German at all. And did I mention I hate flying? However, just about the time my nerves are causing me to second guess my temporary relocation to Deustchland, a sweet friend of mine sends me the link to an article titled "3 Reasons to Travel While You're Young" and my worries are laid to rest.

Reason number two, "traveling helps you encounter compassion," is enough to have me waiting by the door alone because, for me, that is what this is all about- this living thing. There is a quote by Elizabeth Lesser (author of an incredible book titled "Broken Open") that states "people and events are rarely what we think they are. They are more meaningful, more worth our attention- part of some finely choreographed, eternal dance that we would be wise to bow down before in gratitude and humility." In short, meeting new people is a gift and I am nothing but lucky to be able to do so while learning about new cultures at the same time. No second guessing that.

So here's to new opportunity- and to me hopefully arriving in Germany without reenacting Kristen Wiig's plane scene from Bridesmaids. Auf wiedersehen, y'all. xx.