Journey Begins
Today is the day! I am finishing up this first blog post in the Chicago airport - which means I have one flight down and two to go until I land in Frankfurt, Germany. Although I still have 10 days until I leave for Copenhagen, I will be traveling around Germany and hanging out with my sister and her family for the next week and could. not. be. more. excited.
[as you can see since this is my HS graduation it's been wayyyyy to long without seeing them!]
My brother in law + family have been stationed in Ramstien, Germany for the past few years at the air base and I am finally visiting. It is very true that I am excited to see Europe and start this wild adventure but, first things first, I cannot wait to see and give the biggest hugs to my sister, brother in law, nephew(s), and the cutest little niece I will be meeting for the first time. During my time with them I will get a chance to adjust to jet lag, partake in a European road trip, and make my mom very jealous by sending loads of baby pictures.
In order to help myself realize that this - the adventure I've been dreaming about for years - is actually happening I am going to do what I do best. Make a list. But not just any list ... a list of my goals for the next few months. This is something I try and do before every semester or season change and I've grown to appreciate the process of goal-setting, the reminders they provide, and being able to reflect on them at the end of the season. The objective is to come up with 5 goals that are simple and easy to remember, but most importantly push me a little bit outside of my comfort zone. So without further ado...
1. Middle Ground Packing.
I find myself always having either one of two problems while packing for big trips. I either A) pack way too much and end up unhappily lugging around large suitcases that won't close or B) pack way too little and have a light load but ending up borrowing clothes or being unprepared for weather and circumstances. So the goal for this trip is to find a sweet spot right in the middle!
When I spent 5 weeks in New Zealand and Australia I brought a small !! carry on !! and that was it. I still can't believe I made it work. Although it was nice having so little to carry around from place to place, I was not prepared for the cold and got sick of my options hardly half way through the trip. This is opposite of the few months I spent interning in Washington, D.C.. For that trip I carried two large checked bags in addition to a full backpack and bursting purse. Part of this was due to the fact that I had to bring everything with me - including bedding and towels *sigh* - but there were things I brought with that I never wore and other pieces I maybe put on once!
So the goal of this trip is a nice in-between. This means 1 medium sized checked bag, a small carry on, and my backpack. Here are some random photos of the packing adventure: ALL of my toiletries ... the (small?) bag I'm carrying on ... and live photo of my working on this post.
Now I'll just have to wait until the end of the trip to see how well I actually did on choosing what to pack. Wish me luck!
2. Exploring Outside of Tourism
This is a goal of mine for every city or new place I go to for an extended period of time ... to really get to know the place. I have found that everywhere you go it is so easy to stick to the tourist parts of the city where is it comfortable. Now these are areas I for sure want to spend time in, but I also want to get to know the entire real Copenhagen.
While I was in D.C. this meant going out of my way to create relationships with people who call the city home and try to see it through their lens. I also tried to volunteer and visit parts of the city that I might not otherwise see. I learned so much over the summer and was glad that I pushed myself to leave the Mall and trendy restaurants close to the center of the city ... but would like to do even more of this while abroad.
I'm not sure exactly what this will look like in Copenhagen. But I want to seek out whatever opportunities will show me what the city is like for various people who call it home and what Danish culture really is beyond the veil of tourism. I want this city to become my home for the next few months and that means getting to know, understand, and appreciate all parts of it.
3. Meet Anyone & Everyone
I'm excited about this goal, but also maybe a little nervous. I would consider myself a pretty outgoing and social person normally but I find it easy to get wrapped up in my own head - often preventing me from doing something on a whim or simply starting up a conversation with someone just for the heck of it. This mindset has got to go for my time abroad. I will be exposed to so many different people on this trip. Other students studying abroad, Danes, and people traveling through Europe like me. All interesting people with fun stories and lives and things I can learn.
It's time to really be confident, push my comfort zone, and meet as many cool people as I can. And if worst comes to worst I'll end up with funny and awkward stories I can tell in the future! (and yes parents I will still be safe ... but just a little more outgoing :) )
4. Be a Little Selfish ... (and not feel guilty about it)
This trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to take full advantage of it! Leave with no regrets and all that. This means that I'm going to focus on me this trip - do the things I want to do, spend time with myself exploring, and all around not second guess my words/actions out of any self-concsiousness.
Maybe this should be a larger 2018 goal, but all I know is that for the next few months I am doing me. And I'm not going to feel an ounce of guilt about it. (at least that's the goal).
5. Spend ALL my Money
Now this may seem like a weird goal and to some might be the opposite of what I should be doing (this is my first instinct too). But in all reality I want to spend all of my carefully saved money during the months I'm in Europe.
One thing I am good at is saving money and finding good deals. But this can mean that I might not do as many things while traveling or feel guilty about splurging later. Well, not on this trip! I took a job this fall to save money and was really frugal over the summer so that I wouldn't have to pinch funds while abroad. (Again ... to my parents reading this don't worry - I'm still going to be smart and thoughtful spending money but I'm also going to take this time and enjoy all my hard work and hard earned cash!)
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Well thats all! Five goals in four months of travel.
Stay tuned for a recap of my time in Germany, a reflection post on these goals in May, and who knows what else I'll end up writing about once my time in Copenhagen begins but above all: I. cannot. wait.
P.S. I'm throwing a 6th goal on to this --> get comfortable with writing/blogging my experiences. I know I'll be happy I did and will enjoy the process but at the moment I can't help but feeling odd writing these goals and making them public. Well - we'll see!
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