Life gets REAL

I guess in my case packing a bag for 4 months and being in a new country alone wasn't enough. It didn't really feel like study abroad. I have never been on this long of a vacation, but it still didn't feel like I would be here for that long. Everything seemed temporary. It seemed like at any moment I might be packing to head home, even though in my mind I knew that was wrong. Then classes started, and it finally started to sink in that this is just the beginning. I have known all along that I would be here for a semester, but now i KNOW it. I am only on my second day of classes, but just the slightest hint of a routine was enough to have it sink in. I am in Scotland for a whole semester (infinitely longer than a quarter) and it is just beginning. That thought made me energized, homesick, excited, nervous, eager, and hungry all at the same time. I didn't really have time to mentally prepare myself for coming over, and I am glad I didn't. When that whirlwind of thought and emotion hit me last night, it set the tone for the rest of my semester in a way that over analyzing it and planning would not have. I am ready now for a semester abroad full of adventure, tenacity, and change. When everything seemed temporary, it was hard to plan for anything. Something about starting classes legitimized study abroad. I think my life is about to get a lot busier.