March 02, 2020
Hello all! I am new to blogging, but I am very excited to write about my study abroad adventures. I knew I wanted to study abroad when I was about 11 years old. My older sister, Lisa, studied abroad when she was in college and I remember hearing about all of her stories and experiences. Along with my sister and grandma, I have always been told to travel while I am young and do it every change I get. When my sophomore year of college came, I knew I was going to study abroad that year, but honestly, when the application time came, I was a bit nervous mostly because UNK wasn’t sure if we would have enough people to send abroad this semester. There I was, this being a dream of mine, and the thought that it might not work out really made me anxious. Thankfully we were able to go!
My purpose for studying abroad in the Czech Republic is based off of my family and personal growth. My great grandparents grew up there and both my grandma and sister have traveled there numerous times. I will be able to connect my family’s ancestry and the Czech culture to mine. This will make what I learn much more meaningful and inspirational since I have a personal connection to the area. The fact that I will be in the same towns and possible walking the same paths that my past family members have is mind boggling and it gives me a feeling of “knowing where I came from”. Studying abroad is also a way for me to step out of my comfort zone and see the world. I am just a small seed in this universe and there is so much more out there than what I can comprehend.
While I am abroad I have three simple goals.
- Explore: I want to visit one new place a week, whether that is a city or a small shop or cafe and really take in the atmosphere and history. I also want to try to communicate with the local since they are experts in the area. This means being a little more extroverted than I normally am, but it is something I want to try to be more comfortable doing.
- Keep a healthy lifestyle: I plan on being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy while I am overseas. That means continuing to workout often, make time to read my bible, be conscious of all the delicious food I plan to eat, and SLEEP. I want to enjoy each day which means taking extra good care of myself.
- Connect: Along with really taking in all my adventures and letting the moments soak in, I want to try to connect what I learn with my personal life and future teaching career. Not only is this a little “vacation”, it is a learning experience that I want to be able to share. I can’t wait to see how it will open my eyes to different cultures, people, food, and help me grow as a person.
I have been looking forward to this opportunity for years and it sure came quickly. I fly out of Nebraska in one short week and it still seems unreal. This first challenge I am working though is how much I should actually pack. I am usually an organizational freak and like to have my ducks in a row, however with this trip, I am working on being more flexible and a go-with-the-flow kind of person. Two of my close friends and I are going 5 days before the actual programs starts to get adjusted and adventure out on our own. This makes me a bit nervous, especially with the language barrier and different types of transportation, but ready or not, we are taking flight.
jessicaklingelhoefer.travel.blog 