Okay so, the title is a slight lie. I did go out to a fun diner and hike by some pretty waterfalls with my family earlier. But I wanted to write something the night before I left for Germany. …Even though I know it won’t be very pretty or well written. I’m too excited to sleep! So instead I’m going to introduce myself and set the tone for my blogs on here. With that being said…
Hallo Leute! My name is Kat Boeding. :] I study cultural anthropology and German language at the University of South Dakota. I am very much a “jack-of-all-trades” kind of person. Name an artistic hobby and I’ve probably tried it at least once. Most of what I do for fun though is drawing, story-making, playing video and tabletop games, and attempting to sing “The Ballad of Jane Doe” despite being an alto.
Now that you know a bit more about me, let’s talk about travel and study abroad.
I’ve only flown twice before this, a couple of weeks ago. My twin and I went to go see some online friends we play Minecraft with and it was quite fun! Although that means that I’ve never really travelled alone before.
To tell you the truth, I am quite nervous. Partly because I have a lot of items that need to go into the bins at airport security. But also, I have never gone outside of the US, I don’t know what customs will be like, and there’s currently a pilot strike happening at one of the airports I’m going to.
Although, I know there will be people reading this who are just as nervous as I am about travelling alone. I am quite familiar with reading far too many blog posts about the same thing. And while I don’t have any great knowledge about how to deal with these situations specifically yet, I do have a phrase that might help. Whether you’re traveling for personal reasons or for study abroad or you’re just reading these to see what I’m up to…
“Everything will be okay in the end.”
Even if my little root beer hard candies get confiscated by German customs, I know I can find root beer in certain stores in Hamburg. Even if one of my bags gets lost, I know I have some clothes and my stuffed animals in my carry-on. Even if my flights are delayed or cancelled due to the pilot strike, I know I’m too stubborn to not find a way to my homestay.
So there! You all know a little more about me, and hopefully I’ve calmed some nerves for others studying abroad. I hope to share my experiences and any advice I have for future study abroad students on here every few weeks or so.
Also no worries, there probably won’t be any super fancy academic essays written on here. Plus if I ever write a blog in German I’ll always give an English translation at the bottom. I want to make these easy and entertaining to read for anyone who struggles to read big blocks smart-sounding text. (I know I do most days.)
It is getting quite late though, and this is getting to be quite the long block of text! So have a nice rest of your day, drink some water, and don’t forget your to take your meds. See you soon!