72 hour countdown!

Oh my. Three days until I leave for Scotland. THREE DAYS!!!! I'm so excited! I'm already packed, aside from what I'm still using everyday. Note to all those taking long term trips, your clothes will NOT all fit in a carry on size suitcase. Don't bother. Trust me. No matter how well you think you pack, there are just too many "what-ifs" that you begin to ask yourself. What if it's hot, what if it's freezing, what if I need nice clothes to wear, etc etc. Just pack in your normal sized suitcase, and be done with it. Aside from that, I'm starting to feel a bit nervous along with the excitement. I'll be gone for 6 weeks to a foreign country, basically on my own. However, that's the adventure part of it! It's the unknown that makes it exciting! My mother always told me, "Do it afraid." So here I go. At 21, going to Scotland for 6 weeks, and I'm nervous but I'm doing it because I know how much this will change my life. I will be much more worldly, and I hope I will not only gain field/career experience, but also life experience that I can pass on to everyone. This will be the highlight of my college career (aside from graduating from grad school after what will probably seem like an eternity, haha) and I can't wait to go on this adventure! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in the apartment with my wonderful boyfriend saying "Babe, look at this internship. Can you believe it's all-expenses paid?? And it goes to Scotland!" It was funny because I had just been telling him how someday I'd like to go there, because that's where my ancestors hail from, and then this internship just fell into my lap. His response was "Apply for it. You'd be nuts not to, and you'd be the perfect fit." Yeah right, I thought. I thought so many people are going to apply for this, I don't stand a chance. I thought who wouldn't try for this? It's such a great opportunity. But most of all I thought, I'm sure there's someone older, better, and that has more experience than me, who I'm sure they'll find to be better-suited for this than me. However, as I sat there looking at the .pdf file of the flyer, I began to get more and more curious and excited. The next day I called my cell-phone company to see if my phone would work there, and I had already started looking at what's over there, and looking up Scottish etiquette so I would know my manners. I wanted this so bad, and I decided that I was going to fight hard for this. It said you got to choose a faculty mentor, and the first person I thought of was my professor, Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland. I could not and still cannot, think of a better person to be doing this with than her. We get along so great, and she's so knowledgeable and passionate about her field, and I can only hope that my passion comes across like hers does. She has helped me tremendously in getting ready for this, and when I told her about this opportunity, she was on board immediately. She will no doubt be my greatest advantage when it comes to this undertaking. I'm so thankful she agreed to come along with me, and I'll forever be in her debt. Now we are three days away and I couldn't be more thrilled! This will be the adventure of a lifetime. Stay tuned for videos. I will try to take some at all the airports we visit (i.e. Indianapolis, Chicago, London, and Glasgow) just so you can see where I am and how our surroundings change between the US and Europe. Personally, I can't wait to have some Chicago pizza! (if I have time)! See you Thursday!
---Catherine