before i leave

I thought I'd start out my journey by explaining what I feel and think before I embark. That way, I can see if I've changed at all by the end of this and maybe you can too.

Right now I'd say that I like to stick mainly to what is familiar. I have a great family and wonderful friends that I am always near. I've never been away from my family for over two or three weeks, and my friends and I keep in close contact all of the time. I like knowing where I am and what I am doing and since I've lived in Minnesota all of my life, it's easy to accomplish that.

I love to travel. I always have and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to. I like to try new foods, experience whatever the place has in store, live like the locals do (to some extent), and take pictures to capture it all. That's why I am so excited about my trip. I get to travel for six months, take classes so that I can experience a different sort of education system, meet tons of new people and be away so that I can grow and mature even more.

And for that reason, being that I haven't been away and this is my opportunity to, I'm shaking in my boots. I don't want to leave my family. I see them all of the time. I don't want to leave my friends, they're who I spend most of the time with during school. I don't want to leave Minnesota. It's my home.

But alas, I will. And in only 12 days from now I will be en route to Hong Kong to begin a new chapter in my life.

I can't wait to share it with you.