Preparation

There is so much I need to do in my last 11 days here in the United States.  I will be studying in Estonia for roughly the five months.  The question I get asked the most is what possessed me to do this. To answer that question, it has always been something I wanted to do but it wasn't until my friend Anna gave me the push that I needed.  She made me realize that this may be the one in a lifetime chance.  This is the time that I can go abroad and fully immerse myself in another culture, while still being in school and taking classes.  In reality, it truly is a win-win.
 One of my biggest fears in doing this was that I did not know where I would be going at the beginning.  With the ISEP program, we were given the chance to list ten places we wouldn't mind going. My first choice was Italy, but that didn't mean I was promised to attend school there.   So for six to eight weeks, I was anxiously awaiting my fate.  I had already set in my mind that no matter my placement, I was going to take the journey.  I'm not going to lie, when I first found out that I was going to be attending the  University of Tartu, my heart sunk.  No Italy, no England, No Fuji?  Where in the heck is Estonia located at anyways?  Most importantly, is the color of my skin going to make my journey any harder.  Then I realized that it didn't matter.  Living in the United States, its socially unacceptable to make racial slurs and laws are put into place to stop discrimination.  I am sheltered.  By leaving my comfort zone, I am going to get a taste of the real world. No sugarcoating. Whatever comes my way, I am ready.

I have just about everything that I need minus a converter, adapter and coat.  A few days ago was trying to get all of my documents in order so that I could have them in case of an emergency. Guess what I couldn't find...MY PASSPORT! Luckily for me, it was in the drawer where I previously looked several times.   I was afraid to tell my mother because I knew she would flip out. Just when I thought that I was on track, I was informed that there are two shots that I HAVE to have in order to leave the country.  It's just my luck that they do not have any appointments available until September (just a little too late) but because my dad works for the health department, I have some hookups.  I also have to fill out a few more forms and I will be set to go.  I fear that I will get halfway through my flight and realize I forgot something VERY important.   Hopefully with the help of my family and friends I will have everything I need.

My goal is to write on here regularly but don't hold me to it. I am hoping by doing this, I can give people (especially people of color) the courage to step out of the box and do something out of the ordinary.  Like I said before, you might not get the chance to do it again.

PS: If I misspell things or I am grammatically incorrect, forgive me.