First Blog Entry! My Thoughts Before Leaving

Wow! Isn't this exciting? For the first time I am writing a blog post- A real blog post! Fair warning, however: At this time I am still slightly lost on what one includes in a blog post, and this one will probably be one of the longest ones I will write. Hopefully I will be able to update it at least once a week and by that time I'll be really good at it. (Maybe?) But I suppose if I invited you to come read my blog I'll need to include something worth reading besides a warning won't I? So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, might I present the blog post:

Today is a special occasion of sorts. Exactly one week from today my sister, my mom, my grandma, my Nana, and I will all be in Calgary to celebrate me leaving for one year. Eleven months if you want to get technical. And for the duration of that year I will be living in Vienna, Austria. The idea of this event being a celebration may seem a bit strange. After all, they are losing my wonderful presence for one year, aren't they? (I'm just kidding.) But this celebration, including all the essential celebratory staples such as food, those we love, and more food, will be a special time for us all.

When a person celebrates, it is because they are happy. And my feelings towards my exchange are exactly so; filled with happiness. The thought of going to a country that means so much to my family history, is filled with so many beautiful things, and is completely new and foreign gives me a true sense of joy. Excitement, happiness, joy, and then of course nervousness.

As much as I like to think of myself as a person who works well under stress, I'm aware that the things I am going to be experiencing are far beyond the scope of what usually stresses me out. Late English essays may not quite be comparable to saying goodbye (even if it is for just one year) all that is familiar. The unknown often gets a bad rap for being something to worry about, and I find myself slowly seeing why this is. In times of stress it is comforting to have something familiar to fall back on. It could be getting up at the same time every morning, sleeping in your own bed, or maybe knowing exactly where your mom hides all the cookies so you can eat them when you're sad. In Austria, everything will not be familiar at first. It will take more than a little adjustment, having to be vulnerable, and having ask many important questions as to where the cookies are hidden.

I often refer to my exchange as an adventure, and there is a reason why. If I'm embarking on an adventure, the unknown itself is expected to happen most of the time. (Unless you're really thorough on planning your adventures. If that's the case, good on you. ) If I can expect to come faced with the unknown, my nervousness no longer seems relevant and I can focus back on what I'm mainly feeling: happiness. I feel prepared with the tools that my family, my friends, that my Rotary club, and my Rotary district have all given me to go forward into this adventure prepared to tackle it head on.

I am no longer as concerned with my affairs in Canada either. I have ensured I will still graduate from high school when I get back, my friends have all affirmed to me that they won't forget me, and I made sure I cleaned my room. If anything, this exchange has opened my eyes to amazing friendships, love, and overall goodness that exists in my life, and for this I am grateful. I can only imagine, if this beauty has been brought by this exchange over the past eight months of preparation what else lies ahead in the unknowns of the next eleven months.

-Ashley