You must be so excited to leave this place!

What I will tell you? Yes.

Truthfully? No.

There are a lot of things I am looking forward to in the upcoming semester abroad but sometimes it is hard to see the positives.

For a lot of reasons, I am just plain scared to go abroad.

I am traveling from Colombia to Uruguay, in a month, with no idea how I am getting from place to place. This makes me extremely anxious. Anything could happen. I am bringing everything I need for six months with me, and just hoping it doesn't get stolen. We will be traveling through some dangerous/sketchy parts of South America, where the only language they will be speaking is Spanish. They will know we are tourists, making us targets.

I'll be taking countless long bus rides through bumpy terrain on an old bus. I get carsick riding with friends to the mall. I will be going in high altitude areas, eating food I am unaccustomed to, unsure of water quality and exposed to bacteria we do not have at home.

Once we make it to Uruguay, I will be living with an unfamiliar family, in an unfamiliar place, attending an unfamiliar school, speaking an unfamiliar language.

I will be leaving all of my friends and family behind. I will be giving up all the comforts I enjoy, to embark on the craziest journey of my life.

In a lot of ways and for a lot of reasons, I am so unbelievably excited but most days, anxiety and fear are the overpowering emotions.