So in less than 24 hours I will board a flight in Boston that marks the beginning of my coming semester in Prague. Ever since I learned I would be attending Charles University, I have been waiting to type that sentence. Yet, it still does not feel real to me, partially because I am not (yet) nervous about living in a foreign city where I do not know anyone well. I expected to be filled with anxiety the night before I leave, but for the most part, it has yet to come. My best hypothesis for my lack of angst: there are many other things that I am maybe illogically concerned about. Here are a few:

Cooking: Let me tell you, I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That’s not all; my milk-to-cereal ratio in a bowl of cereal is inimitable. After these two works of art, however, my cooking skills drastically fall. Ideally, I don’t want to live off PB&Js and cereal for months, so I’m going to have to figure out other ways to feed myself. When I explained my cooking deficiencies to my mother a week ago she told me I should have started learning basic cooking techniques at the beginning of the summer. She was probably right. Angst level is high.

Housing: Students in my program live in flats or apartments amongst other Czech citizens, which will be a great way to gain exposure to the city and culture. Currently, I am missing an essential piece of this equation: a flat or apartment. The other students and I will spend the first few days looking for places to live, and our program leaders have assured us we will all find a place to live. I’m sure they know what they are talking about, but, like, what if? More angst.

Maps: My sense of direction is so bad that people will ask me if I’m serious when I request directions to a place I’ve been several times. In the States, however, I use my 4G network-run GPS whenever I have any doubts of where I’m going. In Europe, I will need to (Gasp!) read a map.

Not being nervous: Despite the aforementioned concerns, I am generally confident going into this experience. Shouldn’t I be scared? I am not a daredevil nor am I a veteran traveler. Here’s my best guess why I’m surprisingly self-confident: the amount of encouragement I have received from people who have visited Prague assures me that I will absolutely love the city. This encouragement has suppressed my worries, and now all I want to do is step on my plane.

Thanks for reading!

Selfie of the week: Because I am an egotistical millennial, here is the selfie of the week

One of the hardest parts about leaving has been saying goodbye to my dog, Louie. Oh yea, and my parents and sister, too

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 11th, 2014 at 3:58 pm and is filed under Fall 2014, Jack in Czech Republic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.