Taking the road less traveled by

Over the past few days I've been visiting family for the holidays and in seeing a lot of my cousins and family friends there was talk of future plans regarding school etc. Surprisingly, a lot of my family are pursuing going to grad school like me.

Another cousin wants to study abroad in South Africa on a shorter program, and as I am traveling there myself I'm trying to encourage her to do so. She wants to do it, but seem on the fence for whatever reason. She wants a shorter program because she doesn't think she could go for an entire semester.

Reflecting back on everyone's upcoming plans for the year, I'm beginning to realize the realities of moving abroad for a degree: it's a BIG deal. Not that I didn't think that before, but seeing that no one else is willing to take that leap and move abroad puts it into perspective. I suppose not everyone does it because it isn't easy, but I think it has a huge payoff in the end; of course if it were easy everyone would be doing it.

I'm just starting to realize how much courage you have to possess to do something like this. I mean grad school is no easy feat, and to do so abroad in a totally new country, on a new continent, with a completely new education system is no joke.

I'm preparing myself more and more, I know at times this process will be difficult and I will wonder why I bothered to do it in the first place. As my mom said "...well, you're just landing at Heathrow all by yourself and you have to figure everything out..." I'm aware of that. It's funny, I'm completely, and willingly, throwing myself into this experience head first, not knowing what will happen. A few years ago? I would have never even dared to. I would have done whatever possible to stay put, to not go out of my comfort zone simply because a life lived in the U.S. bubble is easier than a life lived abroad. Now I'm actually wanting to pursue this huge feat, wanting to experience something so far outside of what is familiar...and I have to tell you: it's exhilarating.

I guess you could say I'm taking the road less traveled by; I'm just hoping that makes all the difference.