What I am certain of

If you had asked me a month ago about my plans for the future, I would have confidently replied that I would be continuing my education at Belmont University. One month. Thats all the time it took for everything to change.  Now, I have not only applied, but I have been accepted and enrolled in a program with CEA to study abroad in Seville, Spain this upcoming spring. Within the time frame of one month, I have made a decision that I will never forgot. A decision that could change the way I see the world around me.  A decision that could effect my future opportunities. A decision so simple yet so powerful. I am not going to lie, the thought of spending four months on the other side of the world, with 50 complete strangers, is terrifying. Exciting. But terrifying. I don't know anyone who will be on this trip with me. I don't know anything about them or what they are hoping to gain from this trip. I don't know if their lifestyle choices will match up with mine. I don't know a lot of things about this trip. So many uncertainties stemming from the same, powerful decision. Yet despite all this, despite my nervousness and fear and my tendency to over think everything, I am so extremely and unimaginably excited. Excited at the thought of all of the opportunities that await me. Excited to see and experience one of the most beautiful cultures in the world. Excited to go beyond my comfort zone for the sake of growing as an individual. In the past year, I have grown immeasurably. Moving away from California to Nashville was harder than I could have ever imagined. But despite the hardships, I have grown up, I have become independent, I have matured, I have learned to take initiative, I have developed goals, purpose and passion. And that was all within the confines of the same country. The same culture. If I changed and grew so much simply by moving a few states over, I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of personal growth that will occur after spending four months abroad with 50 complete strangers. Despite the overwhelming amount of unknowns and uncertainties I am facing, the certainty that I am going to grow and change for the better is what keeps me going. So much is waiting for me in Seville.. that much, I am certain of. I may not know exactly what is going to happen along the way, but do know that adventure is out there, and I am not going to waste a moment of it.