In just three days I will be setting foot aboard a plane that will fly me more than 4,500 miles from a life I once knew and a place I call home. Words cannot express how excited I am to be embarking upon this new chapter in my life -- having everything I have ever known be rewritten by the ways of a culture unfamiliar to the one I grew up in. Change is innevitable and personal growth is a promise. I am not expecting to come back from this experience the same person I was when I first set out, just as I am not expecting to want anything but a change in myself that will be proof of a life changing, earth shattering, all-around unforgettable adventure that will mark the beginning of a life dedicated to truly seeing the world. Up until this point in my life, I have only ever wanted few things as much as I want what is about to happen when the countdown hits ZERO and what I have been dreaming of is finally made a reality. Some may call me crazy while others delight in the fact that I am brave enough to not only venture outside of Nebraska, but to another country where everything is unknown. Personally, I am terrified but in the best way possible. I have no idea what to expect but I am sure that there will be subtle to vast differences in culture from the time I take my first step on German soil to my last moments before I depart home again. It is all part of the experience I have willingly accepted and I expect it to be an unforgettable one.