I leave in 2 Weeks!

I've been reading a lot of travel blogs lately and I've noticed that most of them have a set of goals that they wish to accomplish. Along with that and the spirit of the New Year, I've composed a list of 10 things I hope to achive while I'm abroad.

1. Force myself to continue to reach outside of my comfort zone. I want to have an open mind so that I allow myself to change and try new things.

2. Get involved in the community and meet wonderful people. Learn some cool Irish phrases. Bonus points if I can say it with an accent.

3. Stay focused on my academics. Living in Ireland while I learn about the history, it's people, and the culture is really exciting.

4. Fall in love…with myself. Even while writing this, I have the TV on, my phone is on my lap, and Facebook is open in another tab. Tully Cross is very rural community. Not only do I want to spent time with the locals but I also want to challenge myself to just spend some time alone where I'm not constantly bombarded by technology. I want to have time to think about my own thoughts, wonder, pray, be curious, and search for answers.

5. Get Lost. Not super lost. Just a little lost. Lost enough to challenge myself not to panic but not so lost that I can't figure out where I am.

6. Be active. I'm really excited that I'm taking a hiking class. Not only will this be an awesome chance to get epic photos but it will also make me be physically active and hopefully be the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

7. Have an adventure. I want to wake up every day with the intention of having a story to write about at the end of each day.

8. Have fun and learn a lot during my internship at the radio. Not only does working at a radio station sound like a ton of fun but I want to improve on a professional level.

9. Write. Write. Write. Take Pictures. Write.

10. Never stop appreciating this experience that my parents provided for me. I will never be able to thank them enough for this opportunity. Without the encouragement and support of my parents, relatives, Ryan, and my friends I never would have had the courage to pursue this.