It's the Final Countdown...

It is now 9 days until I leave for South Africa.....9 days until I embark to another country, live in a completely different lifestyle, and be considered an international student. I remember when I first signed up for this trip MONTHS ago and thinking to myself, this day will never come, and it only felt like a dream. Now this dream is QUICKLY becoming a reality, and I am officially starting the final countdown!!!! 9 days! It seems completely surreal, and I have no idea how to feel about it. I have no expectations about what this trip will entail or how this trip will change me. I am going into it with a blank slate and knowing that I will leave completely different than how I came.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with South Africa, let me give you a brief overview of where I am going to be staying and what I will be doing while I am there. South Africa is located in southern Africa, and it is considered a first world country. It is extremely wealthy and beautiful. Its official language is English, but the country as a whole is composed of dozens of languages and people who speak more than one language. I will be staying in Port Elizabeth for 5 months while attending Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University during my 2nd semester of college. Port Elizabeth is located on the Southeastern coast of South Africa, so I will be literally living on the beach! I will be living in a place called Annie's Cove which is a 10 minute walking distance from the University. Annie's Cove is composed of dozens of apartment complexes, each apartment complex holding 8 students. I will be living with 8 girls from St. Cloud State; however, I will be next door neighbors with people from all over the world!

At this very moment, I am both extremely excited, but I am also starting to get nervous.....the unknown is always nerve-racking. I have no idea what I am getting myself into or what to expect when I get there. This will be the first time I will be living away from my family for a long period of time....I need to become independent and rely on myself for everything. I am a momma's girl, so not being able to rely on my mom for things will be different, but what a great growing opportunity! I am excited about a lot of things - living in a different country, meeting people from all over the world, living on a beach, having monkeys on campus (yes, instead of squirrels, the University has monkeys!), going on an African safari, and all of the other adventures South Africa has to offer! I am going into this trip wanting to embrace every opportunity I get and also living with no regrets. I only have 5 months to enjoy these new opportunities that I am not able to receive in America, and I do not want to come home regretting not doing something.

This is all for now, and I hope to be updating more before I leave!

Thanks for all of your support!

-Nicole