Today's the day...

Half an hour ago, I waved goodbye to my parents. Now I'm staring at my gate at Philadelphia International Airport and wondering how I got here. The sign says Dublin, Ireland--that's the location of my 1.5 hour layover before an additional two hours in the air to Berlin. As of yet, I don't even have a return ticket--this isn't just a fun two week vacation I'll return from, it's a whole semester.

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I haven't really been stressed or anxious leading up to this. Maura from a few years ago would've been. I used to have trouble sleeping the night before a big event, and the day of, I would wake up early with butterflies swirling around my stomach. For this "trip," I haven't really felt anything yet. I've been preparing all summer for this. I've been doing my research and planning trips, yet I still haven't truly realized what I'm doing. I can already picture myself tomorrow morning, cross-legged on my new bed in Berlin, wondering how the hell I got there.

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This is going to make my post sound so cheesy, but there are a few people I have to give shout-outs to:

First of all, my lovely parents: you two raised me to be independent, curious, and with a passion to explore the world around me.

Next, my siblings: I'm excited to have been to Germany with both of you, and I love that we've all learned German.

I can't forget my best friends: this semester, we're all spread out to New York, London, Paris, and Berlin. I've changed for the good since meeting you, and who knows where I'd be without you.

Finally, I literally wouldn't be about to board this flight to Germany without Frau Smith, my high school German teacher. You are the reason I'm even going, and I'm so thankful you've shared your passion for German and German culture with me.

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This feels like something big. It's like I'm going to build a whole new life for myself these next four months, and I can't think of a better place to do it. Until then, I'll be sitting here, stressing about missing my flight from Dublin to Berlin (as I have been for the past 4 weeks), and switching my brain back to German for a while.

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Ich liebe dich schon, Berlin. Bald werden wir uns endlich kennenlernen, und ich freue mich unglaublich viel darauf :)