As Good As it Gets

Yesterday at work, I was talking about how much it sucks that I turn 21 in Hong Kong. One of the male servers, who I think should try his luck at stand-up comedy, sarcastically went on about how that is terrible and how bad my life must be because I have to turn 21 in OMG Hong Kong. Yea, I love that guy so much.

I realized that even though I'm missing a year in the US, being abroad for a year will be amazing. Especially since I get to go to Copenhagen, Brussels, Berlin, England, and will hopefully get to visit Barcelona, France, Milan, Florence, Amsterdam, and a few other places. Then I fly Emirates to Dubai and then to Hong Kong where I get to go to Shanghai and Tokyo and will hopefully find the time to visit friends in Australia. Yea my world travels are looking pretty good right now, as long as I can break even this summer (after paying for my NYC trip, airline tickets to Copenhagen and Hong Kong), then I should be set. There's no reason to complain or be sad (when I moved out in May I cried so many times that it was hard to hide from my parents).

The countdown has started I have 2 months and 4 days until I leave the country for a long time. I leave RDU around 4:30ish, leave JFK around 7:30ish and leave the airport in Iceland around 7:30 in the morning (ugh...not a fun flight).

There are downsides to going abroad for 10 months:

1. I miss most of my friends for 10 months or more (but I am no longer worried that they will forget me, we'll just ahve so much to catch up on when I get back...I'm forseeing a huge night out when I return).

2. I won't be able to take my business core classes until I'm a senior. (Well most of them, I take two electives when I come back for my program, but the rest of my senior year will be core classes.)

3. It will be hard to find an internship for the summer (most companies want to see you in person, which will be impossible for me).

4. I have to network now with alumni so I will be in front of employers (and for people who ahve not tried to network, it is hard, very hard to get responses).

5. Housing for senior year will be harder to arrange.

But, it's more than worth it. The only thing that I really wish was that I was leaving sooner. I'm anxious to go and see the world right now!!