Pre-departure Angst

So we are now in the final countdown. I will be in the air on my way to Berlin in less than a week and I'm experiencing a wide array of emotions. Excitement, anxiousness, you name it. I am confident that it will be an amazing experience, but I guess that it's just now hitting me what an amazing opportunity this is. This is pretty much the first time in my life that I've been on my own, and considering the fact that I just graduated from university, the reality of making your first real step towards "the real world" is setting in. I feel really blessed that I am going to be taking this journey, especially in this economy. I feel like at the very least it will be a very useful global experience to have on your resume. And at most, it will be one of the biggest and unforgettable adventures of my life.

I am a little concerned that I don't speak a lick of German, but here's hoping that I pick some up before the two months are over. I've been assured that this won't be an issue, though, as most people in Berlin apparently speak English. I've sort of been thinking about having German-only days where I go around trying to get by on German. We'll see how that actually works out.

I am most looking forward to the work experience I'm going to get and the networking opportunities that are going to come out of this. I will be meeting many young professionals and getting first-hand experience in what I spent four years studying. Hopefully, it will be a smooth transition. I am originally from Miami, Florida, and currently reside in Orlando (About 15 minutes away from Disney World.) While I've traveled to Europe before, I've always felt like I've gotten the cliff-notes version. Doing the touristy stuff is completely different than actually living in the city and being in the thick of things. I'm just hoping that since it's summer, this Florida boy will not experience too much of Berlin's cold weather. I will be trading in nightly firework shows from Disney for this view from our room at the Hotel Sylter Hof.

And I definitely want to give a thank you to the Intrax team, who have been very informative and provided me with basically everything I need to be prepared for this trip. I'm most thankful to my mom for making this all possible. :) I will miss my family and friends dearly, but I am truly expecting to come out of this experience a different person, so wish me luck!