If you have been keeping up with my blog posts for a while now, you may remember that I posted that I had an exciting announcement to share in the New Year. Remember when I posted that I said yes to an exciting new opportunity? Well, today I am finally sharing what that is! Saying yes to this opportunity is leading me to one of my biggest dreams, but it was actually not an easy decision to make, and I will explain why.
First, I want to share with you all that I am going to be traveling to France over spring break! To say that I am exhilarated would be an understatement. Everyone who knows me knows that I have dreamed of going to France for such a long time now, so the fact that I am actually going doesn’t feel real just yet.
I feel very lucky to attend a school that offers amazing opportunities. I am a junior in college and my advisor recommended that I travel abroad while in school. I do not live on campus, so I have had trouble meeting people, but part of the requirement for the travel abroad program I am in is to take a course during the semester of travel. I am currently taking a class for the program called “Bonjour Ville Saine”, which means “Hello Healthy City”. We are learning about the health of the people in my city as well as the health of the people in Paris and Lyon, which are the two cities we will be traveling to. When we come back from our trip, we are going to be comparing the health of the people in these cities to my city. I think this is going to be interesting to look at because here in America, I feel that we do have a lot of issues when it comes to healthcare.
While speaking to my advisor about the different countries that I could travel to, I felt excited at the thought of traveling again. She mentioned that there were spots open to travel to Guatemala and France. I immediately perked up when she said the word “France”. The excitement quickly dissolved when I started thinking of all of the reasons I shouldn’t go. I know that this decision may seem like a no-brainer to some of you, and you may even be thinking “Why on earth wouldn’t you say yes?” but I made a list of pros and cons. My cons were a pretty big deal in my opinion, so let’s start with that.
Although I have been lucky enough to travel often, I have always done it with my family. My family and I are very close, and the thought of being away from them for more than a couple of days makes me anxious. Especially since I am going to be OUT OF THE COUNTRY. I spent some time talking to my family and my friends because I trust their opinions, and it felt like a decision that I just couldn’t make on my own. Everyone I spoke to said I should do it. They were happy for me, so why couldn’t I just say yes?
My family knows how much this trip means to me, and I was really hoping to go to France for the first time with them. I was worried that if I went on this trip without them, I wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy it. I guess I was feeling guilty and a bit sad that I wouldn’t be able to live out my dream with the people who know how much it means to me. I’ve realized that even though I won’t be with my family, in some way it still feels special because I am going to experience it on my own. I will gain a lot of independence and confidence this way. Hopefully at some point in the future, I can enjoy France with my family. I may not be able to do every little thing I want to do this time around, so maybe one day I can do those things with my family by my side.
The next issue that held me back was the fact that I did not know a single person I would be traveling with. As I mentioned, my school offers many travel abroad programs. I knew I didn’t want to be alone, so I felt that IF I were to do this, I wanted it to be short term and I wanted to do it with a group of students and professors. Luckily, the trip to France is exactly that.
There are about fourteen of us going on this trip, plus our two professors, and many of the girls are Nursing (or health related) majors. I am not, but thankfully these programs allow anyone to join. I may not know the girls very well, but I am looking forward to getting to know them better. I am going to be living my dream, so it would be nice to enjoy it with other people. I also think that by traveling and experiencing this with them, it could help us bond.
I think that I was also holding back from saying yes because it was going to be quite a bit of responsibility. Although I feel like I am pretty responsible, and that I could take care of myself, I’ve never really been on my own before, so I was nervous that I wasn’t ready for it. I think that in life, we are going to feel “not ready” for many things, but I believe that it is up to ourselves to decide whether or not it is worth taking a risk. I know that this will be worth it, and that is why I said yes. Pushing myself to say yes was scary, but I think that this is exactly what I need right now.
I did have to make this decision on a bit of a deadline, so after thinking and thinking, I made my decision. I am not sure what it was that ultimately gave me the push, but I said yes, and I am so glad I did. I have been slowly getting to know the girls and the professors who are also going on this trip, and the closer this trip is getting, the more excited I feel. I guess what led me to this decision was the fact that I knew it was my dream. I knew I would regret it if I didn’t go. This really is going to be a great way for me to get out of my comfort zone, and I have been trying to do this more often.
Of course I am still a bit nervous like I think most people would be, but I know that this is going to be good for me. I can’t really think of any reason why it wouldn’t be now. And hey, if this ends up being a not so great experience for me, at least I can say that I did it. And even though it may seem silly to some of you, I am proud of myself for making this decision.
I am so happy to share this news with you all! I am leaving very soon, and I will not be posting any blogs while I am on my trip, but you should keep an eye out for a post when I come back. I will be talking all about my trip to France, and I can’t wait to share the experience with you! (I may not be active on my website during my trip, but I will still be on social media, so follow me on Instagram, @sacchere14, to keep up with me and my travels)! For now, I have a few other posts to share before I go, and I’ll have plenty to share when I come back! Thank you so much for reading!
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