Today is the day.

In about four hours I will be up in the air and on my way to study in a part of the Netherlands called Groningen for five months. Some call this an experience of a lifetime, others call it the scariest thing ever. Currently, I find my mindset somewhere between the two.

Traveling has been a large part of my life for as long as I can remember. From an early age, my mom would make a point to take me to a new destination as often as possible. We would roam through different cities and sometimes different countries! The bonding that came with all these new adventures was something irreplaceable. It was amazing.

Fast forward to middle school. The first time I went to Europe it was like my heart had found its safe haven. It was like those scenes from family flicks where a kid opens a jar of cookies and some choir starts singing “hallelujah” repeatedly and a beam of light comes pouring out of the jar, except the choir was the flight attendant saying “Welcome to Frankfurt.” From the cathedrals in Germany to the art museums in France, I swore I had encountered heaven on earth. From that trip forward I vowed to myself that I would find a way to live in the historically rich boundaries of Europe some day.

Now fast forward to January of 2016. A message popped up in my school email about an opportunity to study Journalism AND get college credit AND live in the Netherlands for five months. If someone were around I would have asked him or her to pinch me and bring me back to reality. I jumped on the opportunity faster than fangirls jump on Justin Bieber.

Over the past year I met with my journalism advisor and the advisor who was in charge of the exchange program to Groningen to ensure I was on the right track. Everything was smooth sailing over the months leading up to this point, including housing and booking a flight. Until about a month ago when reality sunk in..

I packed up my apartment and moved it into a 4×9 storage unit. I put my two weeks in at a job I absolutely love. I said “see you soon” to my friends, family, and amazing boyfriend. Oh and I packed way too many belongings into a few bags to get me through five months of life.

I was overwhelmed to say the very least.

Once the tears and hyperventilating and all that lessened however, I realized how this is what I have been waiting for. If I somehow backed out now, 6th grade Peyton would have introduced me to black eye and bloody nose.

THIS IS SUCH A BLESSING.

God is with me and for me. My boyfriend, mom, dad and grandparents will be visiting me throughout my stay. I have a few friends from NAU who will be in Groningen as well. The food and views are incomparable.

I don’t know all of what is in store for me over the next few months but I know for sure there will be more growth, adventure, and learning than I have experienced before.  My point is, I am not going to let my little fears tower over the awesomeness that lies ahead of me.

I cannot wait to document my experience (on both good and bad days) over the next half of a year. Stay tuned.