Starting a New Year Abroad in Sweden

I’m starting to get really anxious about lots of things, like who my host family will be, or where I’ll be placed in Sweden during my high school abroad program. What I’ve been feeling lately is so different and weird, just generally hard to explain. When I think about leaving, I automatically get butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t even describe how excited I am, but at the same time I’ll be sad when it’s time to say goodbye to my friends and family.

The six months I have coming up will probably be the best ones of my life. More and more people are beginning to ask me why I want to leave the place I have been for 16 years to go to a country that is the opposite of what I’m used to. I’m very aware that this experience in Sweden will be something I can’t even begin to put into thoughts. I’ll get homesick, I’ll get angry, but six months is a long time, and before I know it, I’ll be settled into a whole different culture.

Do I know what will happen when I arrive? No. But I do know that whatever happens will create a path for me and my life, which I am in control of. It will be good for me to be on my own early in life, because it will give me a taste of what life will be like someday. On a happier note, all my friends in Sweden are excited for me to come.

Follow Brianna as she prepares for her departure to Sweden in January for her high school abroad program…