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Starting a new adventure always comes with a wide range of feelings. There’s the excitement of experiences that will be like none other, there’s a feeling of uncertainty that surrounds entering a culture completely different from you’re own, and lastly there is a bundle of nerves sitting at the base of your stomach that will make your mind run wild with anticipation. One of the things that makes me nervous about traveling is the language barrier and struggling to communicate with someone who may not understand me. I’m hoping to throw myself out of my comfort zone and into a learning experience. While I’ll miss a classic American burger, I’m excited to try new food. I’m curious to know what the lifestyle is like in Kosovo and they approach day-to-day life. I’m interested in learning about how people in Kosovo view their own country, as well as other countries in Europe and the world. I expect to experience many differences between living in Kosovo and the U.S., but I think these differences will hardly have an impact on me for too long. At the end of the day, I am hoping to gain a better understanding of this country and perhaps learn a few things that can be applied back to my own life when I return. I am so excited to bring back stories of this adventure and share my findings with others!

As the days leading up to my departure narrow and I get closer and closer to boarding a plane that will plant me nearly 5,000 miles from home, I’ve been ambushed by friends and family alike with what has seemingly lent itself as the go-to question: “Are you excited?”.

And while the obvious answer is YES, I’ve found it quite difficult to formulate an accurate response.

Of course I’m excited! I get to study and work abroad for an 8 week period  (I’m heading to Lebanon for a few weeks following Prishtina). While in the Balkans, I will immerse myself in a cultural landscape that I have only scarcely touched on through previous schooling. I will learn through interactions with new people and my new environment. I will expand upon my horizons and in doing so, I will expand upon my understanding of conflict and resolution. All of this excites me greatly.

So why do I have such a difficult time returning a simple answer to a simple question?

Because while I am excited, I am also anxious.

Not in a bad “keeps you up at night” kind of way, but I’ve been harvesting an energy that I’m quite eager to spend.

I’m going to Kosovo for the experience of traveling to a foreign place, but with a distinct purpose and motivation. I want to find stories, and I want to leave with a body of work that best represents and communicates the stories that I pursue.

One can prepare for something like this by reading and researching as much as possible prior to arrival, and that I have, but only with my feet planted firmly on Kosovar soil, will I know my advantages and my limitations.

Today I am packing my bag full of journals and pens, and preparing to roll with the punches.

Put, simply: I am very excited for the journey ahead.

Now that it is getting closer to our departure date, I’ve been trying more and more to picture what it is all going to be like when I get off the plane and walk out of the airport. But I still can’t seem to pinpoint any specific feelings that I might have. I really don’t know what to expect. I’m a little nervous, but an excited to be traveling to a new place kind of nervous, and very eager to arrive and really get a sense of the atmosphere there.

In some of the last few years, there have been some frightening news articles published about the problems in Kosovo, but I think the articles that are still being published about that aren’t truly current with what is happening in Kosovo today. I think those articles might be stuck on events from the past. Kosovo just celebrated a year without a single murder, which is quite an accomplishment, and from other things that I’ve learned in our trip preparations, I’m much more excited to go and learn about this place and culture than I am frightened of it.