10% – My Goals <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n![](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/9dEGXaJSh1XQYp3fx-b1FcgoLR7LlPmFxZ0oA2o9Xegs2_Jj9G2myxhHLP5z0Ql9bzY37Kts6Xo_wzCIkg5_goHnxo3UIgtaCdAzlZVT9Mgli4obl3RQcRiTGQQAjNMOWoFafYELXLiE5JcOW-QGebj8UcY0sKdxRV13s0vwB9dSLciM7xbFCLR7Y_HDEQ\")
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now let\u2019s take a look at each piece of the pie: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
45% – God\u2019s Peace, Love & Promises that Transcend All Understanding <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Today I did a Bible study with a high school friend at home who has recently returned from her study abroad semester in Spain. We decided to focus on Philippians 4. From the \u201cEpistle of Joy\u201d that the Apostle Paul writes during his imprisonment in Rome, we read powerful and applicable verses: \u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus\u201d (vs. 6 & 7). God only knows the different experiences I will encounter as I embark on my semester abroad. I pray they bring me closer to him as he gives me the strength to continually give thanks for each gracious blessing, pray in every circumstance, and be in His Word.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
20% – All the Emotions About Leaving Everyone & Everything I\u2019ve Ever Known<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- I think I\u2019ve experienced every emotion possible in the last couple of weeks leading to my departure. Thankfully, God\u2019s surpassing peace has calmed many of my fears, but my fears of loneliness, failure, and being in my panic zone too often sometimes creep up on me. At the same time, I\u2019m incredibly excited and overjoyed about Greece! I keep researching places I want to visit, events happening in Athens and my school, more information about the culture, tips for studying abroad, etc., etc. And with all that, I still don\u2019t feel ready! I\u2019m stressed about finishing my to-do list and packing my life in a suitcase. Then, I\u2019m a little angry at myself for not being more intentional with my time at home with my family. When I finally have meaningful time with them, I\u2019m sad and crying because I realize I won\u2019t see them for a while. Like I said, all the emotions. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
15% – Questions about the Unknown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- What will my airport and flying experience be like (I haven\u2019t flown since I was 10!)?<\/li>
- Will I get along well with the girls living in my apartment? <\/li>
- Am I going to make friends I can travel with? <\/li>
- Can I succeed in traveling alone?<\/li>
- How in the world will I navigate public transportation?<\/li>
- What will my classes be like?<\/li>
- Is this going to be like anything I\u2019m expecting?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
10% – My Study Abroad in Greece Knowledge & Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Compared to the many questions I have, I know a few things about what\u2019s to come. I will be taking four courses at the American College of Greece. All my classes are taught in English, but I have been brushing up on my limited knowledge of Greek with my good friend Duolingo. I will live with eight girls in an apartment a few blocks from the college, and I\u2019ll have one roommate. I expect to grow relationships with people from all different backgrounds and cultures. By adapting to situations outside my comfort zone, I expect to become more independent, confident, and resilient.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
10% – My Goals <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- I have written two goals for my study abroad experience that encompasses much of what I\u2019ve dissected for you from my brain: <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Develop self-confidence and independency by experiencing new things, organizing a routine for self-care and being in God\u2019s Word daily, and traveling around Greece and Europe by myself.<\/li>
- Increase my understanding of cultural general and specific frameworks by participating in intercultural learning opportunities and intentionally reflecting on these experiences.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Stay tuned this semester to get more of an inside look at what it is like to study and live in Athens!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morgan <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you ever wondered what is going on in a person\u2019s head when they are about to study abroad in a different country? Well, with leaving for Athens, Greece, in a few days, I\u2019d love to share that with you. Here\u2019s the breakdown of what\u2019s inside Morgan\u2019s Pre-Study Abroad Brain: 45% – God\u2019s Peace, Love […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Lhdr-jZ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1239"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1239"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1240,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1239\/revisions\/1240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/study-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}