A couple of weeks ago, I was knee-deep in finals, staying up well past four am night after night, hoping to finish off the end of my sophomore year successfully. The fact that I would be boarding a plane to Prague, Czech Republic in a less than month, was the furthest thing from my mind. In fact the entire study abroad process thus far has been surreal. It is hard to focus on the fact that I am about go through arguably one of the greatest experiences of my life, when there is so much preparation going into it. It is easy to get so wrapped up in all the tedious tasks such as the filling out of forms, mandatory pre-departure orientation, and the countless visits to the study abroad office/my study abroad advisor that I often times forget that all these tasks have an important purpose. Even now, with finals done, and the mark of summer vacation officially kicking off, it has not really sunk in that this study abroad experience is actually happening. That in a few short weeks I will be at Charles University in Prague, immersing myself in an entirely new culture, giving my college experience a new whole new meaning. I do not think it will actually hit me that this is real until I am on that plane, well on my way. I am more excited than nervous, but I am nervous nonetheless. I wonder how I will adjust to my new culture, how I will like Charles University, if my classes will be hard, and about the people I will meet. I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you, and hope that they will inspire you to venture out on your own study abroad experience, if you have not already.