This has probably been the most unique January or month I’ve ever had. I’ve moved out of one city, back home, and then am going to be moving to another country. The best way I can describe this month is in transition. I am in transition into a new year, a new blog, a new life abroad, and into a new era of being 21!
For someone who is very Type A and likes to have a sense of control over my life, January has challenged me in a good way. So far, it has allowed me to relinquish my control from what I think is best and give the reigns the God and let life do its thing.
With furniture and miscellaneous materials from my old apartment to 100 different shoes, outfits, and forms of identification on my floor- it’s impossible to get a grasp over everything.
But weirdly, I have always been one to thrive in the adrenaline of chaos, and moving to another country in exactly one week is the perfect icing on the cake for that. It is allowing me to keep things light-hearted and prioritize the things in my life that are most important. Between limited suitcases to pack my most needed items and limited days to spend with the most important people, prioritizing is inevitable.
Moving to a country I’ve never been to will, without a doubt, be the biggest change. From being born and raised in a small town in Wisconsin to moving to Florence, Italy will be more than a culture shock I could ever imagine. To be completely honest, it’s going to be weird going to a bar where no one asks the bartender for another round of Busch Lights or to turn on Toby Keith or the Packer game. But, great things happen outside of your comfort zone, even if your comfort zone is surrounded by cornfields and occasional lakes that the entire town either resides or sturgeon spears on.
In all reality though, I love where I am from, which is clear to anyone who knows me. My roots are deep right outside of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and I couldn’t be more thankful or proof of that. But, the world is too big to stay in one spot, and I am damn excited to travel to a brand new place with brand new people!
As cliché as it sounds, studying abroad in Italy has been a lifelong dream of mine. It’s crazy to think that I am not reaching that point in my life where those so-called dreams finally have the real potential of becoming a reality. That is probably the most remarkable thing about getting older: you feel as if you are in a constant state of deja-vu because you have seen your very life before in your dreams.
Speaking of dreams, probably a nightmare for some *cough *cough Whiskey Jacks, Katie Baker will be 21. I honestly think I will get nervous when handing the bartender my real ID because out of habit I am so used to the adrenaline rush of getting away with things I’m not allowed to.
It is some crazy timing that I will be leaving the country for four months before I will actually get to put that real ID to use, but hey, distance makes the heart grow fonder. And when I come back, it is already assumed I will be making up for lost time accordingly.
I almost just typed all in all out of complete muscle memory of writing a concluding paragraph lol. But anywaysss, January, you have been pure joy so far. I couldn’t be more thankful to be exactly where I am.
sent with emphasis 