This Small Town Girl is Taking on the World!

As many of you already know, I traveled to Dubai this winter break with Iowa State classmates and professors. I am also getting ready to head out to Glasgow, Scotland for the entire Spring semester. Many of you might be wondering, "Why are you going again? Two trips in a row?"

Studying abroad is my gateway to see the world. Instead of seeing the same classrooms and same town semester after semester, I am changing it up with experiencing a different culture, scenery, and different way to study. Studying abroad is my way to get overseas to be able to travel all around the United Kingdom and grow in confidence and in my faith. I wouldn't be where I am today without God's guiding hand and I am super pumped to see what he all has in store for me! I know I am going to face MANY challenges--transportation, friendship, phone service, etc. but I know that I will be alright. I mean, I survived Dubai right?

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Another reason I'm writing this blog post is to apply for a position with Iowa State University's Study Abroad Center as a Social Media Intern for this Spring semester while I'm in Scotland. Sounds right up my alley, right? I already write blog posts (you're welcome *winky face*) and I post to Instagram everyday. In all seriousness though, I think I would be an awesome Social Media Intern because I take high quality photos (you can thank my Canon DSLR camera for that), I like to think I am relatively clever with my captions, and I plan to travel all around the U.K, so I'll have lots to post about! I would love to be able to work within the Study Abroad Center as a Peer Advisor! I love to talk to people about study abroad. I would HIGHLY suggest everyone does at least one form of study abroad while they're in college. I have learned so much from my Dubai trip and that was only two weeks. Just imagine how much I'll learn from an entire semester abroad!

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The world is too small to stay in one place. Although I know I will miss my friends and family deeply, I will make new friends and create a new community abroad. Plus, my friends and family here are only one facetime call/text message away! God calls us to get out of our comfort zones--you can't grow unless you push your boundaries. I know people think I'm a relatively outgoing person (I mean, this is my second abroad trip by myself), but I do consider myself a introvert. Going solo, and I mean like totally solo this time, is something that does make me uncomfortable. But I can either let myself get really anxious about it and sike myself out, or I can turn everything I can't control over to God and just trust what he has planned for me. I'm going to go with the latter. So don't worry about me, but I will take all the prayers I can get! The next time I write on here, I will be in Scotland! Until then, enjoy these pictures from Dubai!