Dear Pre-Departure Me,
I know that right now you are feeling all kinds of emotions from excitement to nerves. These feelings are completely valid, but keep in mind that you are about to begin a journey that will change your life in ways you can not imagine yet. Before you overthink anything, from whether or not your packed enough to if you will get along with your roomates, take a step back and remember middle school Kylie. The girl who dreamed of traveling the world. Look at where you are now, you are about to cross one of your biggest aspirations off your bucket list.
Throughout this experience, you will gain a lot of confidence in yourself. From navigating a new country, making new friends, and organizing your own travel plans, by the time this experience ends, nothing will seem too intimidating anymore.
You’ll gain a new perspective on the world and how it can feel both huge and small at the same time. Living in a foreign country is not only about visiting as many cities as you can and seeing famous landmarks, but more importantly about learning about the lives of people from all different backgrounds. Immersing yourself in different cultures will teach you so much. Things that seemed scary before starting this experience, like learning how to navigate the Tube and making friends in your classes, will now seem like silly things to be worried about. You will not only get along with the people around you, but they’ll soon become some of your best friends, that you could not imagine life without.
If I could give my pre-departure self one piece of advice, it would be to say yes more often. This experience goes by faster than you could ever imagine and you only have a limited time to say yes to traveling to new places, trying new foods, and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. You will learn that growth happens when you challenge yourself.
When it comes closer to your time to leave London, you will realize that although you can’t stay, the memories, friendships, and lessons you have learned throughout your time here will stay with you forever. This experience will shape you and how you see the world forever. So relax and get excited for what is to come. You are about to have the experience of a lifetime.
Love,
Your Future Self