Week 2

I'm really excited to go on this trip, but as usual, I haven't thought very far ahead on what my goals are for my life while I get to have this amazing experience.  So in order to get focused on making the most of my time in Europe (and because I have to do this for class), here are my three major goals while I'm studying abroad:

1. Talk to the locals.
I'm not a very chatty or outgoing person in general, but I am socially savvy when I want to be.  Going to different countries and only associating with others from BYU would be a total waste of opportunity. I'm going to try and ask people questions, greet people, and listen to stories of people who live in England, France, or Rome, if they choose to tell them.  Getting to know other people and their cultures is very important if I want to collect stories, which is one of the major reasons I decided to travel in the first place. 

2. Draw and/or paint daily
I really want to be able to capture the beauty and unique features and events I'm going to experience on my trip, from famous landmarks to everyday people on the street.  I think it'll be a ton of fun to document my trip with art and also get better at it in the process

3.  Become a better person (somehow)
I want to take the opportunity to learn intellectually and spiritually while I'm on this trip.  I want to enlarge my understanding of culture and draw closer to God.  I want to meet the challenges of being in a new place by growing and not by shrinking from new experiences. 

Those are the major goals I have, but of course, there are a lot of specific things I want to see and do while I'm there!

Only a little over a month left!

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