Into the Black Hole

Some of you may know that Hannah and I are studying abroad this spring semester. It seems like all we’ve been talking about during casual conversation on holidays for the past few months. It’s like we’re about to start college all over again, only this is way scarier.

At the mention of our leaving, plenty of devoted readers have gaped and asked, “will you still be writing the blog?” with their hands over their hearts. You can hear the despair in their voices. “What will happen to the blog?”

I’d like to tell all of you to have no fear. While many students who study abroad start a travel blog to share their experiences, Hannah and I already have one! (When we realized this, we high-fived.) We’ll continue to post every week, taking turns, only now we’ll be sharing from various European locations. Cool, right? We’re thinking it’ll be just the change this blog needed. Revitalizing, like every shampoo brand claims to be.

You’ll be getting all the same fart jokes and unflattering pictures that you’re accustomed to, only Hannah will be posting from Granada, Spain, and I’ll be posting from County Cork, Ireland. Everything’s going to be okay, we promise. But in an effort to truly put your minds at ease, I’ve taken the liberty of answering some frequently asked questions in advance.

FAQ’s

If this is another new chapter, will the blog look all different again?

Probably not, as choosing a new theme from all the free themes on wordpress.com is a daunting task that we won’t be approaching again for a while. Like renewing your passport or going to the DMV for any reason.

Will you still be taking turns posting, or will you both post every week?

Our plan at the moment is to keep the system the same, switching off posting every week. Why mess with perfection, you know?

What will you write about?

So the theme of this thing is supposed to be “college” and we try to stick to that, however loosely. We’ll still be trying to talk about the college experience in an entertaining way, only hopefully through a different lens! You’ll get stories about us trying strange local cuisines and embarrassing ourselves in new and exciting ways.

Do you really think it’s good idea to attempt living on your own in another country?

According to my mom, it’s not a very good idea. Together, Hannah and I make up one fairly incapable person, so this is sure to be interesting, but I’m confident in our ability to make it all the way through without dying. I plan on returning home more worldly, more grown-up, and in one piece.

Are you nervous?

Oh, we’re terrified. You know the few weeks before you left for your freshman year at school and it felt like you were dying? There was a countdown to leaving, and it was all anyone seemed to talk about. We’ve been thinking of it like a black hole, huge and impossible to know what’s inside.

Only this time, we know what it’s like to leave what you know and immerse yourself in something different. We’ve seen the other side. We’re not worried about meeting our people or feeling at home, because we know it’ll happen in time.

How are you planning to live without each other for five months??

I’ve accepted the fact that about 70% of my sentences will begin with “My roommate Hannah…” And while we both planned to study abroad since arriving at school, we decided it was crucial to go in the same semester to minimize time apart. We’re hoping this is a growing experience for the both of us.

In exciting news, I leave tomorrow, so the next time I write to you I’ll be in Ireland. Stay tuned for European adventures, friends.