Title Track Part II

First, a list.

Things I have been told about Scotland:

1) The weather is unpredictable

2) The weather is cold

3) The weather is wet

4) Scottish people, once they meet you and realize you’re American, will turn the accent up to an 11

5) And that’s because Scots hate Americans

6) Scots don’t hate Americans

7) Don’t ever, ever act American

8) Pubs.

To be honest, I’m starting to get a little nervous. This is normal, I’ve been told, but I still hate it a little bit. I’m nervous about little things, like my online student account things being really confusing and losing something important in the shuffle of registration stuff. I’m nervous about missing flights (though history has shown that it makes me super good at not missing them). I’m nervous about not being able to pack everything I need to in the space and weight allotted to me (even though I’m a light packer and can probably do it). Probably the biggest concern at this point is that I skimmed the important email that says orientation started a day later than I thought, and I might have to pay just a bunch of money to stay in the same hotel for the extra night.

I’m also realizing I’m not going to be at UPS for a semester. It starts with seeing friends’ instagrams of campus and thinking about how it’s going to be a long time before I have chocolate milk from the Met and dumb stuff like that. Also I’m living in a house of really awesome people whom I love and adore and they’re all excited about moving in and I’m reminded I’m not going to be there for another 4 to 5 months.

Saying goodbye to friends from both home AND school has made the whole thing bittersweet. It feels like I’m leaving home twice. Simultaneously.

So here is the second element of the going-on-adventures thing.

Real talk: Many, if not all of you, know that I am a Christian. I have my struggles with this lifestyle and I learn more about it every day, including the fact that I will never be able to live it out 100% of all the time and yet mercy abounds.

Part of the struggle is trusting that the God who has loved me my whole life and is consistent in his goodness can and will take care of me. This is basically every day for me. I’m a very self-sufficient person and I like to hack it on my own. But in my experience, life is easier when I remember that there is something bigger than me that I can rely on. It has made and will make adventures easier.

And as I write this I can hear the people-use-religion-as-a-comfort stuff, and to that I say, 1) it’s not that simple and 2) don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.

I was introduced to the concept of adventure through Jesus asking me to take risks. Over and over in the gospels, Jesus asks people to risk their comfort in order to live meaningful lives. He asked twelve men, ranging in occupation from family-business fishermen to tax men, to leave everything behind (family, friends, money, social standing, etc.) to follow this possibly unstable carpenter who claimed spiritual authority all over everywhere, and they became a part of the single most influential spiritual, historical, and social movement in history.

To a lesser extent, this same guy asked me to become a music major, and by far it’s the best decision I’ve ever made, even though there was – and is – a lot of risk involved. But good Lord it’s rewarding.

This idea of risk and reward, for me, comes directly from my faith. I learned it through trading in my self-sufficiency for whatever God has planned for me instead. And it’s dumb that I constantly forget where the idea came from and that it’s applicable not only to my past but to my future as well.

If he can get me through a hard year of school, he can help me out with finding paperwork and remembering details for some trip.

I don’t mean to preach though it definitely is sounding that way. I guess I’m writing this as a form of accountability. And the internet is the most rigorous system of accountability I can think of.

Soooooo yeah. I’ll write to you guys once I’m in Scotland!

Title Track

Hi, my name is Lauren Lee. I am 20 years old. I am a junior at the University of Puget Sound, where I am studying Music with electives in Business. 20 days from now, I will be on a plane to Scotland, where dreams come true.

There are lots of reasons I’m excited, and a few of them are:

1) Scots speak English, as do I.

I took a year of German this last year, and that’s the language I probably know best after English. It’s also probably the lowest grade I’ve gotten in a very long time. The ability to communicate in my native language while studying abroad thrills me.

2) I will be over the drinking age.  

This actually has nothing to do with drinking – due to America/bars being dumb, being under 21 is really limiting the number of concerts I can go to. By being in Scotland, I will ride out a good chunk of being 20 in a country that can sell me both music and alcohol, and will therefore let me into more concerts.

3) Sophomore year was hard, and this semester (hopefully) will not be.

It’s practically notorious, especially for music majors. It’s the year that is designed to weed out students who aren’t a million percent sure about the major, and it’s maybe too effective. However, this next semester I’m only taking three classes, and the classwork is a lot less time-consuming. Also I will (hopefully) be taking a class/lab on music technology I cannot wait for. So, less work and more play will hopefully make Jack a more interesting and well-rested boy.

4) Dat accent.

I don’t think this needs an explanation.

5) It’s not really a risky place to travel.

I’ve had people ask me if I’m nervous about traveling so far from home. My answer is this: my friends have studied abroad in Argentina, Costa Rica, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Vienna. In fact, one of my best friends studied in Beirut this summer and is on her way to Senegal for fall semester. One of my other friends studied abroad in Cairo during the first round of revolutions and is now living there for two years during the second round. It has made me very aware that going to a Western, first world, English-speaking country with a stable government is comparatively small pickings. Plus, I have at least four good friends who have lived in the UK for an extended period of time and have told me all about it (and they’re all very stylish and I was most worried about what clothes to bring). There are very, very few challenges I will face.

Now, if you’re a person who considers themselves a critical thinker, you may be stepping back and saying, “but Lauren, none of the things you listed seem like they’re pushing you outside of your comfort zone, and your blog title suggests you’ll be doing the opposite!”

Well, critically thinking reader, here’s the thing: I’m not an incredibly adventurous person. If you’ve met me in real life, you know I’m very responsible and a hard worker and generally act like your mother most of the time. I’m an introvert and a homebody, and I really enjoy routine.

However, these last two years I’ve been slowly learning that if comfort is hindering you from doing things you dream about doing, that’s dumb. Comfort and complacency are the worst excuses for not going after what you want, and for me, those excuses are a part of the routine I enjoy so much.

I wanted to live in the UK at some point in my life, and the opportunity presented itself, and here I am. It would be more comfortable to not do all those applications, not worry about spending my life savings overseas, and not worry about how a semester abroad will too long or too short a time. Just going is a step in the right direction (Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I won’t spend my life savings. Or at least I’ll try not to.).

I figure if I keep doing life this way, more adventures will follow. And it feels as if these next 20 days will be the slowest of my life.