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.