3 Days

In three days, I embark on a journey. In three days, I return to Europe for my seventh time. In three days, I leave this home for the another. If anyone is reading this, well first of all bless your soul. I never understood "blogging" in the first place, let alone "travel" blogging, but here I am, "travel blogging".
Like I said before, I've been to Europe before. It's not like I've never been out of the country, and I'm zipping up my hidden money belt, figuring out what convertors I need, or stocking up on memory chips for the 8,000 photos I'll be taking. This time is different. In the past, I've gone to Europe for either one: mission work where most of my time was spent with locals doing VBS and playing soccer (or in my case, cheering) or secondly: vacation where I was with my mom on a tour group, where we wore name tags and went to demonstrations on how to make cheese basically saying going to Europe to study? Thats a whole new bid.
I mean yes, I will be helping out a missionary the last three weeks I'm there but for the other six weeks, I will be consumed with "study". This trip is going to be alittle different. Alot more writing, and whole lot more sight seeing with a purpose and my moleskin journal. For those who don't know, the study abroad program involves this thing where at each site you go to, you journal according to specific guidelines. These guidelines have to be followed and include some extra digging into your mind, asking its writers to ask "why" about their thoughts, picking apart their brain and challenging them to go beyond the site, and do more work or research on something of interest. It's different....
I've always been the kind of person who hates taking things apart. Dissecting it until you've broken it down into its tiniest form. Where is the beauty in that? Its like when I look at a rainbow, I like to see pretty colors, and a reminder of God's promise, but when I'm told its actually just reflections of light? I become Michelle from Full House: "How Rude!" I'd rather just observe in my mind, soak in all that I see, and enjoy the time I have right there and then. Basically I guess I'm trying to say, I feel sorry for my sponsors because they have to read and grade my journal.
I hope they believe in mercy!
Besides my minor gripe on journaling, I'm excited. Its still trying to hit me that I'm going back once again to some of the most beautiful places filled with beautiful people. The full effect will come upon landing, and I'm not just talking jet lag. I've decided though, right now, to make a promise to myself and as you as readers (all two of you, if I'm lucky three) but, I promise that I'm going actually try and follow some advice that I learned from good ole' Rick Steves. If there was anything I remembered the most from our class and his book it was this: Travel off the beaten path. I've done the beaten path or paths. Seen the sights, took the tour, and bought keychain. SO this time, I promise to actually make this trip to Europe special, and different, and one I truly will always remember with a smile.