today is my birthday and tomorrow could be the best day of your life.

---

first of all...

i found 2 posts that didnt publish for some reason...sorry. im not writting 3 huge posts with pictures. they are all from last week. so enjoy those if you like.


ok...

if you are ever thinking about studying abroad, but are confused and kinda torn about actually doing it...take my advice...just go. just get out of wherever you are.

over the past week, i have been thinking alot about the decision i made to study here in vienna. at first, i thought it was the worst idea i have ever had. then it got a little better. then it got worse again. then it got better, and better, and after last night...i saw for the first time that this is the best decision i have made yet.

i am 21 today. my 21st birthday. americans count down the days to this point. we are all so eager to drink and go to bars and socialize with more mature crowds. we just want to grow up so fast so we can do cooler things. i have counted down with a ton of friends and although i couldnt celebrate with them, their 21st felt important to me too. like they were apart of some elite crowd that i was so anxious to join as well.

i knew i would be abroad for my birthday, so i can honestly say that i didnt have that countdown. i wasnt marking in my planner, i wasnt telling everyone "5 days left!" it wasnt really even in my mind up until 2 days ago. i just didnt care. why didnt i care? maybe because i wasnt going to be with anyone i really loved. maybe because you can drink out here so young that it wasnt an issue for me to just go to a bar and enjoy a beer with friends. either way...it just wasnt that big of a deal to me.

we slept in on friday before the leopold and for a while, i just laid in bed and really thought some things through. i kept telling myself that in a few hours, i would be celebrating my 21st birthday in europe. althought that sounds amazing, i was really not to pumped. sure i was excited to hang out, but it just didnt feel the same. i realized that i have been spending my birthdays with the same people for most of my life. i met jaimee in preschool. she was late to one bday party. one. for the past 15-17 years, jaimee has been there. no matter what. lauren... i met in middle school. we celebrate every year too...even if it is a littler later. i cant forget the last 5 years either. the last 5 years have been very very very special to me. i celebrated with the exact same group of boys (in addition to my girls as well) every year for 5 years...and to be honest, we celebrated in almost the exact same way.

i knew for sure that this year would be different. i wouldnt be celebrating like i have been for the past 5 years and especially the last 15. i felt totally out of my comfort zone.

let me just say...i brought in my 21st bday with a group of complete strangers...STRANGERS...and i had the most amazing night. for sure one of the best yet.

Dominika (from the second day we were here...at the Heimbar in the dorms) had been wanting to go out. not because it was my bday the next day, but b/c she wanted to hang out. i met her and headed towards the city. she instantly started getting me pumped for my bday. telling me all the wonderful things we had to do when it finally came. we got to the city and met one of her friends who lives here as well (also from Slovakia). her name is Daniella and she is absolutely awesome. we headed for a bar and had a beer. pretty relaxed. got to know each other...and it was like we all hit it off instantly. i have been noticing that happens a lot out here. its almost like everyone has a few empty pockets they would just love to fill with a new friend and if you are as willing as they are...its easy as pie.

then we headed towards a club called Flex. now...im not one for the club scene in america....i think they are pretttttty trashy...but i have only been to a few...so i was anxious to see what this one was like. i mean...why not? im in friggin europe...who cares what i do even if it doesnt seem like something i woudl do at home.

we actually got lost. so we hung out at a station to wait for another one of their friends (also from Slovakia) named Sabrina. while we were waiting, 2 girls came up and asked if we knew how to get to club Flex. right away i asked where they were from in the States. i can hear perfect english a mile away out here haha. they were both from New Hampshire and one was studying in Budapest and her friend was just here visiting for spring break. we all got to talking and decided to head towards the club together when Sabrina arrived.

we got to the club and i had an amazing night. seriously...amazing. we all just danced and danced and danced and yelled about my bday. and you know what? MY FIRST SHOT WAS BOUGHT BY ONE OF THE GIRLS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE. A COMPLETE STRANGER I MET 30 MINUTES BEFORE THAT. how amazing is that. then more of sabrina and daniellas friends from Slovakia showed up and they were awesome too.

we were all dancing and Sabrina and Daniella look at me and yell...ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!! and that was it. i was 21. Dominika and Daniella tried to get the DJ to announce it, but he couldnt. my first beer as a 21 year old was bought by strangers. thats it.

i have known Dominkia for one week, 2 awesome slovakians for about 3 hours total, and 2 americans that i met at a station 30 minutes ago. they brought in my 21st bday with me and it was incredible. this is what studying abroad is all about. i knew no one. i didnt care one bit. it was the best birthday yet.

we headed back to their favorite bar where we danced even more. what was funny about that, was the fact that we saw Sabrina and the 2 to other americans at the bar too. i guess they all decided to get out and go somewhere also! which is cool cuz they just met too.

we all said our goodbyes and gave our kisses on cheeks and that was it. we were super close. what awesome new friends. some of which i will probably never see again.

so if you are thinking about getting out. just leaving. whether it be to another country, school, job, anything...just seriously do it. since thanksgiving, i have had a huge issue with my comfort zone. i was terrified of leaving it. i love my friends and my family so much that i just cant handle any of that changing. but it did. i lost some of my most amazing friends and then i gained some that will be there for me until the very end. i have loved and lost and done all that crap...and now im in europe...celebrating my bday with strangers, going out, sleeping in, learing about art, learning about myself, and just loving everyday. so just do it. take a chance to get out of your comfort zone. dont take a thing for granted and just let things change. some things are out of our control and we just need to sit back and enjoy the show.

joes favorite quote is from Ferris Bueller:

"Life moves pretty fast. If you dont stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it."

love
me

---

Comments

[mom]

That's my girl!