Dear Journal,

I'm currently on my flight to Kauai, Hawaii, with around twenty-five minutes left to go. The man beside me has been snoring for the entirety of this 7 hour and 50 minute flight. Even though I haven't been able to catch a wink of sleep because of it, part of me is glad that I had such an extensive amount of interrupted time to just think. To think about the plans I have for this summer; the things I have to accomplish during my time here, but also the things that I plainly want to do. It has allowed me time to think about all of the unknown possibilities. It has given me time to be scared of those, but also excited.

Three months here sounds like a long time, but I have a heavy feeling that it's going to fly by much quicker than I would like for it to. Before I know it, I'll be on a return flight back, heart surely heavy and overwhelmed with the experiences I expect to have while here.

The promise I'm making to myself is to be as open-minded as possible. To not let fears, or reservations, or any kind of anxiety inhibit me or limit me. Yes, I'm studying here to fufill a school requirement, but there's so much more to this trip than school. I want to find myself. I want to become my own person without the weight of all of my friends and family watching, waiting to see what I'll do next. I want to discover things about myself I never knew before, all in the privacy of finally doing something completely alone. I want to meet people. I want to make friends. I want to expand my world view.

I want to leave this place crying, simply because I know that I'll miss the people and the rhythm of life here that much. Maybe I'm setting the bar too high. Perhaps it's a tall order to fill.

But, regardless, I'm determined. I'm young, and that youth is dwindling. The time to take advantage of these opportunities I've been given is now.

The flight crew is preparing for landing.

I'll see you on the ground.