This weekend I have been thinking about my expectations for my upcoming trip to Europe and whether or not I am really prepared for this trip.
For instance last week I was looking at a map of Vienna and of course all the street names are in German and this made me realize that this will be my first time traveling in a country where the primary language is not English. Do I expect that we will have problems with this or do I think it will be no big deal? Now that I have been thinking about it I think it will be somewhere in the middle - not a huge problem but it will make things interesting. So am I prepared for this? I am prepared to walk into a restaurant and have the menu be in a different language? What will it be like to have most of the street chatter around me be in a different language?
What do I expect from Austria? I really don't know, I don't really know much about Vienna or Salzburg but sometimes that is more fun. I have had good luck with exploring cities I don't know anything about.
What do I expect from Paris? Really, I am not that interested in Paris so I expect nothing from Paris. So I guess for me Paris can only go up. I guess I expect the people there to be rude because that this all I have ever heard but I am really prepared for that? I don't think so but we'll find out in about two and a half weeks.
What do I expect from England? I expect it be awesome and decide that I want to move to Oxford, Liverpool or some other lovely place there. Have I prepared myself for anything other than this? No but maybe I should.
Do I expect the two friends I am doing this trip with and who have never met each other to really get along? I do. But I am prepared for the moments that they don't? Or the moments where I don't get along with one of them? I don't know that I am prepared for those moments but I should expect them because I don't know that it is possible for 3 people to travel together for 12 days and expect us to get along ALL the time. But prayer is probably a great way to start preparing - that conflict be kept to a minimum and resolved quickly and in a Christ-like manner.
I am trying to keep my expectations a minimum and be as prepared as possible but the more I think about it the harder that is going to be.
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3 comments:
"Really, I am not that interested in Paris so I expect nothing from Paris. So I guess for me Paris can only go up." Ha ha...I feel the same way!
I am in my church prayer list this next week, and I've requested prayer for safety, for travel arrangements to go well, and for the three of us to have great camaraderie. I can't think of very many times you and I have had conflict, and the times I can think of were all times that you were right, so I'm prepared for that. ;)
I'm so nervous about this trip in some ways, and yet there is also this voice in the back of my head that keeps saying it will all be great and that since excessive worrying has never actually preceded the disasters I imagined, I might as well stop being anxious and expect to enjoy myself--but also to enjoy myself in ways I might not expect. :)
I'm really glad Angie has familiarity with French and German!
Well, I wouldn't say that I am always right because I am sure that isn't the case.
I am not nervous. I just am not sure what to expect so I am excited, but a restrained excited.
And I am also thankful that Angie has familiarity with French and German.
Today at work I was operating a hand pallet jack, and you have to turn it in the opposite direction from the direction you want the pallet to go, and after half an hour I was having to remind myself how to steer a car. So I'm not as worried about the England driving as I was. :)
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