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Nearly Abroad

Hello!

Today is the first day after my self-imposed month off from social media. I gave myself a ten minute time limit on Facebook browsing, and then stopped after four minutes because that shirt was boring. (I have taken to occasionally using Good Place style swear word replacements.) I think that my endless Facebook scrolling in the past was largely because I was constantly seeking meaning and satisfaction that simply wasn't there. Even when Facebook use is enjoyable, their exploitation of user data makes me want to leave the platform entirely. I'm curious to see if Twitter is as much fun/chaos as I remember.

In other news, study abroad preparations are in full swing. My flight is at 7:55 AM on Sunday morning, which is (a) nerve-wracking and (b) much earlier than any flight should ever be. People keep on asking me if I'm ready, and I'm like "Well, I hope so...it's a bit too late to start preparing". Over the past few months, counseling has helped me to feel more confident that I will be able to ~respond rather than react~ to any situation that I might face. At the same time, there are so many small things to do before I leave. I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity, but I feel so poorly equipped to enjoy it.

I am struggling to finish this blog post. I still find it unbelievable that my pre-study abroad days are almost finished. As we speak, I am participating in Hourly Comics Day, so my next blog post will be my completed comic. And then, I will be writing from Paris to report on how my study abroad adventure is going. Wish me luck!

Best wishes,
Lydia

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