Overwhelmed in the Best Possible Way!

I’m a big lover of words. I’m pursuing an English minor just for the fun of it, was an obsessive reader as a kid, have a passion for writing (hello blog!!), and have Thesaurus.com as my third most used site on Google. I think words and the power that they have is so beautiful, so poignant. But when it comes to CR, the only word I can express is: Overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed with joy at being selected. Overwhelmed with amazement that I got picked. Overwhelmed with appreciation for this amazing new familia that I cannot wait to bond with abroad. And overwhelmed with excitement for the adventures to come!

My name is Roxy Odiorne, and I am so honored to be a member of CR 12! A bit about me! I am a native Texan (Georgetown specifically), a psychology major, and a lover of Jesus, sunsets, coffee dates (though I’m a tea person myself!), dad jokes, and pasta – so I’m just a little bit excited for Italy!! I love people and building relationships and community, so getting to connect with the 17 other individuals on CR – as well as alums – is definitely what I am most excited about. I desire to be a light and make people feel loved, worthy, and seen – definitely the calling of my life that I hope to grow in on CR! And I’m the clumsiest people I’ve ever met, giving me a lifetime of experience in learning to laugh at myself!

I first heard about Cultural Routes at a weekend in February of 2019 – before I’d even decided I wanted to go to TCU. After hearing Dr. Pitcock speak about this phenomenal, life-changing experience, I immediately knew I had to try and be a part of this! After committing and coming to TCU, I began to meet several CR alums, who all raved about the experience and encouraged me to apply. My grand-big, Brittany Harano, is an alum of CR 10 and someone I absolutely adore and look up to. With her encouragement and post-hearing from her and all the amazing alums I had met, I was 1000% convinced this was for me! I poured my heart into the application, trying to show Dr. P who I am and what I value. After submitting, there was the grueling 2 month wait. Though I would try to not think about it, anytime I would hear anything about CR my stomach would fill with butterflies! There are few things I’ve anticipated as much as waiting for this decision!

January 8th, 2020, was and will forever be a life changing day – the day acceptance letters went out. Throughout the entirety of break, I’d been anxiously awaiting this day, praying, stressing, and sitting on pins and needles. However, for all my nerves, I didn’t expect to get it in the slightest. So many phenomenal people had applied! The odds were so slim.

At 1:24 p.m., the email arrived. Stress swept over me. My heart pounded. I couldn’t breathe. I clicked on the link, squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath – and opened my eyes to see fireworks on my screen.

I screamed. I cried. (I’m talking bawling, ugly-crying tears, y’all.) I full-blown happy danced around my room. I immediately texted Brittany and my sweet friend Taylor Harville (CR 11), sent my reaction video to Dr. P (a video where I am shaking and sobbing the whole time), and plotted on how to tell my parents, who were currently at work.

I ended up doing a cake. I bought a cake, attempted to ice “I’m going on CR” on it, and presented it at dinner. It was a few minutes before my parents were actually able to read what the cake said (let’s just say I should not go into the artistry of frosting), but when they got it they were just as ecstatic as I was.

Since January 8th, I have been constantly overwhelmed about CR and how blessed I feel to get to go on this experience. This feeling of overwhelmment has been the best thing ever! Sometimes it hits me out of the blue that I am actually going on CR, and I just want to cry with joy all over again.

I am so excited to share these blogs with all of you, and to update you on not just the experiences being had, but the growth in myself as a person. I sincerely hope that the girl writing this blog today is not the same girl who writes her final one. Something that is so beautiful about CR and separates it from any other study abroad experience is the emphasis on being pushed, on growing, on developing, and coming back differently than how you left. I can’t wait to look back on this in a few months and see how I have changed. And I can’t wait for you to be along for the ride!

So here’s me! Here’s my story. And I cannot wait to continue sharing this journey with all of you. It’s going to be a crazy, exhilarating, and overwhelming ride – and I cannot wait to be overwhelmed time and time again in the best possible way.

With Love, Roxy