The Wait is Over

Tonight, is my last night in the U.S. before I leave it for the first time. Up until now the journey I am about to embark on has felt light-years away, at times not even real. In a few hours however, I will be on a plane headed for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Thus far my first international travel experience has been smooth, apart from having to wait half an hour to be billed for overweight luggage (I packed a lot of books). Now, I am waiting for Sydney’s and my gate to open, perusing who our flight companions will be. I can’t help but think where all these people are going, and their reasons for traveling. Every person we see has a backstory just as complicated as ours, and a few hundred of those stories are about to convene on this very flight. Sydney was nice enough to let me take the window seat and I’m hoping to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, a sight I’ve only seen in pictures. Before landing in Siem Reap we will pass through Guangzhou, China, a country I thought I would never be able to see with my own eyes. Being the McDonald’s fanatic that I am, I am looking forward to making a comparison between McDonald’s in America and McDonald’s abroad. Furthermore, expanding my palette will be a rather exciting endeavor, and one of the items on my bucket list is a popular Cambodian delicacy: fried tarantula. I am beyond eager to land in Siem Reap and meet all the students I will grow ever so close with over the next 9 months, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends, professors, mentors, and family for supporting me throughout my last four years as this experience would not have been possible without them.