Summer goes by so quickly… And with that, my plane slowly glides into the gate. I still don’t really think it has hit me yet that I’m actually going to Spain today. I am the airport about to board the plane, but mentally, I feel very much still at home. I suppose that may be because I am still at home though. Once I land in DC it will feel more real. I’m also starting to feel a little homesick; it was hard leaving my house today and saying goodbye to my Mom. But that’s strange to me because this is my 5^th consecutive summer abroad (minus one year that I went to Pittsburgh for the summer). You’d think that I’m used to leaving home by now. Regardless, I am truly looking forward to my trip and I’m so excited to just see Sevilla in person. All I’ve seen so far are the beautiful cathedrals from Google images searches, and I can’t even imagine what the real place will be like!

This trip will be a big change for me. It’s been over 6 years since the last time I went to Europe, and I’ve never been to Spain. Usually, my international travel is focused in China and Japan, so I have a feeling that the atmosphere of this trip will be very different. For one, Seville has a semi-arid climate, which is quite a welcome change from the sticky, humid weather in Asia. Also, for the first time in a long time, I won’t be able to look like a native person no matter how hard I try. In Asia, it’s easy for me to blend into a crowd because I am ethnically Chinese and I also try to dress like the locals. When I was in Tokyo last summer, I doubled my traveling wardrobe and got a Japanese haircut. Likewise, I researched for hours online about Spanish clothing, but then I realized that it won’t even matter that much because there probably aren’t too many Asians living in Spain. Also, I can’t roll my r’s for the life of me.

Well, they just started boarding for my plane. I’m off to Destination España!! (I’m not going to the circle though, Sevilla is on the west side of Spain)

Location: State College, PA, USA