As my time to depart approaches, the more real everything becomes. It seems obvious, but for someone who has been talking about this trip for two years, it seemed like it would never actually happen. The reality of saying good-bye to my friends, moving out of my apartment, and leaving the Asian Studies Center has been making me sad. I have had a great summer, actually the best summer of my life so far, and being completely content has made leaving harder. I know my attitudes will do a 180 once I arrive in Korea. The food, new people, my host mom, and the overall atmosphere will be so exciting that I will forget what I left behind. I also know that the year will go by extremely fast and before I know it I will be reunited with old friends and places, having the same sentiments about leaving Korea as I do leaving the United States.
With my visa in and the majority of my shopping taken care of, the only thing left to do is move and pack. I have already strategically thought out what items to pack (versatile shoes, certain cosmetics I can't get overseas, power adapters, etc.). I will take a backpack, carry-on, and larger suitcase for the entire year. I'm thankful for the fact that Korea is a developed country; it's not like I'm going backpacking in rural Malawi where I can't easily stop by a department store or mall for necessities.
The next time I blog will probably be the day I leave, August 20th. I want to take the time before then to live the rest of the summer out as fully as possible before it quickly fades away.
