10 Day Countdown

Okay, so technically I leave in 9 days, but I failed to realize that until today. But to me 9 seems a little uneven (ha!) and so these 10 days counts down for the day I arrive. Capisce?

The fact that I had no sense of how much time I have left here obviously shows that the reality of flying off to another country where: 

A. It’s obvious you’re a foreigner 

B. I barely speak the language 

C. I’m living for four months despite never having been in another country alone

hasn’t really hit me yet.

Usually, while preparing for the beginning of another school year, I’m superexcitedpsyched to go back to Austin and rejoin the motley crew…but this time I’m not going back to Texas. In fact, I’m not even going to stay in this weird desert/farm town my family calls home. Instead, I’m flying off to Seoul, one of the largest cities in the world, to study a semester abroad at Seoul National University (Home of the Mighty….Cranes??).

Sounds crazy, I know. And the more people ask why I chose Korea, the more I find it difficult to answer. Even after getting accepted and completing the tedious process, I admit I had still have major tinges of regret for all the things I might be missing out on while I’m gone. Like:

1. I’m in my last year of university and I’m missing FOOTBALL SEASON (if you’re from Texas, you’ll know why this breaks my heart) and all the fun things that come along with it.
2. Downtown/crazyantics….nuff said ;)
3. The crazy Texas weather: 80 degrees Fahrenheit one week and snow the next….not really, but it’s definitely something worth remembering.
4. AND MOST OF ALL….my family and friends—my Dots, the Whitis Crew, my PartyPutas, and my other dear friends from back home. This is the hardest thing for me, because I would want nothing more than to share these new, exciting, and possibly scary experiences with ya’ll (yes, “ya’ll”….you can take the girl out of Texas…..)

So yeah, it majorly bites to leave everything that I hold so near and dear to my heart behind, but the more I thought about it (and as many of you can vouch for all the nights that I cried over it after having one too many), the more it became clear that this is a chance to challenge myself, learn new things, and perhaps find myself…I guess I’ll call it “Seoul searching.” Get it? Bahaha. I know. I’m a cheesy nerd.


10 days??? Crap. I need to pack.