This past weekend I visited the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Queensland. So far this was my first weekend trip in Australia and definitely one I will never forget. My brother and his friend were also visiting Australia so they tagged along with myself and my two best friends from home.

Once, when I was very little, my best friend in the whole wide world of fourth grade bragged to me that her Chinese heritage extended as far back as the Song dynasty

            “I’m descended from the Empress Cixi,” she said proudly, her head aloft.

            “Holy crap,” I thought.

According to a countdown on Google, there are 19 days, 4 hours, 49 minutes and 5 seconds until I begin my journey to the land of pizza, pasta and gelato, otherwise known as Italy. Earlier I had considered packing my suitcase, but then remembered that I still need my clothes and other belongings, and still have a while to go until August 28th. Needless to say, I am beyond excited to study abroad in Siena, Italy. My infatuation with Italy began summer going into my freshman year at Sewanee.

Here it is, my last night in Spain. In a few hours I'll be flying towards my final destination—Beijing. Finishing this post has been especially difficult because I couldn't really find the moment to write it. I've been writing down my thoughts and feelings for over a week, but it never seemed to me good enough to publish it, so every time I was determined to do it, I ended up editing my previous lines about the predeparture experience.

When I first moved to Skidmore College all the way from Brazil, I thought I was going to a school much, much bigger than the high school I went back home. And it was. First month of freshman year was hard to adapt; having to get around and find myself on campus, going from class to class, building to building... It was a long month! But, well, little did I know that things would get way "worse". 

One of the first things you learned upon arriving to Cape Town is the simple phrase: This is Africa (TIA). The best way to describe the meaning of TIA is all encompassing. When I first arrived over a month ago, I would use the phrase TIA to describe what I now realize was extensive culture shock. When a queue that would typically take 10 minutes to get through in the states took 30 in Cape Town… TIA. When most public places don’t have chargers, wifi, or consistent heat like they would in the states… TIA.

It’s finally here, I’m finally leaving for Quito! It’s been a crazy whirlwind trying to get ready for this adventure. I only had two weeks at home by the time my internship in Phoenix ended to be at home in Philadelphia and try to get all of my things together for these five months away in Quito. I’m not exactly what one might call a light packer, I like to be prepared for any possibility and so trying to fit all of what I thought was necessary to bring into two fifty pound suitcases was quite literally impossible.

31 days, 8 hours, 12min, 55 seconds until I begin my adventure. Well, now its 20 seconds but you get the idea. If you couldn’t tell already I’m super excited to study abroad in the beautiful city of London. I can imagine it already, the accents, driving on the opposite side of the road and tea, lots of tea. Traveling across Europe, meeting new faces, eating amazing food, and creating memories that will last a lifetime will be amazing. As I have never been to London, I am super excited to be able to live and study there.