30 August 2015 | 09:40 PM

OMG I’M GOING TO TOKYO!

I’m leaving for Tokyo, Japan tomorrow morning. There. I wrote it. It is real. I mean, it has to be real, right? Maybe if I write it again: I’M LEAVING FOR TOKYO, JAPAN TOMORROW MORNING!

Okay, that made it a little more real. I still cannot believe it. I am currently packing and it is 9:41pm. I do not believe I am going to get any sleep tonight because of the excitement I feel. Unreal. That is how I will explain how I feel at the moment; unreal.

My first week in Vienna was definitely busy--adjusting to a class schedule, preparing for auditions, and finding my way around my new home was a lot to juggle. The weekend came quickly and gave me the opportunity to check some things off of my Wien Bucket List! 
And so I did: it was a fine first weekend in the city (despite the very hot weather.)

I’m at that point – it’s starting to feel normal for me to be living in Ecuador.  I can only call this place home thanks to the friends I’ve made, my host family, and my fantastic course curriculum.

HOST FAMILY
Before coming to Ecuador, I was most nervous about staying in a host family.  How in the world would I communicate when I do not speak Spanish? What if I react badly to their food? What if I don’t get along with a family member... or worse... their dog?!

Ever since our first meeting, the IES abroad students have become closer and closer throughout our stay. This past week our group went on our weeklong field trip to Rarotonga on the Cook Islands. There is nothing that could have prepared me for the kind of cultural immersion I was about to partake in, but man was it fun! We began our journey walking into the airport being greeted by friendly faces and melodies from ukuleles. After quickly making our way through security it was into a squished van and off to our own little resort.

It's official - my spirit animal is Russell from UP. 

            Today is September 2, 2015, and I’ve been back home for a little more than a month. Since arriving back in the States, I’ve finished an internship, and started back at school. It’s been a full few weeks, but I haven’t quite forgotten my time abroad just yet!

When I was little, my family would always take vacations down to Disney World. We would buy funny hats, watch the fireworks, and cap the trip off by riding the jolliest, catchiest ride in the park: It’s a Small World.

For those of you who have never ridden this cheery ride, it features hundreds of animatronic dolls, dressed up as different people from across the world, frolicking and singing of global peace and connectivity.

I have been in Japan for nearly a week now and all I can say is, I LOVE IT! I am very excited to buckle down, try my best to become fluent, and most of all, continue exploring! I arrived a day earlier than the majority of the rest of my program, with the exception of one fellow study abroad-er. I didn't realize until later that we had actually arrived on the same exact flight. Anyway, we quickly became friends and we spent our first day exploring Sakae.