Writing this from the airport in Istanbul, I am currently very much looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep when I finally settle into our hotel outside of Kuala Lumpur a day from now. Air travel is rarely pleasant for anyone, and I especially have trouble getting any sleep during lengthy trips such as this one which totals at 36 hours, but I remain hopeful that my sheer lack of sleep will knock me out on my last flight connecting to Malaysia. An airport nap on the floor makes this a bit easier to write. However, having literally caught my flight from Chicago to Istanbul by a matter of seconds, I’m mainly just grateful I’ve made it this far. These challenges are to be expected though, and I am reminded why I decided to participate in study abroad in the first place. I had an opportunity through scholarship and good timing to join the program going to Asia, but I was sold on it in particular through the chance to experience and explore non-Western culture, which modern air travel, though sleep-deficient, makes relatively easy. I’m interested in learning how entire countries operate differently from what I’m accustomed to, at business, cultural, and daily life scales. And I’m certainly excited to see the unfamiliar landscapes and historical sites. I was told that traveling abroad, especially for a longer period of time, greatly increases your love for home and appreciation for the everyday familiarity that you grow up with. And while this makes perfect sense, I want to come home from my time abroad with a deeper love for my own American roots, I’m super excited to land tomorrow and I hope I don’t make too much of a fool of myself, and I hope our two and a half weeks doesn’t fly by too quickly.
