Well, there it is. That suitcase will hold everything I need for the next 20 days. To be honest, I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet, and I don’t know if it will until I actually step off the plane. There is a part of me that wants that though, because I don’t want my actual experience to be ruined by anticipation. I don’t want the experiences to float by either, as I just idly let the study abroad wash over me as “just another trip.” No, I want something more here. The key, I think, is being present and being filled with wonder. Being present means, obviously, not being on my phone all the time, but also means not daydreaming about what cool thing is coming next when there is a cool thing right in front of me. I have hopes and desires for the trip, certainly, but I can’t let the good that I want to overwhelm the good that is actually there, which may even be better than what I wanted. Will I direct my entire attention and focus to what is in front of me, will I make friends with the other students and random people I meet, will I engage in the little moments, or will I only spend each day planning for the next one? Wonder too will help with this. Wonder is something hard to explain, but we’ve all experienced it. It’s something more than interest, more than curiosity. It’s something beyond you, something greater that grips you in ways that you can’t fully explain. It can come in big ways and in small ways, and it can come when you’re by yourself and with other people. You can’t force it, obviously, but having the desire to receive wonder at the forefront of my mind will help me to stay grounded in the present moment. It is only through the both of those that this trip will become something life-changing. I sure hope it does.