Flying away in less than 24 hours! (pre-departure blog)

Howdy all!

This trip is still so surreal to me...I can't believe that in less than 24 hours, I will be flying overseas and staying in Europe for the next five weeks. Living by myself in a completely different world for the next month or so...it's crazy to think that this is actually happening. I could not help smiling when my host family first emailed me. I was afraid to email them at first because I had no idea how comfortable they were with English, but then I quickly realized that these people would probably not have signed up to be host families had they not known English. Nevertheless I cannot wait to finally meet them.

I've been traveling a lot this summer already...constantly driving from Austin to College Station, and then from College Station to Houston and Dallas. I was also in California for a few days and went sightseeing with some of my friends. As much fun as it is, traveling is also very overwhelming and tiring. I realize that there is so much to see in the world outside of us, and when we are in Europe there will be even more things to see and places to check out. There is just so much to explore, and yet so little time to experience every single thing there is to do overseas. I know this is something I will definitely have a hard time taking in when we are overseas.

Going to Europe is a big deal for me. One of the biggest things I am looking forward to is meeting my great aunt for the first time! I had no idea I actually had a relative who lives outside of Korea until I told my parents about this trip. I actually just talked to her on the phone today, and she told me that she is only a couple hours away from Bonn. Hopefully when I find some free time, and once I get more familiar with the way transportation works over there, I will have an opportunity to go visit her during my stay in Germany. However, I am a little anxious and embarrassed to say that I am not only a very poor speaker in Korean, but also an extreme beginner in German.

I am pretty much finished with packing now. About to spend my last night in the States with some friends in downtown Austin. Although I am going to miss everyone here, I know I am going to have a blast in this experience because I am open-minded to all places and cultures. Except maybe the food over there...I am quite the picky eater. I remember the last time I visited Spain, I ended up losing a few pounds because the only thing I liked over there was bread. Though I am a little nervous that I may not like the food overseas, I am beyond excited to enjoy what is going to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life!