So far, I think I’ve experienced almost every emotion in the book when it has came to this trip. Leading up to the day I left, I was really struggling to wrap my head around how quick things were going to change and how drastic of a change I would experience. I have never been so anxious in my life for anything. This trip definitely took the cake for anxiety. There were so many unknowns about what I was actually getting myself into. I still have not left an airport and I’m already in culture shock (the most normal meal I could get in Beijing was “Grilled Pork Neck” and steamed rice haha). I also went through numerous cycles of anxiety, stress, sadness, and loneliness, I can’t even count how many times I would say “What did I get myself into?” on a daily basis. I am both excited and scared to continue on.

Food is so far the only thing I really got an experience with, but it was all pretty commercialized…

I love experiencing the new cultures and see how others live their lives. In my mind, North America was really the only continent I belonged on. It was crazy to think I would actually land in a place like China. You see it and learn about it all your life, but never quite grasp that you could just go there until you decide to take a journey like this. The 11 hour flight from Vancouver to Beijing was the most anxiety ridden flight I had ever taken as I had never been on a plane that big or been on one for more than 7 hours (yes, the flight dragged on…..). I also never realized when we flew to China, we go directly up to the arctic circle and back down through northern Russia. This was pretty neat to see!

It’s crazy to think that we have he technologies to just be able to bounce around the world and I am incredibly lucky that I am able too. I also got to experience what it’s like to sit beside someone for 11.5 hours… He was a super nice guy but I just missed my personal space (and he got up and peed almost every hour – thank goodness I didn’t have the isle seat). Those planes cram a lot of people in and lack elbow room.

(This is what 20 hours of travel looks like… And I still have a 5 hour flight down to Bangkok.)

I’m still trucking along though!

-Em