I lie back and relax, music blasting in my ears. Finals are over. I’m just waiting for grades. Then it sets in: I leave for South Korea tomorrow. The trip that got me through all those endless classes and soul-crushing exams is finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Honestly, with our departure so close to the end of finals (I have my last one the day before we leave), this trip still doesn’t feel real. In truth, I don’t think it’ll actually compute that I’m in Korea until I’ve been walking on the streets of Seoul. But even then, I’m eager to touch ground and start exploring. I can barely wait to learn K-Pop choreo with the others on the first day. The baseball game feels so far away, but I’m eager to see what the atmosphere is like since everything I’ve heard from Dr. Yun and read on my own makes the rush in the crowd feel like its own ballgame compared to the scene in America. Personally, I’m curious to find out what the culture surrounding the Global StarCraft II League (GSL) is like in Korea. While I’ve watched the games alone at home and follow the tournament series whenever it comes around, I’m the only person I know who does. Especially with the first games in the series happening in Seoul, South Korea May 6th and 7th, I’m curious if I’ll see others watching the games and finally feel that sense of community surrounding the (e-)sport.

There are so many thoughts flying through my head. We’re only getting closer to Incheon, and with every second, the reality that I’m going to South Korea is becoming more and more… well, real. Soon, the thoughts flying in my head will be flying in the air, over the arctic, and landing in South Korea. I’ll be in South Korea, experiencing the culture I’ve read so much about first-hand.

And now, I’m here.