Endless Summer 2016
At least that’s what it feels like anyways. I am standing over the precipice, looking down, ready to take the step forward, the step that will plummet me into a colossal life experience that will forever shape part of who I am. I cannot begin to explain how blessed I feel to have this experience. I am going to be learning, exploring, and living in Southeast Asia for four months. Vietnam will be my new home for a time. How crazy is that?
Anyways, for the purposes of this blog, let me tell you a little about myself.
My name is Michaela Rabinov, I am a creative advertising major, and a dance minor. I was born and raised in Kaneohe, Hawaii, but have been living in Chicago for the past four years for school. I do go home twice a year though for breaks.
That is where I have been for the past five weeks. Hawaii. Hawaii is like no other place in the world, and my love for it will never die, but it is an island, and once you have experienced the bigger world, you begin to yearn to experience more and more of the bigger world. Once I started traveling, I could not stop. I have always been a bit of a risk taker/adrenaline junkie/soul searcher/whatever you may call it, and yet, I have never gone to a new place for five months without knowing anybody, or speaking the language at all before. So this is new, and I.am.so.excited.
Yesterday, I (over)packed my bags, and left Hawaii for Portland. I am here for a couple of days before I have to fly to Chicago for five hours (because it was vastly cheaper to book round trip tickets). Then I fly directly to Shanghai (15 hour flight) where I will spend five days going to Xi’an, Huangshan, and Hangzhou. Then I will finally fly to Ho Chi Minh City to meet up with my fellow loyolans and future adventure buddies.
One of the strangest realizations that I have had so far in this experience was when I was at orientation a couple of months back. I was sitting in the room looking around, and all I could think about was that I didn’t know a single person sitting in that room, but that come December, at least a few of them will probably be considered some of my best friends. Life is kind of amazing that way.
I feel like I have so many expectations for this experience, and yet, I have no idea what they are. So in a way, I guess I have no expectations, which is probably a good thing.
I do have some fears of course, the usual ones, like what will happen if I get mugged and my passport is stolen, or if I get sick, or get malaria (I have some pills for that), or have any of you seen the movie Taken??? (just kidding, sort of). My biggest fear is honestly my return to Chicago, after this semester is over. It will be the middle of January (I hate winter), and I already know that reverse culture shock is worse than actual culture shock. I am making a huge effort to focus on the present, and to enjoy what I have now though.
The past five weeks in Hawaii have been filled with many experiences. Four days ago, I had my wallet, phone, and a few other things stolen, and so I had to scramble to replace those important items before I left, but during my time home, I also got to swim with sharks, hike some mountains, surf a few waves, and get scuba certified, among many other incredible adventures. The way I see it, the positive experiences always outweigh the negative ones, and the negative ones just have to be seen as learning experiences. This is why I feel ready to take on whatever it is that Asia throws at me. I am entering these next five months with an open mind, and an open heart, and I am ready to take in everything.
