"So, Are You Excited?"

So, seeing as how I officially leave in less than a week, I thought it would be appropriate to make another post. Especially since I promised it would be one about how excited I am. Put it all together, and it was just too perfect to make this post today.

This question right here is by far the one I get the most. It also has the longest answer. It is a little bit of back-tracking but all the same, I thought it deserved its own separate post.

“So, are you excited?”
Inside voice: Well yeah. I’m going around the world. Wouldn’t you be?
Outside voice: Oh yeah. Very. I’m pretty nervous too but yes, I am incredibly excited.

That might seem like a very quick and short answer, but there is so much more to it.

You see, Semester at Sea is practically a legacy for me. Back in the ‘80s, my mom was at a Girl Scout event of some sort and my grandma was there, presumably chaperoning. While she was there, she heard something from someone about some program called Semester at Sea. She never forgot about it so when my mom went to college, my grandma brought it up and my mom went. After her, so did my uncle and now me. All because of my grandma. For me, this incredible opportunity, this once in a lifetime opportunity basically is all because of my grandma. Not only did she get and remember the information that led to my mom going, but she and my grandpa even planned and are paying for my trip. I don’t think I could ever properly express how grateful I am for it either.
But like I said, my mom went on this trip when she was in college and that is what directly inspired me to go too. I grew up hearing all her crazy and exotic stories. Her stories about feeling the ghosts in Tieneman Square in China, especially since her group was one of the first student groups allowed back into China after that whole thing happened. Her stories about seeing the destitute children on the streets of India and the riots keeping her from seeing the Taj Mahal. Her stories of having to go around Africa and not go to Egypt because Sadaam Hussein was making threats on the Suez Canal. Her stories of meeting “Juan” and “Paco”, as my dad calls them, in Brazil and dancing all night. I was entranced. For as long as I can remember, Semester at Sea was and is my dream. And now it’s finally coming true.

How could I not be excited about living out my longest and oldest dream?