As we sit here in the Detroit airport, two things are on my mind: the length of the flight ahead of me, and the mystery of the places we’re about to explore.

The furthest I’ve ever been from home, and the longest flight I’ve ever taken, was when I studied abroad in Stockholm in fall 2009. That flight was nearly eight hours, making this seventeen-hour flight over twice as long. As my friend Julia, who took the same flight earlier this year, put it, “You fly for five hours, and you’re like, I could be in Europe by now, and then you’re like, there are ten more hours to this flight.” I laid down the law a while ago when we bought our tickets and claimed the aisle seat, so I’ll be able to have a bit of room to stretch my legs, but even so I’m expecting to be permanently pretzel-shaped by the time we get there.

The second thing on my mind is more of a general feeling of awe about what lies ahead of us. Our friend Ben was asking me yesterday what I’m most excited about during the trip, and I replied that I’m most excited just to see what Asia is like. It sounds stupid, but having never been outside of the Western world, I’m very curious just to walk through the streets, hear the languages, experience the customs, and, of course, to eat the food. The timing of this trip — right after graduation — is perfect, too, since I’m hoping this will be an eye-opening, horizon-widening experience. If spending time in Sweden, an incredibly developed Western country, totally changed my perspective, I’m very interested to see how the next four weeks affect me.

Wish me luck in the back of the plane!