I made the flight

So… I meant to post a pre-travel blog for my friends and family, but here I am writing this while I was just an hour and 25 minutes away from landing in Singapore (and posting it after already spending my first full day here).

I usually like to be prepared when I travel, but some mysterious force hit me on the day of my flight, and I ended up running around like crazy right up until the last minute before I had to leave for the airport. Somehow, I made my flight, and now here I am—less than 90 minutes away from landing in a completely foreign country. It still doesn’t feel real, if you can believe that.

I feel like my mind hasn’t fully caught up to the reality of what I’m about to experience over the next six weeks. Less than two weeks ago, I was writing my last final exam. Everything has happened so quickly between the end of the winter semester and the start of this trip.

I’m not even sure if I’m fully prepared or if I forgot something important at home. But I have my passport, phone, and wallet, so at least I’ve got the essentials.

I absolutely loved all the messages I received wishing me safe travels and hoping I have an amazing time. Even though I felt slightly overwhelmed standing in the middle of the airport with so much happening around me, it was incredibly touching to know so many people were excited for me and hoping I arrived safely. I feel very loved and cared for, and I’m excited to share stories through this blog with everyone who has shown so much interest in my journey. I hope these posts will be fun for you to read.

Now, as for the trip itself, I don’t think I’ve done a very good job explaining exactly what I’m doing here.

I’m in Southeast Asia with the University of Calgary as part of a research field school. The main focus of the program is urban sustainability and geography, and I’ll be earning course credits in both subjects.

In addition to those topics, we’ll be learning about the impacts of globalization on developing countries (which I’m especially excited about), the political protests in Thailand, and the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and its effects on the region.

Our itinerary includes Singapore first, followed by Thailand, and finally Indonesia. I believe the purpose of visiting all three countries is to experience a wide variety of cultures and societies that we can analyze and compare.

Singapore, unlike Thailand and Indonesia, is a highly developed country, so I think it will provide a fascinating contrast when examining sustainability practices, urban design, and development.

I’m incredibly excited to see what this trip will teach me and how it will change me as a person.

I considered attaching my itinerary, but I think it will be more fun if each destination is a surprise in future blog posts. It will also keep me accountable to continue writing—because hopefully people will be waiting for the next update.

Now that I’ve finished writing this, I’m actually glad I didn’t have time to post before I left. This feels more like a story than a formal introduction, and I like that.

One last thing: I plan to use this blog for more than just travel updates. I also want to write about topics that interest me, subjects I’ve researched on my own or ideas I’m curious about.

Some examples include:

• The importance and influence of media during war

• From Reserves to Diaspora: How Geographic Mobility Influences Political Engagement and Leadership Participation Among Indigenous Band Members

• Reviews and reflections on nonfiction books

• “Big idea” explainers on important concepts

• Collective versus individualist societies

  
  

These are just a few of the many topics I’d love to explore.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

(A few photos for visuals)