not quite home

it's almost 2am here. i'm writing this in milan (a beautiful city, but one that's still so foreign). there's less than 4 hours until i'll have to pack my bags for cinque terre, a group of five beautiful italian towns along the mediterranean coast. it's one of those moments where you know you should sleep but can't, but that's alright. every day i'm somewhere new and the sound of trains has become so familiar and constant i almost never have a quiet moment- so i've grown accustomed to savoring them in the peace of night, even if it means i have to forgo sleep. the sound of lilting italian speech floats through the open window. to me the italian language sounds like song. the sound of indistinguishable chatter comes and goes. all is quiet again.

cityscape of london

i've been abroad for a week now. travelling through england and visiting the big cities of london, bath, and oxford. having never been in europe before it's hard to even tear my eyes away from all the sights. i remember being captivated by the sight of big ben and then westminster abbey- i don't even know what it is that makes old architecture so fascinating to me. but i love it.

the sky above the roman-built city of bath, england

being able to travel is my dream and now i'm living it. however despite all of this, i still find myself missing home. seattle. a few months i would've said home was hong kong, the city i lived the last two years of my high school in. but now- seattle. why? why do i miss a city that i don't have any family or relatives in? i barely knew a thing about seattle before i chose to go there for university, but somehow i've made my home there. even though i move dorms every year. it's a little disconcerting to me that i (so soon!) wish i can go back. especially since i'm supposed to be living it up here, on the other side of the world.

in kensington palace, there was a little room where we could write postcards to the queen. (corny, but) this is what i wrote.

i know it'll probably go away soon though. i think i'm just homesick because i'm not used to being away from seattle for so long. anyways, the best way to stop missing home is to stop thinking about home in the first place. right?