In Preparation.

So the big day has finally come...I fly out to begin the next leg of this adventure tomorrow morning. I can't believe its already here. It feels like just the other day that I was wrapping up my time in Georgia, consulting with Caroline and Elana about where we want to go next...what part of the world we want to see. And here I am, just a few weeks later, about to embark on an experience that I think will be nothing short of life-changing.
For those of you whom I haven't updated recently (or for those of you whom my mom hasn't updated!), I am going to Southeast Asia with two of my friends I met while teaching in Georgia. We are flying into Thailand and plan on backpacking throughout the country, up into Laos, down through Cambodia, and back up through Vietnam. While backpacking is well and good, I felt strongly that we needed to do something to give back to the communities that were going to be providing us with such life-changing experiences. I didn't want to be a self-indulgent bum, and so we have picked three places to volunteer: a hippie, organic farm in Thailand, a school in Laos, and an orphanage in Cambodia. We are aiming to spend 2-3 weeks at each placement, and then spend the rest of our time getting from one location to the next--and of course sightseeing and taking in the beauty that is this part of the world.
While we certainly have these "plans" in order, we actually lack just that. We have no itinerary, no real destinations. Caroline and I don't even know where we're sleeping on Saturday night once we get into Bangkok. But I think that this is the beauty of this trip...to explore and to enjoy the journey...to not worry about or wait until the final destination.
I'm leaving an amazing support network of unbelievable friends whom I feel closer to now than ever and a loving, supportive and resilient family dealing with impending loss and the realization of human frailty. To all of you wonderful people--I love you dearly and will miss you. Skype me, message me, facebook me, visit me. You are all in my thoughts and when I meditate in ancient, Buddhist temples, I will think of nothing but your happiness. Thank you for being the beautiful people that you are.
I leave the country with a renewed optimism, a new faith in the universe thanks to a chance encounter (you know who you are). I have re-discovered my belief in the power of human connection, and I can't think of a better way to leave the country than with this faith in my pocket and all I need on my back.

Here's to the journey.

Namaste.