Leaving

Packing is almost completed. I have gained several pounds to have some reserves to draw upon during the next seven months; I have not had much Thai food and I am sure many of you can attest to the fact that I am gastronomically impaired. I have checked exchange rates. I have said goodbye to many. But, I still feel as if nothing can quite reassure or prepare me for what is to come next and I find this inexorable feeling quite titillating.

I have been teasing my family that I am traveling as far as I possibly can away from my home. And longitudinally this is quite true. It is almost sad to me that I am reaching the farthest place from home at such a young age. It begs the question, how can I top this adventure afterword? Nonetheless, I am terribly excited.

I am writing this blog to keep in touch with those I wish to keep in touch: family, friends, etc. It seemed a gargantuan task to try to retain all my linkages stateside atop of my unknown and limited communication methods and atop the glaring absurdity of me being twelve hours different timewise. I find this will be the easiest way to tell my story. But, I am a communicator; I want feedback so please supply the comment section with ample love.

Additionally, I am not going to edit and make sure spelling and grammar is correct. So, all you who thrive on correcting me (I am talking to you, Doeke and Erik), know this blog is imperfect. But, I will love you irregardless of your personal choices ;). 

This will be difficult to restrict all my thoughts and feelings to the written word. But, I will be sure to add pictures! I have posted a picture of my current packing status. It’s insane! I don’t know if everything will fit. And I want room to bring stuff back!

Logistics. I will be out of the country from January 3 to July 22. The first sixteen weeks I will be taking sixteen credits and assuming the role of a student. A cracked-out student! First off, I received an e-mail recently stating that the first six weeks we will be doing crossfit. A simple google query will detail this workout in all its intensity. In the adventuring department I will be backpacking between remote villages, rafting down rivers, sea kayaking between islands, climbing, and cave snorkeling. The sixteen weeks are broken up into four units: Thai language & culture, Rivers, Forests, and Oceans. To sum up the last three classes in a simple sentence, I will be looking at how Thai people interact with their respective ecosystems. Resources use, anthropology etc. The following eight weeks I will be doing an internship, which is still TBD. After that, I fly to the Philippines to visit the lovely Ketch family for a week of fun. And then I will return to the good ol’ US of A. Whew! A paragraph that vaguely outlines my life for the next seven months! For more details, videos, and photos of what I am going to be doing, visit isdsi.org.

Thank you so much for checking up with me. I will try to be timely with my forthcoming posts. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I will need it as I am going alone. God Bless!