Charleston!!!

Yes, as absurd as it may seem, I woke up at 5:30am this morning because I was so excited! This afternoon Carolyn and I are headed down to Charlotte, NC to meet up with friends. On Saturday, we'll all be down in Charleston enjoying the beaches, the beers, and the company.

One of the reasons I'm so excited for Charleston is that it signals the beginning of my journey. After spending a long weekend in Charleston, I'll head down to Texas for a few days before heading off round the world.

The excitement and nervousness are building. Nervousness? I know, but seriously after packing a few things last night, I just can't help but wonder what's out there for me to discover? Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be eye opening and awe inspiring.......

Until then......

Love, peace, and soul.

3 weeks and counting

It's officially 3 weeks from the time our plan will leave from Houston. So far everyone I've talked to has asked me if I'm ready and told me how much this experience will change my life.

In answer to everyone's question.......yeah, I think I'm ready, but honestly, how ready can you be? I've got my camera, my clothes, my medications, vaccinations, my airplane tickets, insurance, travel guide books and journal. Now I guess I just need to be ready for anything and everything that will get thrown at me for the next 6 months. I think the biggest things that I'm going to need are patience and understanding. Patience to deal with things that don't go right and an understanding of different cultures and how they work. Hopefully, those two tools will serve me well on my journeys.

I think I'd be pretty naive to think that this whole experience is not going to change me in some way. I mean, part of why I'm doing this trip is to see and experience things that I've never done before. So, just going through those experiences are bound to have some effect on my life. I tell you one thing, my perspective on poverty will most definitely change as some of the areas I'm traveling to are well known for their levels of poverty.

Until next time.........

Love, peace, and soul.

One more month to go!

May........WOW!! That means that it's just about a month to go until my trip begins. I'm really excited about the whole trip, but I'm also a little sad that I'll be away from my friends and family so long and more than a bit nervous. I mean, how can you be totally prepared for all of the joys and exhaustions that come from traveling around the world? The answer to that question is easy........you can't be prepared for everything!

Still as the days continue to count down, I just realize how much there is still left to do! Visa applications, one more round of vaccinations, memory cards to buy, spending time with the girlfriend, getting malaria perscriptions, keeping up with my New Jersey Nets in the playoffs, seeing everyone before I head out of town........it's a lot to remember. Fortunately, thanks to my Mom's side of the family, I've inherited an innate sense of how to get stuff done; it's called making a list!

Fortunately, the big things are done.....the money has been saved, the flights have been purchased, along with the medical insurance, the 1st round of travel vaccinations have begun, and the reading is in full force. There's still so much more reading to be done! Maybe that's why they say that traveling is the greatest school there is? Because it forces you to do some research on where you are going and why it's important.

So, where am I going? And why is it important? The where I'm going is easy, it's a list of countries that include Egypt, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia & Singapore. The more important question is, why are these places important? Well, each place has a historical importance, but that's not the main reason why I'm going there. The main reason is to find whatever it is I'm looking for, what that is, I couldn't tell you, but I'll let you know when I find it.

Until then........

Love, peace, and soul.