Here is an update on my life and where it is headed for the next few months plus a little background info on how I decided to travel. This is a slightly edited version of a letter I wrote one month before my departure date as an e-mail to friends and family.
I graduated from high school thinking that I would go to Washington State University and graduate with a degree in Elementary Education. I figured out that WSU wasn’t for me and decided that maybe Western Washington University would be a better fit. It wasn’t very long after being at Western that I found that Western was a great school, but that I wasn’t very happy being in school. I wasn’t sure that Elementary Education was the thing for me and I didn’t know what else I wanted to do. So, I decided that I would come home and work for a while, at the same time trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I have been out of school for nine months and haven’t figured out what I want to study. At the beginning of summer I concluded I wanted to be doing something other that working at REI and the before-and-after school daycare program; I have decided that I want to travel.
I came to this decision in a matter of a few days with the help of three people. First, I had my mom, Liz, telling me how fast life went by; that I was growing up and just yesterday I had been crawling on the floor. Second, I had my friend Kari writing a blog about her experience volunteering in Ghana. At the time she wasn’t having the best of experiences but she was learning so much about herself, and even though it wasn’t all good, her experiences sounded amazing. Third, I was at REI talking to a coworker, Thomas, about traveling. We were talking about where we had been. I was telling him that I had the money and the time but no one to go with right now. He told me that there would always be something holding me back; that I just had to do it. With that, I decided I wanted to travel now. I think it took me about four weeks from floating the idea to a few friends, and then to my parents, to having a start date.
I figured that I could solve my problem of not having someone to go with by volunteering and meeting people along the way. I am going through a program called Travel to Teach (http://www.travel-to-teach.org/). I found the program on the Internet, of course, and will be spending a month each, in four different countries. I will fly to Bangkok on October 20th, 2008 and spend a few days there adjusting before going to Nong Khai, Thailand (10/24 – 11/21) (all dates, except the day I leave Seattle, are guidelines of where I will be); Vang Vieng, Laos (11/22 – 12/20); Nha Trang, Vietnam (12/26 – 1/23); and last, Sihanoukville, Cambodia (1/30 – 2/27). My return ticket is set for March 20th from Bangkok, however, what I do for the end of my trip is very up in the air. If I find people to travel with I might keep going. Terry and Liz might come visit me. I may find that I am ready to sleep in my own bed sooner than I expect. Through Travel to Teach I am provided a place to call home and, depending where I am, some food. I will be teaching English a few hours a day (I think mostly to kids) and doing lots of exploring.
This is an experience for me to learn to let go of the things I cannot change, of being on my own, meeting new people, and having a great time. I know that lots more things will happen, there will be good and there will be bad, but it will all work out one-way or another.
Please write to me! I won’t be able to get snail mail while I am away but I would like to be connected to home and the people I care about. Write to me about any and everything.
I can’t wait to update you all about my adventures, let you know where I am going and where I have been.
I love you and thank you for your love and support. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you.
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