Musings of a Traveler



Packed and ready to go! The first sign that I am ready to depart is my packed bag, but the fact that my heart and affairs are in order makes for an even more seamless exit of this country. Leaving my home for an elongated period of time has been a tiered effort, peels of necessary bullet points I wanted to accomplish for peace of mind. The only thing I regret having failed to do was dust my room at my mom’s house. That dust might haunt me as I fly tomorrow!


I am ready to leave the country after one year of anticipation. In favor of full disclosure, I did not handle this whole preparation process as I should have and yet I am at peace with my madness. My cousin, Claire, who is traveling and working in New Zealand for 11 months with her fiancé, completed a textbook exit. I greatly admired how she so neatly folded and arranged everything she needed for proper inspection before cramming it into the iconic backpacker’s backpack. Instead of order and organization, my room looked like the aftermath of a war on cotton. I had clothes strewn everywhere, and piles of odds and ends loosely categorized in my sleep-deprived mind were somehow stuffed into drawers and tubs for nearly 17 months of safekeeping.
As a seasoned traveler, I have become bored with the concept of methods and regularity. I know what I need and that which I can consciously leave behind. Potions, pills, feminine products—in the case of the “weaker” sex as it were—electrical doodads and adapters, weather appropriate clothing, skin preservers of the cream and clothing varietals, and good footwear; no missing toenails this time! Whether these things are orderly or just shoved in some cloth bags and violently wedged into the expandable yet limited confines of my backpack, all is well. Without trying, my adventures have become crazier as I learn that the only boundaries a traveler has are those he or she imposes, respecting of course the law of the land!


As the many good memories rest in my heart and the innumerable lovely goodbyes over the phone and in person swirl around my brain, I believe this trip is going to be exquisite. For about 25 dollars a day, I will travel around Europe and Africa, getting my hands dirty in worthwhile endeavors and beautiful encounters. I wonder what awaits me. With my faith in Jesus, the love of my heavenly Father, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, I have no doubt the trail I am about to blaze is going to be a fascinating one!

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