When you've been packing for almost a week, creative blog titles give way to trite ones... I'll work on doing better...
Travel – especially international travel – is one of those mixed blessings… I LOVE it but I hate packing for the trip… On my first trip overseas to London (also for school), my dearest friend/sister Tammy helped me not only do laundry and plan wardrobe, she packed the bags, walked me through the nerves and all but put me on the bus to the airport… In addition to all the secrets she knows, she’s also a great travel companion! Oh and if you're in Central PA, she's also an AWESOME travel agent at AAA!
So here it is more than 20 years later and I am off to another bucket list destination – Brazil! 4 cities in 2 weeks is daunting to say the least but offers opportunities and experiences that a state school kid like me never dreamed of… It’s DCA-MIA tomorrow afternoon and then onto Salvador, Brazil – one of the original areas of colonization by the Portuguese… Also an area heavily influenced by African cultures… I have no experience with either of these cultures and am excited to learn more… I wonder what shoes are appropriate for that…
I think the hardest part of packing is knowing what to leave behind… I feel like I have a Talbots and a pharmacy in my large case and a Staples in my carryon… Don’t even get me started on accessories… (and yes, it’s all costume copies so if it’s stolen, it will not break my heart… but I needed a little bling…)
This is also a trip that while I feel I am academically prepared, I don't know that I am culturally prepared so I am going to try something unusual for me - I'm going to ride the wave and let it take me wherever I am supposed to be... (If that lasts a week it will be a miracle, let's be honest... It is not the easiest thing in the world for me to just let go and be...) I do wish I had been able to learn some Portuguese but I'll let you know how well pointing and nodding works...
The Dominican Republic portion of the trip won’t start until 28 May so for those of you looking for those details, you may want to check back then or you are welcome to follow along for the entire trip. It’s still amazing to me that I get graduate credit for studying baseball but I am not complaining! And studying it I will be – under a microscope in the hope that my amorphous idea percolating through my synapses might actually have some merit and ultimately be a career option…
As I pack I am thinking of other trips that influenced me and brought me to where I am today… Some domestic… Some foreign… Some with friends and family … Others on my own… Life is funny but if I get as much out of this trip as I have out of even half the others that I have taken, it will be ok…
Thanks for following along on this little adventure… For the Spotsylvania AP students, feel free to post your questions in the comments section... I promised Miss Anderson I would share whatever I can... Look forward to talking to you... See you when I land…
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