Yes, it's
that time again--time for me to head out of the country for an extended
adventure! This time around I'll be traveling alongside 12 undergrad students
from Seattle Pacific University and working as a Teaching Assistant for their
European Studies professor. This is the very same program I was a part of back
in 2005 and I'm delighted and honored to have the chance to shed some of my
worldly "wisdom" on these college students. This opportunity to
travel through Europe in this capacity practically fell into my lap and I am
excited to discover what exactly this cosmic generosity is going to mean for my
life.
We'll be traveling through Spain, France and Germany for the next ten weeks,
visiting a number of cities where we'll stay for anywhere from 3 to 12 days. In
June I'll say goodbye to the students (which by then I'm sure will be lifelong
friends) and head off to Croatia to rendezvous with some friends from college
who I first explored Europe with four years ago. Then Stephanie (my sister) and
my adopted sis, Trisha, are heading over to Italy where we'll stay for a week,
hopping over to Spain (of course!) for another week and then I'm back home to
Seattle by June 29th. The next 12 weeks will without a doubt be a whirlwind
journey!!
Although I have fallen in love with travel, I know that along the road I will
inevitably be plagued by moments of loneliness and homesickness. Living out of
a suitcase for 3 months is tough and the constant onslaught of new sights,
sounds and people can be inspiring as well as overwhelming. I look forward to
keeping in touch with all of you while I'm away on this travel adventure. For
me, writing is such an important way to find meaning in the journey so I'm sure
I will spend a number of afternoons downloading my experiences into mass emails
and blogs. I hope you'll keep me posted on what's going on in your life as
well.
Wish me lots of luck in living out the words of one of my favorite authors,
Paulo Coelho, throughout this journey: “If you can concentrate always on the present,
you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because
life is the moment we’re living now.”
Ciao!
