Like everything else I've done or attempted to do, the process of planning and committing to this trip has been an emotional roller coaster. I've struggled against and embraced many questions since I first realized that I wanted to do this trip: What if I don't want to come back? How will I handle the inevitable homesickness? What if something awful happens? Am I going for too long? Am I not taking enough time? ... These questions become magnified when I get feedback from others because, let's face it. Everyone has an opinion and wants me to listen to it! However, these opinions often contain helpful feedback or led me to consider something I wouldn't have otherwise thought about.
I've named this blog Velocity:Inertia because traveling well requires finding a balance between these two states of being. In my experience of the US rat race, it is difficult to not crash after a day of going full speed. It can take the whole weekend to recharge, and then it's Monday again! I can't live like that anymore. Actually, I wasn't living like that to begin with- just surviving through it. When I return, I may have to face it again. But for right now, I am looking forward to having a chance to slow down and speed up at my own pace, while learning how to navigate places that are entirely different from what I am used to. I am not taking this trip as a "soul searching" venture or "to find myself." I am taking this trip to learn through quiet observation and by interacting with others. I simply just want to expand my mind.
As for the screen name? The most important thing you can pack on a trip like this is a sense of humour. I anticipate, and have experienced already, frustrations and bumps along the way (read: Visa process). These will be inevitable. Things might get lost or stolen- conveniences I take for granted might not be available to me. But would it be as much of an adventure if everything came easy? For now, it's time to lose the pants and perhaps gain a shalwar kameez!
