So it begins..

I’m sure that many of you, particularly those who I studied abroad with and those who had to deal with my bouts of homesickness, must be very surprised to hear that I have decided to spend my spring travelling around the Northeast, Argentina, and East Asia, and most of you are probably even more surprised to know that I have a goal to visit every continent and swim in all the oceans. If we’re being honest here, I’m also a bit surprised with my decisions. I absolutely hate change, and getting a tattoo that is supposed to remind me that transitions can be great things hasn’t really helped me accept them yet. I also am a huge homebody/hermit, and the inner German in me really enjoys having the same routine day in and day out. So believe me, it seems just as strange to me as it does to all of you to know that I’m going to spend some the upcoming months doing the polar opposite of this.

So let’s go ahead check off some continents and oceans off the list. 

In Africa during my semester abroad in Rwanda and Uganda.

In Europe during my trip to Spain in high school.

And obviously, I've had some great times bumming around the U.S. and A., swimming in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

This means I've got North America, Europe, Africa, the Pacific, and the Atlantic out of the way. And in the next three months, I'm going to check off South America, Asia, and the Indian Ocean.

I'm starting these adventures tomorrow and heading off to Patagonia tomorrow with the Fiers. And while I am unbelievably excited, I'm also so incredibly nervous right now, wondering if I have put in enough time with my new best friend, the stairmaster. I've heard from many a friend that the Fier vacations are "some of the most miserable days of my life" not because they're mean or anything, but because they are just beasts. Obviously, hiking around in southern Argentina is probably not going to be the most relaxing time of my life, but I was, until today, pretty confident I could handle it. Then today Jo's dad said something about getting to the airport early so that we could have enough time to drink. AHH! Hiking I can do. Drinking I can do. I can probably even handle them separately with the Fiers. But all together, I'm not so sure...Expect some failures.

After that, I'll have some downtime with my favorite Hoars (Legs, you'll be there in spirit), Biffers, and Rizzo!! GAHHHHH. Overexcited. Then, I'll head home to pack before I take off to India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam for a couple of months. Also pretty excited for this, but definitely nervous. I'm spending three weeks alone in India. And honestly, it's not that I'm a woman alone or that I've never been or that I don't know the language or that I could get malaria again. It's really just that 1. I hate being alone 2. I hate not having my routine, and 3. I hate hate hate unfamiliarity. 

So this may seem like a whole lot of whining to you right now, but here's why I'm doing this (and letting you know just how uncomfortable I am with it).. I have spent the past eight-ish years trying to avoid experiences that scare me. But I think that this has also really prevented me from growing. And especially I think that right now is the time to do these sorts of things. And I guess, I just really do think that if you want to grow then you have to push yourself and put yourself into environments that challenge you. Environments where nothing is familiar, ya know what I mean? And this is why I have decided to travel instead of hang out with friends, bum around home, or go back to school immediately.

So expect many many more pictures, funny stories, nerdy political and cultural discussions, as well as  inappropriate and overly detailed accounts of my bowel movements/need to use cipro.