The Final Countdown

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When I was very young, I discovered my desire to travel, my appreciation for natural beauty, for people who both looked and sounded unlike me. These were the years when my family packed up some of our best clothing, including our favorite sandals and swim suits, and jetted down to Florida for 5- and 7-day cruises. We traveled the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and eventually, Hawaii. We stayed in 3- and 4- star hotels, ate what we wanted, and took advantage of local tour operations. Needless to say, I was blessed.

Somewhere in between those luxury vacations, however, I took a different kind of vacation - camping, in the middle of Kentucky. I'll tell you now, that was with a friend's family, as I don't think my family ever owned a tent that was big enough for even three children to sleep. I will never forget when my best friend at the time walked out of the bathroom facilities wearing the biggest daddy long leg I had ever seen. I screamed, then laughed, as I tend to do when I get nervous. I was so terrified of that awkward looking spider that I literally froze and was unable to tend to my "best friend responsibilities" and remove the uninvited spider from my friend's left shoulder. (By the way, she remained my best friend for many years that followed!)

Point being, I was never introduced to what lay behind the natural beauty that my family showed me; I saw the palm trees, sailed the ocean, but never walked the forest, explored the reefs - until I was too comfortable on the surface of the beauty, too timid to explore. It must have been fifth grade when my mom took us on a cruise that stopped in Cozumel, Mexico; I knew I was in trouble when the local lifeguard had to take me into deeper water to snorkel, because I was too scared of the small schools of fish to stay close to the shore.

So as the years passed, I genuinely tried to put myself in positions that were uncomfortable for me. I'm glad that I did. Yes, I am still terrified of open water, don't prefer spiders being close to me, and may never go parachuting, but I did spend two weeks in a tent, learned to sail a bit, and allowed myself to enjoy the open waters that surrounded Virgin Gorda, BVI.

Likewise, I was supposed to be the friend who was too scared to bungee jump in Destin, Florida. I ended up the only one tearless, able to take on the fall without assistance from the operator. I moved away from home for college, 840 miles away, to Tampa, Florida. There - with the assistance of alcohol, of course - I was able to enjoy days "lazy rafting" on several rivers with my friends. No, I didn't get off my raft, but hey, I went.

So here I am, 15 days away from my first backpacking experience. I am going to soak up every minute that I am gone, every experience that comes my way. So my family may not have jump started my life with extreme adventure, but I'd say that I'm ready to start putting a little more action into my life.

I am still fascinated by new cultures, new faces, new tongue. I spent a summer living in Israel (http://www.jewishlouisville.org/page.aspx?id=194244), and now I'm ready to visit the place that has most fascinated me through my life - Thailand, and the surrounding area that is Southeast Asia. And by the way, I'm slightly obsessed with Asian children. So for those who are not familiar with that side of me, prepare yourself for humorous entries to follow...

Departure: April 31, 2009

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Comments

[Marie L]

Yay!
Hey Libby, I am excited for your trip and will live vicariously through you! You better post often w/pictures! Have a fun and safe trip! P.s. since u love Asian children, you will be the first person Peter and I will call to babysit our half Asian/half European babies :) haha