Here goes nothin

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I'm leaving for Vietnam on Tuesday. I've felt weird saying that the past few days. It looks even weirder in writing. If I had presented the idea of just up and going to Southeast Asia with no plans or itinerary to 17-year-old me, I would have thought I was insane. Why Asia? Going to Ireland, Mexico, and Cuba all made some sort of sense (although some were less thought-out than others). So really, why Asia? I think because it doesn't make sense. I've never been anywhere that I did not speak the language. I don't know much about it, and to be completely honest, the food isn't my favorite. I won't lie, the price is right. To stay there for 6 weeks is completely feasible on a teacher's salary. At least I hope so.
Someone asked me today what I intend to get out of this trip. Am I looking for some sort of peace or self-awareness? Do I think the wonders of the East will change me? I don't know. I mean, it's hard to think that spending an entire summer on the other side of the planet constantly challenging myself and experiencing things I've never seen before and can not even imagine now won't change me somehow. But that's not the goal. I want to be near a beach. I want to be at the beach for a very long time. I want to do something completely new, and stretch my independent legs a bit. I want to cross something off my bucket list. And I'm sure I will learn a few things about myself and the world while I'm at it.
I will be taking this trip with my friend Steve, and I'm still not sure what he's expecting out of it. I guess a 23 hour trip over there will clarify a few things though. I really have no idea what's going to happen. For anyone who knows me, you all know that I'm obsessive about timeliness and schedules. But for this trip, I'm letting it go. We have no plans, just a few ideas of things we want to see when we're there. I'm going to rely on experience and advice from people we meet and let the trip make itself instead of me trying to make it.
Am I nervous? Yes. Am I excited? Strangely, not really. It still seems surreal. "The trip" is something I've talked about for months, and kept telling myself how many things I still have to do before I can even think about it. Well, those things for the most part are done (whew!) and now is the time for me to start thinking about it. Not like I'm going to be flying to THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET or anything, no big.
I've never been a big diary gal, but in this day and age of global technology I see it fit to (dare I say the B word???) Blog. Mostly so my mom knows I'm not dead. Plus, I'm sure some pretty great stories will come out of this trip, and I don't want to wait to write my memoirs to get them down.

So... here's to travel
here's to independence
here's to opportunity
and here's to seeing the world!!!

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