Here we go!

So I guess I'm leaving tomorrow, whether or not I'm ready! Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to be going, but being ready is a whole different story. Part of the problem is that I don't even know what I need to prepare for. But usually in a good way. I've got a lot on my agenda for the next couple of months, and with that is a lot of variety. From the hot hot hot and humid two months in India, to Europe in the fall, it is very difficult to condense all that to one suitcase. So I think, to prevent a nervous breakdown, I'm just going to have to wing it and make the best of it.

I think this will be a good lesson for me in minimalism. Essentially living out of a backpack, and not a very big one mind you, I will be forced to prioritize what I really need each step of the way. I'm pretty excited to try it. I'm just hoping that I won't have to keep buying things along the way, thus minimalizing my bank account in the process.

So, in a nutshell, here is what the next couple of months will most likely look like for me. Notice that, still, some of the details are hazy.

I'll start in India for about 9 weeks. 8 of those weeks will be spent volunteering in a hospital. I don't know what I'll be doing in the hospital yet, they're going to try to put us in places of interest to us, also depending on our qualifications. Of which I have nothing that would be useful in a hospital setting. Maybe I can befriend all the old Indian people while they get IV's. We might also get to help out at an orphanage (hopefully!), we'll see. "We" as in Katy Demitruk and myself; Katy is one of best friends frond high school and I am stoked to get to adventure with her!!

Next I'll be meeting up with my mom and sister to travel around Thailand for about a week. We'll hopefully be hitting some beaches, maybe ride some elephants, and maybe stop by Singapore for funsies. It'll be good to have some vacay time after India.

This puts us at mid August, and this is where the details get a little fuzzy. After Thailand will probably be Israel. Originally it was going to be Egypt, but because of all the unrest, etc., we're probably going to skip over that part. So Israel it is. The girls I'll be traveling with at this point, Suzanne and Emily, will have been traveling throughput Australia and Indonesia beforehand, and we'll meet up in Israel. Suz has a friend in Israel that I think we're going to team up with, maybe do some local missions while we're there. I'm sure we will also get to do a lot of sightseeing of all the awesomeness of Israel.

After Israel is Italy. We're planning to be about a month in Italy, specifically the month of September. Hopefully that will mean we'll get to go all over Italy. As far as what we're doing there, organic farming is on the list of possibilities. I'm so excited for this. Farming in Italy? Maybe at a vineyard? Awesome.

So my flight out of London is on October 13th, so I just have to get there by then. Suz and Emily are probably going to go to Sweden after Italy. I may or may not join them for that. I think Paris would also be a fun alternative.

So, clearly, plans are not set in stone yet. Which brings me back to the difficulty of preparing for everything. I'm excited though. So far, God has been so faithful to take care of so many details. Everything has lined up so so well with the programs, the timing, people to travel with, everything. So I'm not overly concerned with some of the finer details. That will make it fun too, to not know every step of the way. At this point I don't even know what to expect from this whole adventure. I know I will experience, learn, and grow a lot; I just don't know how, where, or why. Again though, God has always been so faithful on my life, in every season, and each time it has been in unexpected ways. I know that he has given me a heart for the world, for adventure, and for people. Which is what I'm hoping the next four months will be all about!!