"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." -- Andre Gide
As finals wrap up, the excitement for my trip around the world begins to build. The daunting task of packing for four months is terrifying.
On this adventure, I am responsible for what I do while in port. I decided in countries like Burma or Morocco, where I would have no idea where to even begin to find something to do, it would be best to book trips with Semester at Sea, for safety reasons as well. But realistically, I am one lucky girl! My in-port plans include -- experiencing the Japanese culture while visiting historical World War II sites, mediating in a monastery in Burma just like the Burmese Buddhist culture does, visiting the Taj Mahal and other majestic sites in India, learning about the ecosystem of a tiny island in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar, and go on a wild safari adventure near Cape Town. I'm planning to spend time hanging out with the locals and visiting a cocoa plantation in Ghana. Another item on my adventure list is trekking through the Sahara desert on a camel and meeting locals in Morocco. I almost failed to mention that my dad will be meeting me in China where we will get to hang out and explore the locals' favorite spots. I'm meeting one of my mom's friends in Singapore where she lives. This lucky girl gets to do all of that starting in three weeks!
While choosing these amazing trips I tried to keep a few things in mind. For instance, I wanted to absorb and learn as much as I could about each and every culture and country I will visit. I wanted to make an impact on the people I meet. I also wanted to be able to cross a few things off my bucket list! I'm pretty certain, this is my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit some of these remote places.
Trying to decide which trip I'm the most excited about is nearly impossible. I am so excited to learn and anxious about the unknown.
Next step: packing.
