Blog #2: The Departure

“I find myself so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head” – Red, The Shawshank Redemption

DISCLAIMER: This is the last blog before I have actual things to blog about.  First official blog coming up next week.

Well, the day is here.  I sit in Terminal 8, Gate 2 at JFK with my final American Meal, a ten piece McNuggets, a double cheeseburger (ketsup only) and large fries, with the full magnitude of the adventure ahead of me just hitting me now (along with the realization of how dramatically I will have to expand my palette on the journey).

233 days have passed since I graduated from Tulane University last May, and the time between now and then has been an adventure all it’s own.  I learned to move on from a place and people who were truly special to me, to holding down a semi-real job for several months (personal record!), to traveling back to New Orleans to indulge in the debauchery one last time. 

The last month has been one of reflection, and of preparation.  I traveled with my family, a wonderful experience which afforded me many dives into the ocean and many great memories with loved ones.  My last week at home has offered a lucky opportunity to see a bevy of friends on New Years and in the first week of the 2018, each day reminding me of a face and personality I will so dearly miss while on my journey.  Yet, by everyone I will miss, I was beckoned to go forward fearlessly towards my journey, instilled with confidence by each of them that I will be successful in my travels.  For this, I am forever grateful, and I am filled with the knowledge that, whenever I return, I have friends and loved ones who will be eager to welcome me back to the United States with open arms.

What awaits in the time between now and my return is the only thing that’s left: the journey of a lifetime.  It has officially begun.

Check back soon for the first update from my trip.