Get out and let's get it on
Trip Start
Sep 24, 2008
1
3
76
Trip End
Jul 21, 2009
London,
England,
United Kingdom
Thursday, September 25, 2008
As to be expected, there was a lot of fear, anxiety and uncertainty as I have never been out of the country for more than a month at a time and most certainly have never vacated an apartment and left everything behind except for the pack on my back. This fear and uncertainty was centered mostly around my decision to walk away from a career that I had worked hard to build over the last four years. However, these emotions were balanced by thoughts of all the amazing places and people I'm going to meet, of the tremendous personal growth that I will undergo over the next several years, and of the base desire over the last year for a big change in my life
Blue Moon Reunion in SF
. Of course, the events of September 15 and the last two weeks have fortified my decision to Get Out (arguably on top), though the economist in me misses being on the desk seeing all the action directly from the playing field. It's weird when it hits you that have no physical home. I am lucky to have a permanent home base in Moraga, but that's the absolute saftey net and hasn't felt like my home for many years. I believe homes are a state of mind and are added in life - Holland, Ottawa, Moraga, East Bay and NYC will always be mine - but it will be an adjustment living on the road for an extended period. While exciting, I wonder if after several months such desires for home will enter into my mind. The other big part of leaving is the sadness at saying goodbye to all of my family and friends and to my beloved New York City. The last two weeks of September felt like the Cal Ripken Jr. farewell tour as I spent a weekend up in Martha's Vineyard with my Malabar family, some time home in California with my family and brothers, and many lunches/nights out in New York with family and friends. Bip thinks I will find some Cambodian or Argentine woman somewhere along the way and never return. My mother is saddened at missing my bday, Thanksgiving and the holidays as a family and pleaded with me to return to California after my worldly adventures, which was tough for me as there is no certainty for where my path will lead, but I love my family
Blue Moon Reunion in SF 2
. Additional little moments of sadness hit when I moved my aquarium and HDTV, spent the last night in my bed in NYC, attended my last game at Memorial Stadium (Go Bears!), and enjoyed my last meals at my favorite restaurants in NYC. My last day in NYC involved meeting my sister on Wall Street for lunch and errands all over town, which provided me one last opportunity to ride all over town - through Central Park, Midtown, Downtown - one last time for the next several years. Bicycling around NYC is definitely one thing I will very much miss. Top things I will miss: Family & Friends, Cal Football and NFL Sundays, My Instruments, NY Pizza, Seinfeld and Simpsons Reruns
Top things I'm looking forward to seeing (in no particular order): Angkor Wat, Vietnam, Salvador during Carnival, Bali and Borobodur, Ciudad Perdido near Santa Marta
Questions I want to answer:
- Can I thrive living abroad for a long period of time?
- Can I embrace a more ascetic way of life?
- Will I love teaching/grassroots economic development as much as I envision?
- Can work, passion and new friendships compensate for being away from familiarity in all senses?
I don't think it has really sunk in the endeavor I am about to undertake
Malabar in Martha's Vineyard
. I thought that it would hit me when I rode the subway to JFK and saw the towers of Manhattan in the distance. I thought it would hit me on the flight to Heathrow. Speaking with Sachin at JFK, he aptly pointed out that it will hit me in various phases with England and India feeling like holidays and likely somewhere in SE Asia it will really sink in that "I am on the road for an extended period of time and there is no place else I'd rather be". When I landed in London and heard the accents and saw the drivers on the left side of the road, I got giddy with excitement. The song playing on my iPod when I exited the airport at Heathrow - "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz. Let's Get It On...
Comments
Alas My Reading Adventures Begin
It is only now, in early December that I am able to begin reading your blog. But I promise to make a concerted effort to keep up with your amazing adventures.
I know that the path before you is uncertain, but I am positive that if there is anyone that can carry out an adventure it is you.
Good look in your Travels!
Linios
Another footnote:
Lenny Kravitz? Really? Fly Away?
I would think an appropriate song for the occasion would be 'Git Up / Git Out' (Oukast)
But that's just me . . . I guess I'll have to follow in your footsteps and travel your route. Be a good chap and leave a trail of Arepas for me.