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| First trial packing run under my belt, definitely going to have to cut some stuff. Good thing i have a big pack and a strong back. |
Hey errbody,
For all who don't know... or more accurately, are just finding out, I'm preping for an excursion to the far east. Vietnam to be exact. On the 25th of January i'll begin a 6 week journey to Southeast Asia where I'll be participating in a volunteer program, some backpacking, and the trip of a lifetime. I will be traveling alone, BUT with some internet access here and there and a blog to share my experiences, I'm looking forward to bringing you all with me...
So why Vietnam? Glad you asked. For quite some time now I've wanted to take a trip abroad... Between my baby big sister spending a half year in London, and some of my closest friends returning from their worldly travels with great stories, I have wanted to make something like this happen but never have. I had plenty of desire but always ended up putting it off. Semester at sea? Too expensive. Study abroad? I don't want to give up rugby. Graduation trip? I need to start working... Life always got in the way. But recently I decided that thats probably the worst excuse anyone can have. Life should never get in the way, it should be lived.
So I pulled the trigger. When else am I going to be able to pull something like this off with such ease? I'm young, I have very little commitment, and I want to challenge myself in a way I never have before. Originally I thought that backpacking with some friends- stretching my dollar and truly experiencing "travel"- was the route I would go, but when that began to fall through I decided I had to find another way (can't let anything stop me again right?) It was at this point that my mom mentioned volunteer work. An idea that I have to say, everyday am more and more glad I'm pursuing. I think we all have a large capacity to make a difference and I decided to tap into mine. So, among hours upon hours of research and correspondence with various organizations, I signed on with International Volunteer Headquarters. IVHQ is based out of New Zealand and have placed thousands of volunteers just like me in different programs all over the world. Just talking to some of the directors persuaded me to sign on more than anything. They were easy to communicate with, told me exactly where my money was going, and extremely enthusiastic about what I could do.
Now, without avoiding the question any longer, the reason I chose Vietnam was because of all the great things I have heard. I haven't met anyone who didn't fall in love with the people, the culture, the food, the landscape... what more could you ask for right? The more insight I sought out from people I knew had traveled that region, the more apparent to me it became that Vietnam was where I wanted to go. And the rest as they say: is not yet history but is coming up really fast and I cant wait for it to happen. Stay tuned for updates, I am accimating to 'getting my blog on', but I will do my best to get some good stuff up here. Questions? Good, get em up! With this as my only communication with the western world for the duration of my trip, I hope to hear from every one of you.
Double D
