And So It Begins...

And so it begins! I feel like I have been planning this trip forever, but really, I guess it’s only been less than a year. Well I guess I should back up a bit and explain exactly what I am doing.

I love to travel. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t enjoy traveling. Well, ok, I don’t love the “getting there” part, but I love the “there” part. I was fortunate enough to study abroad my junior year in college. I spent 3.5 amazing months in Perugia, Italy and was able to travel all around Europe. I guess that’s when I officially caught the travel bug. I knew I wanted to do a “year of service” after graduation. That’s what it’s called..a year of service. You either get a job, go to grad school, do nothing, or do a “year of service”. Now, I really have no idea what I want to do, so a job didn’t seem like the best idea. Again, I don’t know what I want to do, so grad school didn’t seem smart. I don’t like the idea of doing nothing (anyone who begs to differ can keep quiet!), so lastly, but certainly not least, was a year of service. But more importantly, it was something that drew me in, something I am passionate about. I love to volunteer, I love to help others. Now I know many people will say there are people in the United States that need help and I couldn’t agree more. But I feel called to explore other parts of the world, other cultures. I have always wanted to travel to Southeast Asia..to experience their culture. So, when the time came for me to decide what to do post college, I decided this was for me..traveling to Southeast Asia to volunteer. Now came the hard part..finding a program! I looked and I researched and I researched and I looked. I feel like I could tell you about EVERY type of program that takes part in Southeast Asia. However, most of them are teaching programs. Now don’t get me wrong, my best friends and boyfriend are all teachers and I could not be more proud of them. But, I just don’t think it’s for me. I didn’t get excited when I thought about a year of teaching so I kept looking and kept researching.

Finally, I found WLS International. I was looking on the internet for programs in Southeast Asia and there it was! They had numerous countries and volunteer opportunities within those countries. Most were more “social work” than teaching, which seemed to fit me well, but there were also plenty of teaching opportunities. I was so excited when I read about the different volunteer placements. This seemed like the perfect program for me. So I began emailing Kurt who is in charge of WLS International and the rest as they say, is history. It has been a whirlwind of plane tickets, visas and vaccinations, but I think (at least I hope) I am just about ready to go! (Except for, of course, a “Wal-Mart run”).

So, here is my blog. I blogged while I was in Italy and I am so glad I did. My roommates from Italy visited this past September and it was so fun to read the blog since we forgot half the stuff in it! So I am writing this blog for a couple of reasons. For myself, so I can remember this incredible experience and for you, so you can share in this experience with me. I hope to be as honest as possible, I hope to write coherently, and mostly importantly, I hope you will enjoy this adventure with me!

And so it begins! I leave Boston on Saturday October 17th at 9:00am (and according to my recent sleeping patterns, that will feel like the middle of the night) and arrive in Newark, NJ at 10:25am (Continental flight CO3259 if you want to stalk me!). I leave again at 12:10pm for my 13 hour 40 minute flight (CO89), landing in Beijing at 1:50pm on Sunday October 18th. That’s 1:50am for those of you in New England..or 12:50am if you’re Steve McGunnigal (don’t get use to this special treatment Steve!) So I will have the rest of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to myself. What will I do? Your guess is as good as mine!

On Wednesday October 21st I will start my placement in Beijing, which is the School for Poor Children. It is a primary school for children of poor families from other provinces in China who are working in Beijing. The school is a not-profit and not-government school that receives no financial support from the government. Therefore the school's facilities are very basic. Many immigrant parents can't afford expensive tuition fees for their children at the government school. The school runs on very limited resources so they need a lot of help. There are around 30-40 students in each class. Now remember when I said I am not a teacher, nor do I think I want to be? I have heard more about lesson plans and student teaching than I care too. It wasn’t easy living with a soon to be teacher (Lorna) and also dating one (Steve)! So back to the fact I don’t think I want to be a teacher. Steve was kind enough to remind me that God has a plan for me and this is where I am suppose to be. I wanted to remind God that I do not want to teach, but I have kept my mouth shut. I am actually very excited at the opportunity and am doing my best to go in with an open mind.

So some questions I have been getting..

Am I nervous?
Surprisingly, not really! And yes this does surprise me. I am going alone, to a part of the world I have never been and I have no idea what to expect, but instead of being nervous, I am excited! Well I guess a little anxious. I have spent so many hours researching and planning and calling embassies and doctors etc. etc. that I am ready to go! Go and do what? I am not really sure, but I am ready for it! (This paragraph may not be applicable on Friday, when I may or may not be officially freaking out!)

Do I know the language?
No, no I do not. Am I worried? Not really. I had been in Italy for about three weeks and hadn’t learned more than yes and no when I had to get some supplies for my photo class. Now Perugia is a small town, not a city, so very few people spoke English, but most knew a few words so we could make it work. Not my photo lady though. Her store was on the outskirts of town which should have been my first hint that this wasn’t a place “tourists” frequented. So after my miserable attempt at what little Italian I knew, I realized we were going to be playing a game of charades. After some pointing and shaking of the head, I left with the things I needed for my photo class. So, I figure if I can do it in Italy, I can do it in Asia. Now my boyfriend was kind enough to buy me the book “Making Out in Chinese” so I know how to say Yes “Shì de” and I can’t go out with you anymore “Wŏ bù néng zài gėn nĭ chū qù le!” as well as some other common phrases and “lovers talk”. We shall see what happens from there :-)

My Itinerary
I will be in Beijing, China from October 21st to November 11th. On November 15th I will fly to Chengdu, China where I will spend one week volunteering with Panda Bears (details to follow)! On November 21st I will fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam where I will start my placement on November 23rd (Happy Birthday brother!) for four weeks! On December 20th I will fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia to spend two weeks volunteering. On January 3rd I will fly to Bangkok, Thailand where I will meet my beautiful, wonderful mother! She is really the best and is coming to visit me! We will be able to spend some time in Thailand together before I go to Chiang Mai, Thailand to start my projects on January 18th. On February 8th I am doing a 3 day Eco Tour (details to follow) and will fly home on February 12th!

So there you have it! I will do my best to blog as much as I can and keep you posted with my volunteering and traveling. I realize this blog is VERY long (I hope you were able to grab a snack) but I wanted to give you the best overview I could.

My next update will be from Beijing!!!

P.S. My mom and I have been figuring out how people can comment (please do)! You can click on the comment link at the bottom and read her comment which explains how to..although we switched it around a bit so it's a little different but it should help!