Four days left

Hi.  I leave for South America in four days now.   Strange to realize this trip is no longer "in October" or "next month" or ... "2 weeks away!!"  Now, when someone asks when I leave for South America, I get to simply say "Thursday."  Which feels like a huge mental shift somehow, a sign that this trip is really happening.

It's been a long time coming and I do finally (at last) also feel ready.  The research has been done, the assorted trustworthy friends consulted, the trekking gear bought.  My trip felt real for real when I actually went ahead and bought the ticket, complete with actual dates of departure and return which is how these things are done.  There were decisions to be made. Where to fly to? From whence to return?  How long was too long ... and too short?  The purpose of my journey was clear:  I wanted enough time to really experience South America, to actually learn and ingrain (once and for all) the language in my head, to discover something unexpected and new - about myself too.    The fact that it felt a little scary seemed part of the point.   Nobody travels in search of what is comfortable.  Traveling is inherently a bit of a quest.  

So I've settled on 2 months, returning only coincidentally on my sister's 33rd birthday, December 14th.  Or maybe that was why that date felt right?  Two months feels right too. Enough time to travel in a way that will feel not rushed and meaningful, and allow room for spontaneity alongside careful plans.  I will be volunteering in Arequipa, hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, trekking in Patagonia, and meeting assorted friends along the way - a few old, the rest new.  Within these roughly sketched parameters, I will be "making it up" as I go along. 

This blog will be where I report back on what gets revealed along the way.  When my friend John suggested I keep one I said no way.  I was not taking my cell phone.   I was eager to disconnect.  But (as Claudia pointed out) I do think I will look forward to this aspect of the trip and hope I will have the opportunity to report back often, as Internet cafes present themselves to me.  With this, my first entry, I realize too how excited I am by the prospect of my very first blog - both to communicate with whoever cares to know but mostly (selfishly?) to help process for myself what is happening.  

Also, I really enjoy getting to say the word "blllog" over and over again out loud.   

Adios for now.