The months are counting down to the start of my next great adventure. My benevolent employer has allowed me a self-funded sabbatical - and I'm off shortly to follow a dream.
And my dream? To find my way to the far corners of this earth - to places I couldn't visit on a 3-week vacation - and to take the time to get to know what life is like there. My goal is to observe, to learn and to try to understand. I hope to come home a little wiser, a little more certain of what I can do to make this a better place, and of course with a packet of really good cocktail party stories.
It seemed like a good idea when I first signed up 5 years ago ... and in the intervening years, I've second guessed my decision a dozen times. Will I be able to live without the comfortable nearness of family, colleagues and friends? How will I get through long evenings alone, in strange rooms, with stark, uncomplimentary lighting? Will there be dangers awaiting me?
Plans have evolved - from volunteering with VSO to lining up travel companions for every leg of the journey. In the end, I have decided to leave things fairly flexible. I will meet companions along the way. I will use this blog to download my excitement and keep me company.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure. Check in from time to time to see what I'm up to, and please send me messages (jlevitin@hotmail.com). What's going on in your life is as interesting to me as my travels may be to you.
