October 24th, 4:30
Amtrak train en route to New York City
Hard to believe it has begun. Maybe I should say impossible -- I get flashes of the enormity of the journey that lies ahead, moments mixed with giddy joy and disbelief. Flashing by flame-colored forests feels like freedom, even cramped on my seat on the train. Now more than ever in my life I feel the disintegration of boarders. I have never held much patriotism, or believe that imaginary lines drawn between people separates us in any meaningful way. Countries, like God and love must be believed in to exist. But unlike the other two, I think they are not worth the effort to believe into existence. I am on the verge of an adventure spanning oceans and continents, languages, nations, but the purpose of this adventure is to be with the people. To recognize, to experience, to love the humanity in my brothers and sisters half a world away.
So much of my life has been spent defying distance. My sister, who I loved from across a planet long before I met her, my boyfriend, who I loved from across a country for years, the suffering in Darfur who I have tried my best to love and to champion in a small way from my small town. Now I have the gift of physically bridging that gap, of conquering distance to teach and to learn from 59 Cambodian orphans.
Schedule:
Sunday -- Taking the Amtrak to NYC. I spend the night in New York with family.
Monday -- Board plane to Hong Kong
Tuesday -- Spend the night in Hong Kong, explore during 20 hour layover
Wednesday -- Arrive in Brunei
Stay until Wednesday November 10th, then depart for Brunei
The map of the journey!
Woot! You're on the way!!!
ReplyDelete