04 July 2005

Independence Day

In the background I can hear the sound of explosions not far from my front door. Hearing it takes me to a place I've never been. I can't imagine living in a neighborhood where the sound of bombs are as traditional as fireworks on a U.S. 4th of July (where I grew up is a whole different story). Knowing that somewhere else in the world people are not enjoying those sounds on this very same day seems a bit conflicting to me. Somehow the holiday that used to be my favorite day of the year has become a point of ponderance for me. It's hard to make a novelty out of what other people fear daily but over the years the 4th of July has always meant family time to me. I can't completely give up those feelings I trained myself to enjoy just thinking about the 4th but what I plan to do is build on my perspective with the new experiences Mateo and I are soon to have.

People seem to be amazed when we say we're going on an around the world trip. I guess before it became a reality I was amazed myself. After working so hard to get through school and handle overwhelming challenges I never imagined just giving it all up for exploration. I mean for real exploration not just the day dreams and journeys you take in your mind. After going through all the research and questions I've gotten very comfortable with the idea and I'm looking forward to finging out how I really feel about stepping out into the free and unfamiliar. The world is so much smaller to me now and the day I found out I'm allowed to get to know it was such and independence day!