Just want to say a quick, but very very big thank you to the people that donated miles to me!! Thanks to Gareth John (a long lost cousin), Ben Walker (a fellow and much more intrepid traveler!), The Washburn's, and the Hurteau's and their generous donations the trip has become a possibility for me! :) :) Thank you again. Please watch this space as our plans finally begin to come together. Just a few more conversations with very patient Delta employees and we should have an itinerary to send out.....

I must be traveling on now...

It should not be denied. . . that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom.

--Wallace Stegner

I won't deny that, for me, much of the allure of traveling lies solely in the act of traveling. Of moving with no fixed plans, of shifting off the map, the grind, the formula and waking up each day solely to live and explore and truly experience. That life becomes about the roses instead of just hoping you stop briefly enough to smell them.

And that's always been enough to make me get up and go, I didn't need any other reason. So I distinctly remember my friend Michael asking me a couple years ago why I wanted to go traveling.

Because I love traveling.



Right, but don't you want to like get something specific out of it? Like something you want to learn?

Huh, I never really thought about it.

Well, now I can say I understand what he meant. While traveling for the love of traveling is a reason, and I don't think you ever have to apologize for living how you want, this trip has more of a purpose than ones in the past.

I'm applying to medical school for next fall. So besides the fact that this is probably the last time I can do this sort of thing before I sign my life away, I want to learn what I can about healthcare around the world. I want to get some first-hand exposure. I want to see how other countries approach healthcare. I want to see the challenges facing third world countries so I can better tailor my education. And I want to see the faces of patients so that when I'm buried in the library studying immunology at 2am, I'll remember why I'm doing it.

So that's why I want to go on this trip. Well, that and the chance to get dreadlocks.

Oh Miffy!

As tradition dictates, since the days of my dad's world domination map, I've hastily tacked up a world map on the far wall of my bedroom in Desolate Island (of course, using very, very thin nails that won't leave much of a hole, mom and dad!). Although the map is dwarfed by the unnecessarily high walls and is somewhat crooked, I've left it up as a reminder that at the end of this summer, turned fall, of servitude and the end of the "Do these jeans look good on my butt or do the other ones look better?" "Can I have another side of ranch for my fries?" tunnel of monotony, there is a light - to travel the world with fellow intrepid soul, fluent Spanish speaker, and partner in life of adventure, KLB. (Hi Krista, look I'm posting!)

Well, finally today, dream itinerary in hand, I plotted out our 20 city tour on the map using Miffy, the friendly rabbit, stickers ("Miffy plays" in South America, "Miffy sees the sunshine in South Africa", "Miffy plays in the rain in London" for example). She has a cult following in Japan and thanks to the wonderful and kitsch-loving Simone, I have a rather extensive collection of Miffy supplies. :-)

Here's the list. KLB, feel free to edit. Everyone else, we beg for travelling advice, recommendations, and names of friends you know living in these cities who wouldn't mind us sleeping on their floor for a few days...

NY
Lima, Peru
Santiago, Chile
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Cape Town, South Africa
Harare, Zimbabwe
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Nairobi, Kenya
Cairo, Egypt
Marrakech, Morocco
London, UK
Tel Aviv, Israel
Abudhabi, U.A.E
Delhi, India
Bangkok, Thailand
Manila, Phillippines
Sydney, Australia
Auckland, New Zealand
LA

I emailed STA with a similar list earlier in the week and I'm still awaiting their flight quote. Fingers crossed for an amazingly comprehensive around-the-world ticket!

bye for now, c