the re-launch

Can I be honest for a minute?  I feel kind of bad about my blog sometimes.  At times, when I go back and read what I've written I feel like it comes off as "ooo, look at everything we've done, aren't we privileged?!"  Of course that isn't my intent, but that's what I fear is being presented sometimes.  I feel so fortunate to be able to be doing this traveling, and know that its something not everyone is able to do due to finances, family, or other factors. 

The other reason its hard for me to write is because I am by nature a more private person.  Even though my entries are mostly a record of our trip, its a little bit of a stretch for me to have my life, decisions, and relationship out on the table for all (even if its a handful of people reading this!) to see.  Its hard to know how personal to get on a blog.  Of course there are times I feel like my blog entries are too IM-personal, and other times I'd like to go on a rant about something regarding me and Guy and our relationship, but I think there are certain boundaries that just shouldn't be crossed, and certain things should remain private.  This trip has certainly solicited more opinions and comments on my life than I have ever experienced before, and that's hard for me too.  Everything from "What an amazing opportunity!" to "I can't believe you would do this!" to the bold - "How can you afford to do that?"  But, I ultimately know that I have to make decisions for me, and I'm the one who has to live with them. 

So, I don't mean to sound crabby in this blog, I just needed a moment to express those feelings.  :)  I do enjoy the fact that I have a written record of all of our travels, and am amazed that people want to read it!  I'm not sure how frequent our internet access will be as we head overseas, but plan to keep writing when I can.

I was amazed when I reviewed my photos from our U.S. "tour" the other night for the first time and was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we saw in a relatively short time frame.  Living out of a van for 3-1/2 months was definitely a crash course for our relationship, and there were plenty of ups and downs.  Overall, I feel like the trip was a success, and don't regret going one bit.  As many know, we came back home uncertain of the future, but have decided to continue on with our international "portion" as planned, and hopefully have learned some lessons on traveling together!

We have both spent the past few weeks trying to figure out how to pack for 8 months - including gear for every climate - while keeping it light enough to carry (as well as a carry-on).  I've spent many hours just staring at all of my stuff, wondering how many pairs of underwear I'll really need, what toiletries are absolutely essential, and that the definition of cosmetics now means a tube of chapstick.  My pack weighs 25 pounds, which doesn't sound like much, but may feel heavier when trekking through a jungle!  The item I am mourning over that I won't be bringing is my beloved camera, which I have decided to leave at home, due to its size and weight.  Guy and I are going to practice our sharing skills and both use his camera.  Since we both love taking pictures, this could prove to be interesting...  ;-)

This week has been interesting, since I have gone from feeling complete peace about leaving to now...feeling a bit frantic and unprepared!  But as I learned from our first round of travels, there's no way to fully prepare, and its best just to dive in.  Its been wonderful catching up with friends in this short interlude, but there are certainly people I wish I could've seen that I didn't get a chance to connect with before heading out. In just over 24 hours we will be heading out and traveling oversees for the next 8 months.  Where will we be traveling, you ask?  Well, here's our itinerary:

August 17th                Departing for Lima, Peru, where we will spend a month traveling the country.
Mid-Sept - Mid-Oct  Bolivia
Mid-Oct - Mid-Nov  Agentina
November 10th          Depart for Johannesburg, South Africa
November 17th          Depart for Capetown, South Africa
Nov 17 - Feb 2         Travel overland from South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya
February 2nd             Depart for Cairo, Egypt
February 7th              Depart for Athens, Greece
February 16th            Depart for Istanbul, Turkey
Mid-Feb - Apr 10     Travel overland through Eastern Europe
April 10th                  Depart for London, UK
April 14th                  Depart for...home