Up, Up & Away

              Sitting about 30,000 feet above ground, sipping on a glass of wine, watching “Love and Other Drugs”, all while being served a nice warm meal complete with salad, bread, and oh yes dessert… I must say; Life is good today. Being granted the luxury of a window seat, I look to my right and I see blue skies, fluffy clouds, and the beautiful icy mountains of Anchorage, Alaska below. I look to my left and I am accompanied by two Asian men, both whom have been extremely kind and helpful to this rookie of a traveler who had a hard time working the remote control…which has pictures… and is in English! Fortunately for me, and them, I’m a quick learner and am proud to say I now know how to not only get my remote to snap back into place, but also turn on my overhead light! So, yeah I’ll say it again; life is good today, and it’s only getting better because somewhere within the next 24 hours I will be landing in Bangalore, India. Yes, that’s right, India!

                 Now over the past three months or so, I have gotten many different reactions to my destination of choice, ranging from “Omgsh that’s amazing”, and that’s “badass”, to the oh so popular, “Indiaaa?! Why India?!!” While I wish I could have come up with some genius response about all the glory that is India, or how it has been my lifelong dream to travel there, I couldn’t. I couldn’t because really, before 6 months ago, I would have been saying the exact same thing. For those who have seen my “Paris Dream Land” of a room, you probably would have assumed that had I ever had the chance to travel, I would be on the first flight to France or some other fancy, fashion-crazed European country (hey you and me both), but for some reason I went complete opposite. I don’t know how it happened or exactly what it was that initially hooked me, but I sure got reeled in.

India probably isn’t your ideal summer vacation destination, but that is exactly why I chose it. I’m not taking this trip as just a fun four weeks away from home. I’m taking this trip as four weeks of a life changing experience; personally and academically. I want to go somewhere completely new and different from where I live. I want to be completely emerged into a new culture and tradition. I want to be challenged, taught, impacted, and inspired. I want India.

And with that said, I do believe I see the drink cart rolling my way and a glass of Cabernet calling my name. 4,078 miles to go… well to Hong Kong that is.