Prologue: The Why

Recovering from a rough couple days of my trip, now seems like a good time to remind myself of the reason I decided to do this trip and the reason why I first envisioned it and began planning and dreaming about it over two years ago.

When I finished college and got a job and-in my field, I had a moment of realization where I had reached the point that all these years of schooling had pushed me toward: a very insipid climax of getting an okay job that was moderately enjoyable, at best.  This could very easily be the rest of my life, I thought, but this isn't what I wanted.  Not to be sitting in front of a computer, working day to work day, just waiting to die.

The one thing I've wanted to do more than anything, was to explore.  To explore the vastness of this world and see the wide variety of life that exists outside the small narrow window I live in; to experience as much of this world as possible. If I could do anything, it would be to just wander the world and explore what I've never seen.

So that's what I set out to do.  I started planning a trip that would allow me to see as much of the world as possible within a realistic budget that I could afford within just a few years.  I aimed for countries with lower domestic purchasing power so my money would go farther, and countries that were in close proximity so I'd spend as little money on flights as possible.  This lead to my current around the world trip itinerary that goes through 16+ countries: China, SE Asia, India, Middle East, and Europe.

For the next two years, I put myself on a strict budget so I'd be able to achieve my goal.  This was what I was aiming for, when everything else went sour, this was my escape.  If everything in my life turned against me, I'd always have the option to pull my chute and escape my life and go on my trip, with whatever money I had saved up to that point.

Every step of the way there seemed to be something that would threaten to kill this dream.  Large mechanic bills, unexpected medical expenses, and the eventual loss of my job.  Each time I thought for sure my dream was dead, but I still managed to find a way around.

Along the way, I never really expected to go through with this; it was just a pipe dream.  I avoided telling many people about it, as I didn't want it held against me when I inevitably didn't go through with it.  And in the end, if it wasn't for that last setback of losing my job, I probably would never have gone through with this.

Betrayed by employers who went from respectful colleagues, to sadistic liars the moment they no longer needed me proved to be a major blow to my self-worth.  Drug down to one lowest points of my life, now more then ever was when I needed to pull this chute and escape for a while.

So I did.

See you in four months.