The past week has been a flurry of activity trying to prepare for another year living outside the United States. I probably spent the past month purchasing too many biking supplies but justified the nifty packs, rechargeable lights, sturdy locks, pedals, and shoes by reminding myself that bikes will be our primary mode of transportation for the next few years. I hope I made all the requisite phone calls to banks, trips to the health department for vaccinations against diseases I've never heard of, and ate enough comfort food: pancakes, bacon, hamburgers, and Mexican to tide me through until I return to US soil....And, even though I spent a lot of time with family and friends it never seems like enough. As a matter of fact, I've been running around so much lately that I haven't given much thought to where I'm going.
However, on this morning's taxi ride to the airport, it really hit me that I'm headed off for another adventure. The driver's simple question where are you off to and my reply "Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia..." set the excitement in motion.
Hong Kong....Singapore....Malaysia....I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would be seeing any of these places. While chatting with the Tri-Cities taxi driver, I flashed back to many recent taxi rides in Istanbul ranging from the first ride where I couldn't speak a word of Turkish and had to hand the driver a printout of my hotel address to the last ride where I conversed with the driver in my broken Turkish and confidently gave him my destination, discussed our families, Turkey, and the weather. Then I flashed forward to the nerves that will most certainly ensure as I try to navigate new cultures and languages when I hop off the plane.
The best part of this adventure is that I will be sharing it with my best friend and husband. When he asked me to marry him 29 years ago, he warned me by saying, "I'm in construction, the work is really unstable, and we'll have to move a lot." I enthusiastically replied, "Cool.!"
So, to this new adventure, I'm reminded of Dr. Seuss's wisdom:
You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
However, on this morning's taxi ride to the airport, it really hit me that I'm headed off for another adventure. The driver's simple question where are you off to and my reply "Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia..." set the excitement in motion.
Hong Kong....Singapore....Malaysia....I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would be seeing any of these places. While chatting with the Tri-Cities taxi driver, I flashed back to many recent taxi rides in Istanbul ranging from the first ride where I couldn't speak a word of Turkish and had to hand the driver a printout of my hotel address to the last ride where I conversed with the driver in my broken Turkish and confidently gave him my destination, discussed our families, Turkey, and the weather. Then I flashed forward to the nerves that will most certainly ensure as I try to navigate new cultures and languages when I hop off the plane.
The best part of this adventure is that I will be sharing it with my best friend and husband. When he asked me to marry him 29 years ago, he warned me by saying, "I'm in construction, the work is really unstable, and we'll have to move a lot." I enthusiastically replied, "Cool.!"
So, to this new adventure, I'm reminded of Dr. Seuss's wisdom:
You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
Good luck in your new adventure Penny, am thinking of you! I really wish I had your courage to go and explore places on my own but am glad for you that you can explore this one with Eric, enjoy and keep safe, Jacqui x
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read about your latest adventures! My love to Eric!
ReplyDelete