Welcome to my blog. I have never written one of these before. I'm not sure if I am supposed to address you (the audience) as a group or as an individual person. For my own sake, I'm picturing you as a boy, younger than me, hopefully smarter, who is waffling between wasting a year working for his father and attending night classes at Normandale versus taking a step off the path and into the dark... the dark being Southeast Asia and the path being... well, whatever I should have done. I picture my audience this way because clearly it is a simple psychological manifestation. I want to talk to my Past Self, shake him and tell him to wake up. Life is shorter than you think and you only get so many chances to gamble with it. And that's what this is. An intelligent person does not quit his job during a recession, give up his apartment, sell all his worldly possessions and abandon his life for three months of the unknown. So far, I have been able to keep the doubt at bay by working long hours and fighting with my girlfriend. I would not recommend either, but it did keep my mind off the questions. Where are you going to stay? Do you have enough money? Are you going to be able to eat the food? Do they speak any English? Do you speak any Asian (I was literally asked this.)? How are you going to get around? Is it safe to travel alone? Aren't you scared?
All I know is that I don't know anything. I do not have any prior experience in Asia nor have I done much research. My preparation consisted of learning how to use chopsticks. The thought behind this blog was that perhaps there are other novices out there whom are considering a similar undertaking. Perhaps they would benefit from my journey. Still, I keep thinking of something an old gym teacher once told me.
"Never be first in line for anything." I have a feeling that this blog will only prove his point.
We'll see I guess.
