I apologize for disappearing but I am here and ready to get you all back up to date with my crazy life. I am now back in America sitting in my bed at my parents’ house in Syracuse, NY shivering under 3 blankets. It is 28 degrees and snowing outside. In the past two months I have been in four countries, countless cities and have sucked more out of life than some people will for the entirety of their existence. I wrote this piece before I set out on my month long trip. To be honest, I had no intentions of including it in my blog, it was more for personal reflection, but it does an uncanny job at introducing the past two months of my life and a trip I will remember forever. I am going to try to condense the trip into three blog posts but we will see what it turns out to be. One of my quirks as a writer is that I go in completely blind as to what I want to say and simply let my thoughts guide me. But that is also what I attribute my authentic voice to… I have tried to fight it but ultimately it’s what works for me. Enjoy these expectations and stay tuned for the rest of the stories to come!

Expectations for The Finale Trip

Before I moved to Thailand I read a girl’s blog who lived and taught here and one of her biggest pieces of advice was “to not have any expectations of what your experience will be like because you will most definitely be wrong.” I took this sentiment to heart and shared it with Jackie and we adopted it as our motto jumping into the experience without expectations. My friend who started teaching here this semester shared with me an idea given to him by his aunt. She told him to write down his expectations and hopes for his experience before he left for Thailand so he could have them to look back at once he was finished. She wanted him to realize how different his expectations would be from his reality. Looking back on how much my life has changed in the past year and how “normal” life in Thailand feels today, I wish that I recorded my expectations. Not because they would be right but instead to see how WRONG they would be. I decided that it isn’t to late to use this technique both for my final backpacking trip and for my adjustment back into American culture and life. I won’t be disappointed if I am “wrong” because I know that the reality will be even better than what I can imagine. It is wonderful that my life seems to work out that way and I accredit it to using my knowledge of the law of attraction, a positive attitude and bringing kindness with me everywhere I go.

As for my expectations of our backpacking through Bali, Australia, and then returning to Thailand for one last week in paradise, Ko Phi Phi.I mean… how could it not be AWESOME!? After working hard to save money and traveling very minimally the past few months I am itching to get out and explore again. And now I have the chance to do so in two of the most beautiful and sought after destinations in the world. I honestly can’t believe that I will be sitting in the rice fields in Bali in 3 days.

I think this trip will truly be transformative for me. I have been through so many changes this year especially with my personal life and this trip has been my light at the end of the tunnel. Not many people get the opportunity to do this and especially not with a great group of friends. I am so excited that we have a crew of four laid back, single, go with the flow ladies to take on Bali. I am so excited to meet foreigners and travelers and handsome MEN! I am so excited to experience the breathtaking views, beaches, rice fields, mountains, sunsets and more. I really hope that finding Indonesian culture is easy and it is not completely overrun by tourists. I can’t believe that we are going not only to Bali but then to Australia. I have dreamed about Australia since I was a little girl and my mom went on a trip there as a chaperone for her high school. I am so grateful that it worked out that we can use Jackie’s timeshare in Sydney! We are going to be in the heart of the action and I know we will get to explore so much in our time there. I can’t wait to see Kelsey and explore Melbourne. I expect to fall in love with Australia. I have a funny feeling that it may match the beat of my drum…

Such is life. Life is crazy and unpredictable. Sometimes it hurts like hell but a lot of times it is truly sensational. I know that this trip is going to be one of those sensational times. I think I will get a feeling and a message from my heart about what direction I should head to next. As much as I love having all of the freedom and the options in the world I also am an over-analyzer and over-thinker. I am so grateful for Jackie because she always puts me in my place and reminds me not to worry too much about the future or the past. I love that our tattoos remind me of that every single day. I am nearly all packed up and about to leave at 2am in a taxi to the airport in Bangkok. I am overwhelmed with emotion and feel like I am living in a dream watching myself. I am so excited for the adventure ahead and I know that I am going to make incredible memories, find strength within myself and get a message from the universe as to what my next step should be. Cheers to one small step leading to GREAT things. Adventure is out there! I’m going to get it 🙂