I'll bet you weren't expecting a new blog from me. My gap year is over, I'm in America quietly studying for finals.
To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever post here again. I thought this blog would serve as a relic, something for me to look back at years later, to reference in conversations, to show off to those who do not know what I did last year. I've comfortably fallen back into "regular" life. I go to class, I do homework, I eat regular American food, and I don't often think about last year's experiences. The only times I mention my gap year is when I explain why I am 20 and a Freshman, and I do not go into the details of where I've been and what I did.
I've been so comfy. I have a perfect routine, there's no adventure or surprise. I just wake up, get ready, and go.
But last week, something happened. Something re-lit that long, ropey wick that made me leave last August. It was the roll down physical map of the world in my Comparative Politics class. I hadn't seen a map in a while, since high school, probably, and looking at it reminded me of all the places I had been. I traced my journey from London to South Africa, and then to Nepal, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia. I'd gone so far and I hadn't even realized it. I smiled smugly to myself, knowing that I could put more pins on that map than anyone else in that class, but I wiped it off quickly when I realized that there was so much I hadn't seen yet. I felt distressed. My eyes scanned the map, picking which places I needed to see next. I raced from one continent to the next, trying to decide which one would be most important to me. As I passed the places I had been I was reminded of my experiences there. I remembered the monks in the monastery and how much I miss them. I remembered the ancient temples in Thailand and the shacks in the South African township. I remembered falling asleep to movies on airplanes and tasting foods that I couldn't pronounce. I remembered that Maya means love and the time that I trekked through a jungle while it rained.
The whole experience was overwhelming, and I couldn't focus on anti-colonialism anymore. I was busy calculating the hours I'd need to work for a flight to Turkey, or how much I'd need to save for a road trip to Mexico. I listed the places I wanted to go, but had to stop when the list became too long. I want to go everywhere. My comfort here has vanished. I feel the way I felt in high school, albeit a bit more mature. I want to leave again.
With any luck, this blog will go back to it's glory days of travel posts. And dad, this is my Christmas appeal. Forget about the wish-lists, I want a round trip ticket to anywhere but here.
