I am leaving for Tanzania in a just few short weeks. I am starting to feel that old familiar swell of excitement and nerves within me of being on the move with all my possessions in a pack the size of a small whale on my back. The excitement comes from not knowing where I will sleep that night. Of seeing faces much different than my own, hearing a tongue indistinguishable to my ear. It comes from waiting for the opportunity to snatch a perfect photo op, and from exchanging a grin with a local who has been bemusedly watching me bumble my way through his day.
This excitement arrives slowly, and peaks with a fury. If the trip is a longer one, the fury of excitement subsides into a happy, contented rhythm of life, with my only concern being where to find the tastiest meal on which to spend my cordoba, baht, or rupee. In this case, it has been simmering since last February when I booked my ticket.
Six weeks before departure, my thoughts are peppered with plans, ideas and "must-do's-prior-to." I cannot wait to venture out again. The very word "travel" is a simple one. Yet, it has the power to invoke volumes of nostalgia and an insatiable lust for wander amongst those who have woken up one day in a foreign land and discovered it in their blood. Simply put, Africa is a dream come true. My only regret thus far, is that this time I won't be gone long enough to miss home.
How do the rest of you feel prior to a big trip?
Before I went to Israel, I was so excited I didn't need much sleep, or food, but was kept going by sheer anticipation. The adrenaline rush gave me the energy I needed to do what I had to do - in between the "GUESS WHERE I'M GOING" gushes of excitement. After the May 'festivities' - I guess after quite a while - I envision you on a mountaintop with a cute little companion on your back - introducing him/her to the unread pages of the book!! Have a blast!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Love your vision!! I aim to make that happen :)
ReplyDeleteThe strangest part is the 2 months prior to leaving, you are so overwhelmed with the preparations that you do not feel like you are part of the place where you physically are at that time. You head is already gone somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteGood point Irene. I would also like to mention that it's probably never a good idea to try to plan a wedding AND take a trip like this all at once. I'll probably just pick one in the future ;) My head is in two places, and it is splitting, let me tell you......
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in and having a read!
I hope you have an awesome trip! I had always wanted to go to one or more countries in Africa, but some for some reason or another I never got there. Despite travelling to many other countries, I think I was too afraid to travel as a solo female traveller.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Can't wait to hear about your adventures!
Reese
Thanks Reese!
ReplyDeleteI so agree, there is nothing more exciting than getting ready for a trip to a new country, well maybe getting there and being there is even more exciting. And especially Africa. I love Africa. I lived in Kenya and Ghana for years and traveled in other countries (my honeymoon was in Tanzania,rather a disaster, actually -- I should write a post about that ;)
ReplyDeleteOh you totally should write about the disaster honeymoon! Sounds like a good story just waiting to be told :)
ReplyDelete