Tomorrow I start my five-month journey through five countries. It’s a 5 for 5 deal! I think it will be in this order, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India and Nepal. Possibly Vietnam if I can throw it in. Then I’ll come back to the Midwest for home-cooked meals and fireflies before moving to Seattle in September. I must buy a sun lamp or I’ll potentially go through Arizona withdrawals.

I begin my trip tomorrow by flying to Bangkok. I don’t really have definitive plans for Thailand other then renting a bike, cruising around northern Thailand, sleeping, eating, yoga, meditation, reading, hammock, renting a little bungalow and swimming in the ocean. In late April I’ll fly from Bangkok to south India, where I’ll be working at Sadhana Forest for three weeks before going north for a yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India. I plan on taking a bus to Nepal after the training, and experience a country I’ve wanted to see for the last several years.  After Nepal I’ll come back to Delhi to fly back to the US  stopping in Chicago Jeff and Michelle’s wedding! I’m so excited for that! Finally, I’ll end my summer in Seattle, where I’ll be starting a year of service with L’arche.

It’s strange to think that I might not see Prescott for awhile. This town has really took me in and I was getting so comfortable here. I’ll miss the wonderful people the most. This community is so beautiful, full of supportive, loving, and accepting people who genuinely want the best for you. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a sense of community to that degree. I’ll miss the kiddos at the school, their excitement and joy at exploring this world is incomparable, and I’ll miss their enthusiasm at something so simple as the neighborhood cat sitting outside the window. I’ll miss my early morning bike rides to work, when the skyline was pink and hazy over the green hills and Granite Mountain. I’ll miss the way the neighborhoods up White Spar smelled faintly like burning pine.. I might even miss seeing the large family of Javelina lumbering and snorting around the winding streets the night before garbage removal day. I’ll miss drinking copious amounts of coffee with friends at the Iris. I’ll for sure miss our long hikes and adventures all across this incredible state. But don’t’ worry, I’ll come back and visit soon Prescott!