Another Adventure Begins

I am sitting at Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 8. I don’t think I’ve ever been in Terminal 8 before. I’ve been here for a very long time because I misread my ticket info and am actually leaving an hour later than I expected (totally not my fault – I hate a 24 hour clock – 23:55, 22:55 – they’re very confusing).

AS was the case when I headed to Nepal, I’m basically convinced I’ve made a mistake, I will be lonely the entire time and my friends in New York will forget about me and move on to new friends. But that isn’t how Nepal worked out, so I’m also aware that the odds are in my favor for this trip as well.

I was so organized for my last trip – I packed a week in advance and had started buying what I needed a month ahead of time. This trip I was packing my backpack in the hour before my cab was scheduled to arrive. I will be in summer and winter during this trip (today’s forecast is in the single digits in Patagonia, 60s in Peru and warmer still in Argentina) so packing was a challenge. Many things made it in and then out of the bag again.

I have brought no jewelry, no make-up, and no mirror. In a month, my gray roots will be very visible and my skin will be in a panic. My flight home lands at 7am and I’m already considering going to the salon before going home.

But for now, I’m fresh and excited and ready to get under way. I will miss my beloved friends and family like crazy and I hope they join me through this blog for part of the trip. The world is a beautiful place and I’m so energized and aware of my great good luck that I get to see another corner of it.

Off we go!