Coming home to Ames

It is funny how quickly a town away from home can become home. I stayed here in Ames for about three years, and never really felt at home throughout that whole period, as much as I wanted to say that I did. From my point of view, the university experience was hollow, lacking something of family and of consequence, simply preparing us to go out and integrate ourselves into the machine of the economy that we have in these here United States. I am hoping that there is a way that I can integrate myself into this mass of workers at some point, but for the moment I am disenchanted. Every time I start a new job I always feel inadequate, always feel that I have to do more more more and there is never an end. Perhaps I have been spoiled by grad school, but I must admit, that as guilty as I may feel to say it, it is nice to roll out of bed at 9:30am and not have anywhere to run to because I am insufferably late in getting there! There is a beauty to me in taking some time apart and driving across the United States instead of jumping into university life or immediately into a job. Interestingly enough, however, there is still a framework that can be imposed on these experiences and opportunities as well, almost as if anything that does not have a framework is not worth our while. What about leaving things unstructured and uncertain for a while? I don't know what I am looking for, but I don't know that I will find it here, around the world, or anywhere on this earth. Sometimes I wish that we did not have to work at all, that we could simply get to know one another and enjoy one another's company and live a relaxed and joyful life. Then of course there is the other part of me that assures that such a life would be boring and would provide no fodder for discussion; that on some level, the university education, the work, the jobs, the things that we do because we must do enrich our lives and capabilities and make us reach for things that we would not otherwise seek, and something to talk about in our spare time. I suppose this is why we are seeking work in the midst of our journey and to educate ourselves by reading and learning along the way.

Suffice it to say for Ames, that it will be an good stay here. Mass today at noon, and then some lawn mowing and dinner preparation, and then off to dancing because I know a few people in town. Kyle is a great man and has already taken good care of us, for which we are eternally grateful and I hope to repay him someday in the future. Daniel is off to hang out with some friends who have just embarked on the University journey and I am curious to hear what he has to say upon his return.

The beauty of southern Iowa

Again somewhat later than planned, we departed Macomb, Illinois around 4pm this evening and got on the road. We had thought to perhaps camp on the banks of a man-made lake outside of Pella, Iowa, but once there we decided instead to tour the town square, take some pictures with the local monuments, and then move along down the road. The sunset was breathtaking, and I wish that I could have done it justice with a point and shoot camera in a car traveling at nearly 70 mph, but it just was not going to happen.



We arrived to Ames around 9:15pm and decided to head straight for my buddy Kyle's place in the northern part of the city. Tomorrow will bring some errands and other fun things to catch up on, but more importantly the memories of time well spent in a wonderful place here in the middle of corn and soybeans. For those who have never traveled to the great state of Iowa, I offer the surrounding photos of Pella as proof of its majesty and uniqueness. And when it comes to farming, there is a great deal more to it than meets the eye. I loved the one experience that I had to try it thanks to Kyle's father, but in the end accidentally moved a gas tank where it never should have gone, and then took down a telephone pole. As I said, many great memories....



Being here however has not yet lead me to grapple with the questions that have led us on this journey, and thus I wonder whether this will change over the course of the weekend we will spend here. Sometimes the familiarity of old places leads us to fall into old patterns, and we are not even aware of the lives that we are living, and much less of how we are living them. For this reason, perhaps it is good to step outside of our element, at least every once in a while to open our minds to other possibilities: other ways of thinking and living. Life is endlessly full of new opportunities and possibilities, and sometimes it takes getting beyond what we have always done. I have heard it said a lot lately that "doing what you have done will get you what you always have gotten." Hence, if you want something new and different, you have to change your choices and behavior.

Do it now! Change the way you approach your life every day. Even though it is harder to change the way you live in your life than it is to change the surroundings, doing this can still make a difference. What are your goals and dreams? What are you seeking to become and what are you actually becoming as a result of your choices? None of us are victims to our circumstances unless we choose to be, and we cannot benefit from our circumstances either unless we choose to take advantage of them. So go for it! Lead your life. Make choices differently today and see what else you might become. Make your life extraordinary!!!

Safely in Macomb!

First day down! After planning to leave around 1pm this afternoon, we actually left at 2:40pm, which is not bad for us and jumped onto I-39 south heading toward Macomb, IL and Western Illinois University. Since we are going to be gone for Christmas, we wanted to swing through and bring some holiday cheer to our cousin Eden before we got too far away! ;) The morning went well, with final preparations, among them a backpack shift from a typical Jansport to a Quechua one provided to us by our neighbor Jenna (thanks you!), and a sending off of various articles and letters that needed to go out to friends in Kent. After we got here, Eden escorted us on a wonderful tour of Western Illinois University. The area reminds me of Iowa with many corn and soybean fields, and then all of a sudden a massive university with a great deal of professors and young students making their way around campus and advancing their careers and developing their lives. Coming to a university always makes me think of my own life, where I am going and where I might end up. Currently, we are hanging out and enjoying a fresh afternoon, the wind moving through the trees, and the sky slightly overcast.

What might we accomplish in this world? What if we miss the holidays and are not around for some of the significant events with our families? This trip means that we will definitely miss such things, but we hope that it will increase our ability to accomplish and achieve. Ordinary life may be satisfying sometimes, but there are other times when we need to feel that rush, to see what else is possible apart from the "normal" or "standard" progression of daily life. We can achieve only what we imagine is possible, and thus we must think beyond the typical if we want to lead atypical lives. There is nothing wrong with a standard way of leading life, but when there is that yearning inside, that ache that longs to be assuaged, but has not been cured by the typical happenings of life, we must look beyond. Thus have we set off on this journey.

Up till now the freedom, the weightlessness of independence, and the excitement and uncertainty of what is to come has turned that ache into a drive to continue along. Life is all about choices that we make. Let us choose the things that fulfill the desires and longings within us! Life is good and we look forward as we continue along...

Stoked

The excitement and sense of nervousness are palpable as we make last preparations for the journey. The specifics have changed a bit since the beginning, but the goal remains the same: to see what is out there, and what it may possibly hold for us. To prove to ourselves that we are capable of planning and executing such a journey. To grow in relationship with one another, ourselves, and God. And to find at least some clues as to what it is that drives us to undertake such a voyage, such an adventure, such a quest. Call it what you want, it shall begin this Wednesday and we will be ready come what may. The first leg of the journey will take us across the United States as outlined on the map in an earlier post. After this we move on to Hawaii and then to New Zealand to seek work, a place to stay, and regroup for the next leg.

There is still a great degree of uncertainty in what we are doing, but we go with the love and support of you all, and so for this we thank you, and with you we know that we can accomplish what we have set out to do.

Thanks to the students at Barbour School who listened so intently to our itinerary, and thanks in advance to the students of St. Peter's Cathedral School who will listen in the morning. It is a great honor and pleasure to share our adventure with you, and we hope that you will come along with us, through photos and videos and email correspondence. Should you like to correspond personally by email, let me know in a comment on here and I will send you our email directly.

I want to close by asking you all to pray for us as we move forward on this journey. We know not how long it will take, and have a rough idea of where we are going. And the glory and fear come from knowing that we do not know, and we cannot know, and we do not want to know, but rather set out to see what we can see and learn what we can learn. Was it not so long ago that Jim Bridger and the mountain men set out to do the same? They would cross the entire continent, forge off into the unknown without a second thought, and yet the modern day tells us that these are things of the past, that there is no longer anything to be gained from such feats and adventures. We want to embrace the fear, the uncertainty, the unknown, and see what it has to teach us. May the Lord bless us as we go.

Sharing the journey!

Thanks to the kindness and openness of a teacher and friend at Barbour Language Academy here in Rockford, Illinois, we had the privilege of meeting with a great group of students who are going to follow our journey and support us with email contact and photos as we go along. We hope to meet with students at different schools around the world and to post photos and stories from our experiences on our blog as well as maintain correspondence with the students back here in order to develop relationships and build an international network of students and friends. There was a time that I proposed to do this with a friend that I stayed with in Kent, Ohio who taught high school students, however the students I proposed that they get in touch with were in fact Cuban, and given the current relations between our countries, it was not the best idea. Nonetheless, what an opportunity for us to come in and present and what an opportunity for the students to come to know the world outside Rockford through our eyes! We have already shared a great deal of our itinerary and shown them what they would need to conduct a world trip such as this, including equipment, currency, visas, and how cool to see that a majority of the class had passports!!! World travelers already at such an early age! This is such a neat experience for us, me personally considering becoming a teacher while on the road, as well as upon my return - perhaps even teaching here in the United States.

Thus, to the students of Barbour School we say thank you, and yes we will send photos and postcards, even of us crossing the Equator if that becomes possible. We carry you with us in our minds and in our hearts and you will be our inspiration I am sure at several difficult points along the way. This relationship between us and you captures the spirit of our journey, which is to build relationships - with God, ourselves, and others - as well as demonstrates the truth that we could not and will not be able to complete this journey without the help of others! And to clarify, this refers in no way to money, but to the support offered by your enthusiasm and prayers that will help inspire us to push ever onward and to enjoy this great journey, this great adventure, this trip around the world!

Routing...

So this is tentatively where we plan to go. If you find yourself along this path, or even if not, we may perhaps be able to stop off and say hello. Have you ever thought about planning something like this? I will be the first to tell you that it is not easy, but that one of the first steps is to trust yourself and trust your companions. Without this understanding and mutual feeling of trust, you cannot accomplish anything. Also, be prepared for any "contingency." I learned this word in graduate school, and it is universally applicable that it makes me crazy! Thank you to our localization teacher Dr. Kieran Dunne. We had a CPR training class last night, thanks to our soon to be "en France" teacher, neighbor, friend and sister. We are collecting all of our gear and completing appointments, opening bank accounts, riding horses and living life as best we can meanwhile we plan on leaving by next Wednesday, September 15th. The countdown is pretty much here, and we hope to be ready for it. Life sometimes comes and we may not be prepared, but we march ever onward to the beat of the drum that we hear, even if no one else can. What a wonderful world it would be if each person followed their dream...and yet perhaps, would it all work out then anyway? Are we all truly following our dreams if we do not know what they are? We set out on this journey hoping to find something, and perhaps we will find nothing other than what we have at home, or will discover the true value in what we left behind. But these are questions that cannot be answered until we walk away and see what the world has in store. To conquer, to question, to seek and ultimately to find. For these reasons we march onward. If you're gonna be around, let us know and we will come by! God bless and keep you all!

So it begins...

With the end of Graduate Student Orientation at Kent State University, and a whirlwind weekend of goodbyes and farewells, I packed down the Neon with the remainder of my belongings (which still more than filled the tiny little car) and took off for Illinois. Now I have found myself catching up on some sleep, some reading, and preparing for the next journey that lies ahead. Life is but a series of these, and the current one is pretty exciting.

We sat down today to hammer out some details, and to get the ball rolling on longer term accomplishments, such as acquiring a visa, that need to be completed before we leave. Little by little, as each dimension of the trip comes into clearer focus, the reality seems all the more tangible, and the blood that courses through my heart gains force as it rushes through my body, filling my mind with the imagination of a reunion with long-time friends on the beaches of Hawaii, and working in a pub and in the fields of the beautiful New Zealand countryside. Heck, we may even make it to the prayer-filled places of India that Elizabeth Gilbert describes in her book now movie smash.

The truth though, is that the journey is all of these things, and yet none of them. Certainly every single thing we do at this point in time will come into play later on, but I believe that even without this planning, the trip would still happen. Why do things these days need be explicitly planned? Why do we need to have a hold on what will happen in every second of every day? What happens if this rhythm is broken? What happens if we try to step out? Is there life outside what I have known for the duration of my life up to this point?

I understand that some seek the opposite of what I am describing, that order is something they have never experienced, but for me, this is the very thing that holds me down, chains me, and from which I seek to be freed! I desire to free my mind and my person by going on a journey unbounded and unhindered by all of the conventions of modern society. Yes they are nice, yes they may make life more comfortable, but do you know what? The comfortable life, for me, is boring! Predictability gives no chance for one to act on whim for spontaneity and quick-thinking. Structure, organization, user-friendliness, these are the catch-words of a society that is focused on control and order, and in which I feel there is no room for opportunities. I need out, I need a breath of fresh air where life is not so expertly and precisely divided and then driven into the ground. I will give up profit, personal gain, everything in order to feel at peace, in order to feel that I have found some measure of respite in this world that calls us to work always to the n-th degree.

Perhaps I am naive, and someday I will learn, but for now I am the adventurous soul who takes off with two brothers, to planned, but not charted territory, to see just how far our wits and courage will take us. Join us on this journey. Be a part of what we seek, and we encourage you even as we embark on our journey, to seek out the journey that you must take in your life to become the best and most fulfilled version of yourself!