And I'm off...

You know those people you read about? The ones with the great job, best of friends and a family most people long for? The ones who pretty much get everything aligned and luck out 9 days out of 7? Who's boss let them take 8 weeks off work because she wanted to travel the world?...right after they got a promotion! The ones who get upgraded to first class just because? 

I'm that girl...sitting in first class free of charge. Okay fine, it's the row right behind first class...but that means the emergency exit...which if you know anything about planes it's the row with extra leg room so long as you agree to save everyone else's life before yours! AKA the poor girl's version of first class! But all the rest...true as can be! Everything aligned perfectly for this trip.

Here I am, trying to blend in on this Peruvian filled plane for the next 8 hours. I am observing and listening and just acting as if I fit in, not stand out. I'm no tourists, I'm a traveler. HOWEVER, here comes the flight attendant instructing me on what I'd imagine is the safety precautions...i used one word responses with the heaviest Spanish accent I could "Si Si Si...Bueno!" (I think to myself...Did it work? Does he believe I speak Spanish?) 

I'd say that's a yes, considering he started to ask me further questions in Spanish. Well, I'm off to a good start! Definitely should practice more before I'm thrown out into this country...nah, let's wing it. 

So it begins, my adventure at its finest. No amigos. No habla espanol. No idea where in the world I'm headed. I'm excited. 

When I was 19 I traveled for the first time from LAX to Nebraska to visit my best friend...I called my mom crying my eyes out. I'd never been on a plane alone and at such a big airport. I panicked, I cried, I complained. It was the most challenging mental experience I had up until that age. I used this as an ad ample to my mother when we discussed how I was doing when she left the airport. 

I'm now 24, somewhat experienced traveler. However, never for this long and most definitely never to a country where I didn't know the language. I can tell you one thing, I didn't have that anxiety I expected to have. Does it mean I've grown as a person? Or does it mean God has given me the peace in doing something that was my destiny? I think it's a little bit of both. 

That peace in my heart...it's for a reason. My soul is so alive but my heart is so calm. I can't wait to see the world in all its raw form.