It’s here!  Today is the day that Lauren and I start our Peruvian adventure, and I can honestly say that I am super excited and super scared for the next six weeks.  I remember sending my kids off to camp, college, even kindergarten, and I believe they were filled with these same emotions- anticipation and excitement for all the incredible things about to happen and also scared to death of letting go of the safety net of their known life and routine.  I have always said that I will never ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do, so I hold on to those memories of asking my kids to fly as they moved forward into the unknown and realize that now it is my time to do the same.  

Almost 30 years ago, I took this same adventure after college when I went to work in a Mexican orphanage for four months.  As this time has approached, I was reminded that those were some of the hardest days of my life, and I ask myself why am I choosing to do this again.  Why?  Because they also were the days that I found myself and helped to shape my dreams and my future.  Yes- it was so hard and yes- at the same time it was so amazing.  I always said that someday I would challenge myself to do something like that again… well, that day has arrived!

When I first decided to do this, it seemed a bit less scary as Lauren and I were going to be in neighboring cities and only a 20 minute bus ride apart.  Unfortunately, the organization that Lauren was going to volunteer with closed, and she had to move to another vet clinic which is a four hour plane ride away.  We will spend the first week traveling by bus together to her clinic, and then I will fly to Trujillo on my own to start my teaching adventure.  I am excited for the week we get to share acclimating to Peru together before jumping into to my volunteer experience.  And while we will be at opposite ends of Peru, I take comfort in knowing that we are still on this journey together as we will both experience the joy and frustration, the happy and sad that come with stepping away from life as we know it in order to reach out and change the world.  ​

Thirty years ago, I set off to change the world and that dream has shaped my life.  From with working with children with disabilities to supporting the foster care system to hopefully just being a friend or family member who has helped to make life a better place, I have been driven by a desire to change my corner of the world for the better.   So off I go again as a crazy, adventurous 52 year old who still believes that in some small way,  I have the power to change the world.  Thanks for joining me on my adventure!