| 3:58p |
Unexpected global adventures
I had taken my little brother to see a movie today, and my parents met us afterwards. We were eating lunch in the oh-so-glamorous shopping mall food court, when my Dad started talking about his trip to Indonesia. He is going there with my little sister to visit his family. I have been feeling really bad this past week, because I felt that I really should be going with them to Indonesia. I did volunteer to go awhile ago, but I must confess that I wasn't totally serious about it. I really wanted to see my grandparents, but the idea of going to Indonesia really scared me. I have been there twice before- once when I was around 9, and then when I was 12-ish- and I had experienced a huge sense of culture shock. It really made me sad to be there- so many people lived in poverty. People's characteristics are also very different. Plus, I don't speak any other language apart from English, so I felt pretty stupid.
So, anyway, at lunch today, I totally surprised myself with this decision: I am going to go to Indonesia. That's right: in about 3 weeks, I am going to go to see my grandparents again, for the first time in 6 years. At first, the idea of a new adventure totally thrilled me. But now, I'm pretty scared to go. I have prayed about it, though, and I trust that God will keep me safe and happy. I hope that He will provide me with the bravery and calmness that I need for this journey.
I can't believe how long it's been since I have been overseas. My last trip was to Europe, when I was 17. That was 6 1/2 years ago now. I spent a lot of my childhood and adolscence travelling. By the time I was 18, I had been to so many beautiful cities and states in America, like San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Alaska and Hawaii. I had also been to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. I had been to Indonesia twice, and had also seen a lot of Australia. Before I was 5, I lived in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. It was a pretty amazing way to grow up, seeing so much of the world. I think that travelling and moving so much really formed my gypsy nature- I don't like staying in the same place for too long. Sometimes, it's almost like I can hear the wind moving around me, and I feel that it's time for a change. But at the same time, I often wished that I could just stay home for the holidays, and hang out with my friends at the beach. I wanted to do my own thing. So since my last trip to Europe, I've been set on staying in the same spot and exploring my own city. When all of my friends at uni had the travelling bug, I looked on in amazement and wished that I felt that same restlessness.
So here it is: a brand new adventure. I am very nervous and apprehensive, but I also feel that I am doing the right thing. It will be so great to see my grandparents again, and to do weird sign language with them due to my lack of Mandarin language skills. In three weeks, I will be in a tropical country, riding on one of those bike-pulled buggies. I will possibly have a stomach bug. Hopefully I'll have a few cool things duty free, too. I really hope this new adventure works out. I called Geoff and told him that I was going to go away, and he was so sweet about it. He was in Armidale for 4 days this past week, and we missed each other so much. And yet, he was totally supportive and positive about this new trip of mine. What a cutie!
Well, more stories about my life in Sydney are coming up...don't worry, I won't abandon you before I leave! Stay tuned. |