Welcome and What's Up

Hello! Ahhh, some blog therapy. I'll tell you a little about myself so you can better understand why I decided to take this adventure... Single and solo chick traveling alone across the country in her little, used Volkswagen Passat. I'm really excited to get started!

So November 2009, I finished the Peace Corps in Morocco. I loved it. The adventure, the culture, the slower pace of life, getting to know a different culture- It changed my perspective on many things. For one thing, I became more patriotic. Not in a "one of the folks", USA-chanting at any given time, appropriate or not, sort of way. I gained some real insights into why it is that I am lucky to be born an American. I'll give you three to start:

1. As far as we still have to go here in the US, as women we have it a whole lot better than in many other countries. Some feminists will argue that women have taken a step backwards by making the decision to become stay-at-home moms but I think they're missing the point. As American women we have come far enough that we can CHOOSE. We can do what we want. We can pursue careers, go to college, have a baby, choose our clothes... I don't see us giving that up. When something sexist is said in public, we discuss it and fuss about it because people care. Many countries in Europe are way behind us in this. We aren't there yet, but I really appreciate the point we're at now.
2. PASSPORT! We can go nearly anywhere in the world. The residents of many countries can't even leave. When I was in Morocco, it was heartbreaking to learn that there was just really no way that my host family (the family I lived with in my town for 2 months) who provided tremendous support for me over my 2 years in their town could not come and visit me in the United States- even if I funded it! Visas and passports are very difficult to get. Once you get a passport, visa applications are a nightmare. A US passport is like a ticket to the world.
3. Stuff... While I can file "stuff" into the negative category as well because I believe it has gotten way out of hand, it's honestly pretty cool to have stuff. What do I mean? Well I'm sitting here at my parent's awesome new widescreen Mac computer. I look to my left and there is a printer/fax/scanner/copier on top of a file cabinet next to a floor to ceiling shelf stacked with books. To my right is a piano keyboard that hooks up to the computer, and a flight simulator game. Behind me is my fabulous plush, giant, red couch, and a rowing machine. That's the big stuff, but I could keep going... and this is just one room. It may not sound like a lot to all of you, but really, it is. And, as materialistic as this might come off, I like having this stuff. I am damn lucky, and I recognize that like never before.

And that's only 3... there are more, but I won't go there. I think the key is that though I kinda knew in my mind somewhere that I was lucky, I didn't really feel it strongly like I do now. Taking a step outside of my own culture for a bit also gave me a chance to reflect on aspects of our culture that I consider to be damaging like the "Bigger is better" attitude which got us in all sorts of trouble with both debt and obesity... things that I think many of us are starting to recognize and working to change. I'm excited to head across the country to see friends and family I haven't seen in awhile, to see places I've never seen before, and to revisit spots I've been and loved.

Unfortunately, I didn't just grow mentally in the Peace Corps... I also grew physically. I am officially in the "overweight" category. I HATE that(even though I don't think I look THAT bad- just some problem areas). I have a goal on this trip to lose weight while I'm traveling. To do so, I'm going to make a list of area-specific foods that I have to eat, and then I'm going to bring a cooler with yogurt, fruit and vegis(my Passat has a plug in the trunk for one of those plug-in ones- again, Yayyy stuff!). For meals, I'm going to go ahead and try Nutrisystem. My sister loves it and as a self-appointed foodie, I've snubbed it a bit. I tried the food this week, and though it's not gourmet cuisine (duh, it's in a box), it's well-portioned, edible (some stuff actually is pretty good), and should help me stick to my diet. I'll use that to keep myself in check and then I'll allow the occasional cheat day for things such as beer in Milwaukee, pizza in Chicago, and Moroccan food with some of my Peace Corps friends. Did I mention that I can cook a mean couscous?

Anyhow, I'll fill you in more as I get ready to head out... Cheers for now.