I think I will miss ice. But I'm not quite sure.

Little did I know, preparing to travel abroad for an extended amount of time is quite challenging. First of all, vaccinations are crazy. Yes, I understand their importance when traveling; but quite frankly, after the seventh shot, I have started feeling like a pin cushion. Furthermore, I have to continuously maintain a regimen of antimalarial drugs throughout my stay. Oh la la. And knowing my luck, I will probably catch some type of silly condition!

But more importantly, over the weeks, I have been making a list of necessary items to take along with me to Madagascar; and, in the back of my mind, i have been making a list of items that I will unfortunately have to leave behind. I have noticed that many of these items I take for granted on a daily basis, and I have therefore decided that I am going to make a list of things that I think I will miss the most. On my return, I plan on making a whole new list of items that I actually did miss. What I value now may, upon my return, seem trivial and unnecessary. I'm not sure what I hope to determine in comparing these two lists. Maybe I will discover that I am more materialistic than I should be. Maybe I value the wrong things. Maybe my lists will be the same. Maybe they will be different. Whatever the outcome, I am interested to see what happens.

1. My bed. More specifically, my soft mattress, pillow, memory foam, and warm quilt.
2. Hot showers. And possibly even a daily shower in general.
3. Ice. I love ice. And frozen treats like popsicles.
4. The cool weather. I prefer the cool breeze of a North Carolina October day.
5. Central air.
6. Microwave. As much as I am going to love the lack of processed food, there is nothing like a bowl of hot soup in 3 quick minutes.
7. High speed internet access, anytime. I will admit that our generation is addicted to the internet. Although, it may actually be refreshing to get away from it.
8. My ipod. I love music...and I will miss it dearly.
9. High fructose corn syrup. This one holds a bit of sarcasm, I know, but I really do have a sweet tooth. I will miss my desserts.
10. Indoor plumbing. I think this one is self-explanatory.

This list could continue for days, but I think it is a good idea to keep it at my top ten. Please note, the items are in no particular order.

An Adventure

What scares you shitless? Death, taxes, heights, small dark spaces, slimy snakes, airplane crashes, or evangelical extremists? While I'm confident that there are indeed many things in the world which will scare me at some point in my life, my current fear is being completely alone--waking up in a foriegn land without family or friends surrounding me. And yet, I feel like at this point in my life, that is exactly what I need the most. I, Erin Elizabeth Hester, have been living a completely comfortable life for way too long. It is high time that I leave my comfort zone--my warm bed, my hot shower, my inner circle of friends, my high-tech intellectual university, my country home--and experience something new, something different, something difficult. It is through this "voyage" that I hope to have as many new and exciting experiences as humanly possible. Oscar Wilde sums it up when he stated:

"Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you! Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing."

This is exactly what I desire to do--take chances, make mistakes, create memories, and scare myself shitless :) . And fortunately, thanks to the wonderful world wide web, you will be able to read all about it.

until then,