My Turtle Year

I’m off on the first leg of my journey around the world!  First stop: New York City.  Time to visit friends and family, get some photography practice in Central Park, and figure out how practical (or impractical, it turns out) my packing situation is.

I arrived in NYC late last night, trying to figure out the subway system with half my weight in luggage on my back.  I hobbled over to the airport tram, which took me to the subway, where I waited for another half-hour, watching the rats play tag on the tracks with scraps of refuse.

But as I reached ground level at the World Trade Center stop and saw the skyscrapers, I couldn't help but smile (which for the amount of security around here must've been suspicious, especially with the huge backpack).  Even seeing the remains of the WTC couldn't take that away from me.  And after a day of hanging out with friends and casually taking pictures while walking around, I can't help but love this city.

So the title of my blog page is a little deceiving.  Technically, I won’t be gone for a year.  My plans got started later than I wanted (thanks to some unfortunate leads I later gave up on), so I’m planning to be gone for 8-9 months.  But "My Turtle Year" sounds better than "My Turtle 2/3 of a Year".  Although that does appeal to my nerdy, literalist side.

Then there’s the turtle part.  I was going for the idea that I’m going to be wandering with my (green) house on my back, but I probably should’ve gone with better imagery since I’m not swimming or kayaking à la Google the whole way – a tortoise, perhaps?  Or is there a turtle-like creature of the land and air?

I’ve felt guilty for a long time at the thought of taking this trip.  There are so many more deserving people I know who could use this time off.  After spending an awfully expensive year at Cornell, I'm doing this.  And I could definitely be doing something more productive and resume-building over the next few months.  

To my credit, on my flight from San Jose to Salt Lake City, the guy sitting next to me (who would not stop gabbing for the life of him) gave me his business card and told me to send him my resume when I'm more situated.  I’m not sure how I feel about the biofuel industry when it takes food staples away from an under-nourished world  or when part of my job description would require me to smile and nod at my boss (and can I get back to my crossword now?) but I’m already building my network.  Done and done.

But to some extent I need this.  For the last 3 years, I have been going at it non-stop, first undergrad, then grad school, interning over the summer or volunteering.  I don't deserve it, but I have the opportunity to relax a bit and travel, so I'll take it.

So welcome to my blog and I hope that it's interesting enough for you all.  I'll keep you all posted on my plans for Europe, since at this point I'm flying into Paris before heading over to Geneva...