A Year Away

On the morning of July 5th, 2006, I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulders for the first time. One year later, I'm still on the road.

The other day I was flipping through my photos from my first few days of the trip, and I couldn't help but smile. My clothes looked so fresh! I was so clean-shaven! I was so visibly nervous! So excited!

Now, my clothes now are tattered and frayed. My shirts are all faded and falling apart from daily use. Showering has become a chore, fresh laundry a luxury, and shaving has all but dropped off the to-do list. All my stuff smells truly horrible, and will be promptly burned upon my arrival home. My initial nervousness has been replaced by the casual confidence that came hand-in-hand with a year of being out of my comfort zone. Amazingly, my energetic excitement about travel is still there, although it has been laced with a constant feeling of fatigue. This never ending vacation routine can be tough sometimes, but of course, the good far outweighs the bad.

It has been an amazing trip so far, but I'll save all the sappy recollecting for my final update when I get home. For now, I'd just like to say thank you to all of you who have followed along so far. It gets pretty lonely out here sometimes, and I can't even tell you how much your comments, emails, and encouragement have helped me feel normal. After a year, I can't get over how amazing and interesting the world can be, and I hope reading my blog has helped you get a little bit closer to the small pieces of it that I've wandered across.

See you in September — in real life!  I miss you all. Watch out for my next update about the eastern half of Turkey and my quick trip into the country of Georgia, where I celebrated my year away from home earlier tonight.

Ryan!