Travel on my Journey

Over the years of flying back and forth to Haiti I often mourned the lack of journey- of feeling like I was actually traveling somewhere. It was a shock to my system to make the transition from somewhere in the sterile, prosperous States and being a part of the majority to humid, dirty, over-populated Port-au-Prince and being a minority within a few hours time (actually this starts at the gate in Miami...). I would simply climb aboard one aircraft pass through one or two busy nondescript airports (catching a Starbucks on my way) and suddenly arrive in Haiti with the only scenery being the clouds and a stranger sitting next to me.

Now is my chance to slow down and actually journey. Taking the train from Michigan to Washington will be incredible. I'll get to see parts of the northern US that few people take the time to enjoy. And I'll complete a cross-continental train journey when I go to New York! Yes, I'm moving to NY on the train! I'll get to enjoy the journey- see the lovely lake shore stretching from Michigan to New York. The bonus is that the ticket was only $80 and I can take 5 pieces of luggage at no extra charge! When I completed the ticket purchase, I felt elated. I'm actually going and it's going to be great!

I'd put off the actual purchase of a ticket to NY waiting for the timing to be right. Mostly I was just waiting to attend a re-entry and renewal retreat so I could process the last few months I had in Haiti and be ready to move on. I'm so glad I did. Now that I'm in recovery (from not being able to express my emotions!), I also feel ready to move on and tackle new adventures. And this will certainly be an adventure! I tell myself that if I could do Haiti for 7 years, I can certainly handle NYC.

Many people have questioned my desire to move there. At this point, it's just one of those things to check off on list-of-things-to-do-before-I-die. It is certainly tempting to go the easier route; stay here in GR and apply for the job at Grand Valley State that I saw in the wanted adds today. Not that that's a bad thing, but I'll feel like a cop-out if I don't at least give the move to NYC a try. What better time than the present? I have no real obligations except making enough cash to pay off school debt. And I can't question my sense of elation when I finally purchased the ticket. There's always plan B- move back to GR and live with my sister! And that wouldn't be horrible, just another part of my journey!