You're Doing What??!!

I must admit that I've received a mixed bag of reactions when I've told friends and family about my trip - anything from excitement, enthusiasm, and envy to concern and confusion. "You're doing what?? You're going where?? And by yourself?? Wow - that sounds great...are you sure??" And the short answer, is a simple "yes" - I can't wait for this journey to start.

For those of you who may not have heard about my plans, perhaps I should take a step back and start from the beginning. I've always enjoyed traveling and the experiences that come from seeing some place new. I think I picked it up from my professor parents, who fortunately decided to take me on every vacation they planned - one of the many perks of being an only child. Who else has seen Napa at age 12, Vegas at age 15, and Bourbon Street at 17? My parents are avid travelers, and I attribute my love for new places and my affinity for adventure and independence to their influence.

I think my enjoyment of international travel started after my sophomore year in college, when I traveled with some fellow Volunteers to Europe. Thanks to my dear friend Paige and our rag-tag group of seven co-eds (what were we thinking??), I had an amazing journey on the requisite European college backpacking tour. My love of travel - what some (specifically my husband) refer to as a very, very expensive habit - was born, and it has since taken me back to Europe, Central America, Asia, and Australia.

This spring, I started to realize I hadn't traveled internationally in quite some time, but between the busy final months of preparation for our wedding and our honeymoon, I didn't spend too much time thinking about it. I hadn't even gotten to the honeymoon - much less had time to think about my next vacation. But it was when my husband, Ben, learned in late August of his year deployment overseas that my world here in Chicago started to feel a little Upside Down. I was overwhelmed at the idea that my husband and I would spend our first year of marriage apart. I was apprehensive about living through the dreary winter months of January through March in Chicago by myself. And, quite honestly, I wanted something to help make this year a little less tough - and that's when I started to think about traveling. Then things started to fall into place...our friends Ben and Paula graciously offered for me to stay with them in Auckland as long as I wanted. I learned about some volunteer work in Africa at exactly the same time I was hoping to visit. Family and friends-of-friends started popping up in unexpected places, places like Stellenbosch, Mauritius, and Cambodia. And, most importantly, my employer was willing to consent to my plan to take some time away from Chicago and from my job to help ease the absence of my husband and the difficulty of the next year (btw, I'm reserving my speech about how Deloitte truly is a great place to work from this blog but would happily fill up an hour of your time on this topic if you're interested).

So, I find myself only five weeks away from my departure from the U.S. for the next six months. My itinerary includes a tour of the Southern Hemisphere, an opposite side of the world than that in which most of us live - thus "Upside Down." My trip starts in London for a couple of brief days, before I head to South Africa (Capetown/Stellenbosch) and then Kenya to meet up with a group for the Global Volunteer Network to do a fundraising climb up Kilimanjaro. After our climb, we head back to Nairobi , where I will spend three weeks volunteering with the children that will benefit from our fundraising efforts. I won't tell you much more now (I'm going to keep you coming back for more!), but I can tell you that I'm thrilled for the opportunity and looking forward to the months ahead.

For an update on Ben, he's doing great. He's in wonderful spirits, and I was able to see his smiling face via webcam (albeit very poor connection) on Thanksgiving Day. He's working a lot but seems to be learning from the experience and his surroundings. I know many of you have received his update emails over the past couple of months, but if you're not on the list and would like to receive them, send me a note at rcassill@yahoo.com. You'd be inspired by his optimism, and I can guarantee you'll read significantly better writing than what you'll see here. A sincere thanks to all of our friends and family for your support, encouragement, notes, emails, and hugs over the past couple of months. We couldn't have made it this far without you.

Stay tuned for my next blog, where I'll answer some Frequently Asked Questions, including "How will you stay safe?" "When will you talk to Ben?" and, for the financially-minded, "What is your budget?"

(P.S. If you were thinking about taking a trip this year but weren't quite sure where or when, let me know - I'm welcoming travel companions!)