Put that in your king cake and smoke it

So since I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your metaphorical seats waiting to hear where I will be next year, I've decided that it's time to end the suspense. After a marathon of emotionally and intellectually confused conversations with Brianne, ending in a semi-epiphanic moment just two days after the actual Epiphany, the two of us have decided to spend next year in the United States working with Lutheran Volunteer Corps. This may come straight out of left field for some of you, so I'll try to explain. It's a long story, but here's the short version. After wrestling for a while with all the thoughts I talked about in my last post, I boiled down my dilemma thus: I knew I was feeling a longing for a long-term community, but also knew that when I imagined settling down somewhere right away, I experienced a strange sense of panic. And when I asked myself what specifically I was panicked about - in other words, what were the most important, essential things that I had to do for myself before I became a "real adult" and settled down - I came up with this: (1) doing some sort of "hands-on," non-academic work before making the graduate school decision, (2) experiencing environments that are entirely alien and therefore uncomfortable, and (3) exploring what it would be like to be a total free-spirited hippie.

And then I started to think that since the list of things that I want to do (Asia, South America, Russia...name a place on the map) is endless and inexhaustible, I had better start by working on the list of things I have to do or I will regret it later in life. And then if some long-term opportunity ever presents itself, I won't have to compromise essential parts of myself to accept it.

So the new, revised plan is to spend a year working with a non-profit through LVC, which will take care of the first step (and maybe little bits of the second two). And after that - and after working for/shamelessly begging for some money - I'll try to spend a few months WWOOFing and backpacking in New Zealand (#3), and then a few months wandering around/doing occasional work in India (#2).

I'll understand if you greet this announcement with a little bit of skepticism, given that - depending on when you last saw me - I probably recently told you that I was going to be in Chile, Peru, China, or South Korea next year. But I have actually completed my application for LVC, so that's a step in the right direction. And if you need a better reason to believe in our intentions, look no further than this picture of our own personal Wise Man, whom we found in our King's Cake (a traditional French dish for Epiphany) just a day before seeing the light. We credit him with overseeing our decision-making process.


If that little man isn't a trustworthy authority, I don't know who is.