On My Way Back to Russia

Traveling invokes mixed feelings for me sometimes. I think it is
traveling alone for extended trips that gets me. Of course I'm excited
to travel and to be away from my normal environment. At the same time
I am sad to be leaving the familiar suroundings of home.

I have been traveling since I was 5 years old alone. With divorced
parents living in seperate cities, I spent a lot of time traversing
the distance between the two. I can still remember the sinking feeling
as I would leave each place. It is a similar feeling now.

On this trip, I'm starting in Oklahoma, where I spent my holidays with
family, and traveling to Russia via a 37 hour series of flights. It
may be this long flight has influenced my state of mind but I think it
is more than that. It is difficult leaving when you really enjoy what
you have where you are.

For this trip I am not as well prepared. I do not anticipate any
problems but several of my safety precautions have not been taken. For
example I am carrying much less cash than normal, I have not printed
out all my paperwork to keep a hard copy, and I have not made
arrangents for what I will do after my arrival.

Well for ths trip I will approach it more with a Taoist philosophy and
let the experience flow around me and with me while I enjoy the
journey. This trip is slightly out of my comfort zone, I look forward
to the growing experience.

Wish me luck....

-Dana