The Beginning

"Little by little, one travels far." - J.R.R. Tolkien

The idea of leaving the country was always a foreign one (ha ha!) to me until I was sixteen years old. The prospect of flying outside of my home in Texas seemed too expensive or I was too young. In hindsight it does seem very dangerous to let a sixteen year old American boy travel to another country unsupervised for a few weeks in the summertime. Regardless, I hosted a German foreign exchange student my junior year of high school who, in turn, took me back with him to Europe.

Madrid, Berlin, Paris, and Munich. Four cities over four weeks. Madrid was a dream city for me; something I'd always read about in textbooks was now suddenly available to me. I had my first sip of alcohol in Madrid. I ate real Spanish tapas. I bartered for food in Spanish markets. I gave directions in fluent Spanish (I was mistaken for a Spaniard, a high compliment.) That experience changed my life!

When I came back home all I could think about was where I would go next. I couldn't predict it, but my next trip took me to the Mediterranean Sea. Greece, Israel, Italy. Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Delphi, Jerusalem, Haifa, Qum'ran, Pisa, and Florence (to name a few.) I had been blessed to see this side of the world.

When I came home from that second trip I knew I wanted to live in a foreign country. Maybe not for my whole life, but at least for a year. Thus the search for YAV began.

To me I wanted three things out of college:

1. To live far away from my family on my own for awhile

2. To see the world as much as I can

3. To mature into a politically active and socially responsible citizen

(My parents couldn't comment because they were out accepting the parents of the year award then.)

My older sister served as a Young Adult Volunteer in New Orleans. She wanted me to go nationally and live somewhere cool she could visit. She even helped me gain insight from former YAV's as well as potential site leaders. She was my single most helpful resource in learning about the YAV experience.

It did irk me to follow in my sister's footsteps, but by no means are our experiences comparable.

What it boils down to is this: YAV is a good chance to live abroad for a year, serve other people, and mature as a politically conscious world citizen through the church I grew up in. 

Thus it is with great pleasure I get to say that I will be serving as a Young Adult Volunteer in Moyobamba, Peru this upcoming year. Thus begins the next new adventure in my life. 

Keep your eyes open as I update this blog for the next couple months and explain my new world around me. Feel free to comment or message me! I look forward to the next big thing!