Day -24:
Blarney Castle, Ireland. Feb. 2005
Reading, reading and more reading about everywhere I want to go, and all I learn is that my toughest decisions are still ahead of me. I can’t even begin to decide all the places I have to go. I am hoping that advice from the road will help me narrow my choices as I get into each country.
Yesterday I was in Costco and ran across a $12 french program, I thought what the hell, a basic understanding of another language could only be beneficial. So I spent the afternoon just lying in bed repeating phrases and counting in French while I followed along in my little 15 Minute French Book. I have a long way to go but I learned how to say hello, goodbye, and count to ten, but the word for traffic must be later. Because I couldn’t find a way to vent my frustration in French when I ran into traffic on my way to the O.C. (the same place as the popular TV show) to visit some friends.
Vito and Alissa are the closest two friends that I have remaining from my college years at California State University Fullerton. I have traveled with each of them individually on multiple occasions. Vito, who has spent some extensive periods of time traveling abroad in his past, spent the evening telling me stories and advice from his experience on the road. That is, until Alissa’s boyfriend, Phil, showed up and Vito and I spent the next couple of hours trying to get him to understand the glories of capitalism and the disadvantages of a socialist system(it was a great conversation, Phil). But after a few martini’s Vito and Phil just seemed to talk each other in circles and called it an early night around midnight.
Still counting down the days til my going away party (which I will reiterate that everyone is invited too) and til I leave (Woohoo!). But my to-do list just keeps getting shorter and shorter.
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