Well, here goes nothing! Currently, on June 4th, 2011 at 3:37pm, I’m sitting in the Atlanta International Airport, having arrived about 2 hours ago. My next flight, which takes me to Quito Mariscal Sucre International Airport in the capital city of Ecuador, begins boarding in an hour. It is approximately 2 hours till my adventure begins and approximately 7 hours till I arrive in EC.
The journey officially started this morning at 7am as my mom and my future husband and best friend drove me to the airport. I will miss them both very much and even, as I type this, it’s difficult to quell the tears, but this is a journey I must take on my own to truly learn who I am as a human being. Ben and I have not been separated for more than a week since we moved into together approximately 2 and a half years ago. With our wedding approaching this coming year, I feel that this is an important time to learn who we are as individuals without the pressure and expectations of one another. And, as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Now, with only a thousand or so miles between us, I already love him more for being man enough to let me do this. I can only imagine what a month and over three-thousand miles will do for us. It is the make or break moment in our relationship and whether were ready for it or not, it’s here. Take it or leave it.
I’ve been reading guide books and travel books catering to the solo female traveler- books filled with stories of adventure to far off places with love they both lost and found. I plan to keep these stories with me to help me remember their strength. The first thing that comes up in these stories is why they go alone and it brought me to thinking of why I’m doing this alone. The obvious reasons pop up first, 1. I was the only one invited. 2. It’s an internship, not a vacation, and then the not so obvious pops up: 3. This is my passion, not my family. The only family members and friends I know that would chase after bears, would be chasing with a gun. 4. If you wait for other people to commit, you’ll never do all the things you want in life. Sometimes, you just have to do it alone. So, I’m going it alone and proud to do it.
Even after my bug spray got confiscated and the airline made me check my rucksack, I’m still so excited that it feels like there are 2 billion butterflies flying around in my tummy. And yet, the real adventure hasn’t even started. This is just the beginning…
But, it’s just me, my back pack, and nothing but a journey. Here I come! Ready or not!
Love and Andean Bears,
Ashley
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