Etude no. 1: Wanderlust

Since Thursday, March 17th, I started my month of traveling:

Washington D.C. and Virginia: 3/17 ~ 3/20

Champaign, Illinois: 4/2

London, United Kingdom: 4/8

Paris, France: 4/12

Amsterdam, Netherlands: 4/15

… and finally arriving back home 4/17

Listing this schedule makes me feel like a touring musician… except I’ll come home broke instead of rich.  That’s the way it should be, right?  If it’s any consolation to myself, it’s the security in knowing that I’ve saved up enough to go and come back without facing some heinous credit card debt!  I’m pretty excited to go, and the Europe portion of my travels is the long overdue backpacking-experience that I had always wanted to accomplish.  College was an exciting experience and I’ve developed fond summer memories of working with fun co-workers at the Music Library, but if there is one thing I regret, it was not being able to study abroad.  I was a chemistry major; there was no way to justify studying abroad when all the practical knowledge and experience could be obtained at local laboratories.

Enough of that autobiographical drivel / sob story.  What’s important is that I’m finally traveling (for leisure)!  I’ve been to Korea and visited continental neighbors Canada and Mexico, but 1) they were business trips, and 2) It's Europe!  I have never been to Europe.  I was originally bent on going to Japan, but due to the unfortunate earthquake, common sense (and the US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs) told me I need to look elsewhere for my backpacking extravaganza.  I am headed to the lands of great teas, delicious bread and cheese, and- what’s Amsterdam known for?  Their hashbrownies, I suppose ;) 

Can’t wait for Europe! :)