For a long time now, people have been asking me what I'll be doing when I finish Peace Corps. They want to know the who, what, when and where of my departure (the why is obvious). Well…, wait no further because I can finally give you a good answer (I think).
First off, my service in Georgia as a Peace Corps volunteer ends on July 24th. My plan is to find a member of the Peace Corps staff who would like to have a beer with me. Volunteers aren't permitted to drink with staff members but the 24th will be my first day as an ex-volunteer. I will then have the opportunity to toss back a cold one with one of my superiors. That next day, I'll probably be taking a 24-hour bus ride across both Georgia and Turkey to Istanbul. This will be my third time taking this bus and while I don't enjoy a day of straight traveling, I save money by flying out of Istanbul instead of Tbilisi.
From here, I'll be flying to Egypt on the 28th. Pyramids, ancient ruins and 130 degree heat all await my arrival (why did I choose to go to Egypt in summer?). It should be awesome. Some of the ancient Egyptian ruins are starting to fall apart so instead of trying to help by staying away, I'm choosing to visit now and exacerbate the situation before they're closed to the public indefinitely. It should be very cool. This will be the third Muslim country I've visited and I'm curious to see how conservative it is in comparison to Turkey and Morocco.
Next, on August 5th I fly to Thailand. You might be scratching your head and thinking, "Ian, weren't you already there?" That is correct. I was there about one month ago but I planned more than two months ago to visit Thailand and I see no reason to let one trip spoil my plans. Plus, I was only in Bangkok the first time and now I can go visit the villages and various regions. Thailand will be a country that will have plenty to do. I can lounge on a beach, walk through the jungle, eat great food and hopefully enjoy a little bike tour around part of the country side. If you've ever read The Beach, I'd like my time in Thailand to be like this book, minus the drug runners and me playing the role of 3rd wheel to a French couple (read the book).
Between about August 25th and September 13th, I will be hanging out in Cambodia and Vietnam. Do I need to give you a reason to visit these two countries? They should be just as incredible as Thailand. Angkor Wat in Cambodia and all the luscious scenery of Vietnam. Unfortunately, for these countries just like the other one's I've told you about, I can't be too specific with my plans because I just don't know. I like going to a country and deciding my plans as time goes on. This vacation will be no different.
I know that the more responsible decision following my two years in Peace Corps would be for me to go home and immediately start working on a career. But…I've got my whole life to do that and right now, I'll never have this type of opportunity to travel. Airfare's an expensive part of traveling but luckily I'm already on the other side of the world, so it's much cheaper for me to start here. Also, when else will I have no time restriction like I have now? If you go on a vacation while you have a job, you have to take vacation days which probably limit your trip to two or three weeks. This is going to be seven weeks total which I can't every see having the time to do unless I'm retired.
After I get back to America and stop kissing the ground under my feet, I plan on getting a job and hopefully finding a good Graduate school to attend. I'm thinking about possible majors and different schools. But, because I don't have anything definite, I'll refrain from giving you details. When I know the exact date I'll arrive in Colorado, I'll tell you so the three friends that I have left in Colorado can hang out with me. I'm looking forward to seeing anyone and everything that has changed since I left. In conjunction with that, I'm also looking forward to a large beef and bean burrito, smothered in green chili as one of my first meals. I love traveling but I miss America.
P.S. If you want to take me out and buy me food, I'll be more than happy to let you