Beginnings

Blogging isn't for the faint of heart. I learned that once I started blogging for The Spin at the beginning of 2007. Doing anything to get one more hit per week, trying to keep up with the blogosphere, and meeting deadlines twice a week was fun at first, but the novelty wore off. If you know me, then you understand that I am more contemplative than that-- my opinions don't fit in 300 word posts, and they probably don't belong on a blog in the first place.

So, here I am blogging again. The main goal is, yes, to tell my travel experiences and keep up with friends and family. But I also hope to share some thoughts and reactions to what I experience over this coming year (and beyond?). I don't plan on publishing my journal here though. I'll spare you, dear reader, from my personal issues, rants, and raves.

This year promises to be exciting though. In about two weeks, I leave for the wilderness of Mongolia followed by a brief stint in the metropolis of Beijing. In September, I start my Junior Year in Munich; from September of 2008 to July of 2009, I'll be immersed in German culture and schooling, with plenty of trips throughout the EU (I hope).

Although this blog is primarily intended to share what I see and learn with friends and family back home, it serves as a place for me to organize my thoughts. It should force me to actually react to what I see and experience, instead of just letting it fly by.

Here's to a year of yurts, yodeling, and yesterdays worth remembering.