A New "I"

I was encouraged to start writing in my blog again about my upcoming (which is now upon me) trip to Italy, France, and Ireland. I was initially reluctant thinking about how the focus of my experiences in Israel centered on the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey that that country promised to provide for me. Italy couldn't possibly do the same...right? I obviously don't have the same personal connection to it, nor do I tie up any of my identity in it (not that I necessarily do with Israel, but teasing that out was part of the point of going and remains something I grapple with). I was thinking that I couldn't possibly write anything as thoughtful or meaningful about my upcoming experiences as I did about my time in Israel. It took me some time to realize - yes, it is sad that I actually had to realize this - that a) my conclusion is very likely just not true, especially since the majority of my time will be in a conflict management seminar with 50 others from 30 different countries, and b) even if I don't have anything profound (if I should be so bold to use the term) to say, who cares?

In my preparations over the last few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about what I hope to get out of the summer. And, as with most of my adventures, I haven't really been able to articulate what my expectations are. I have settled on a few things, though. First, I fully intend on eating my way through the trip. It's a good thing I'll be in Bologna, aka "la rossa, la grossa, e la dotta" or "the red, the fat, and the learned." But given this goal, it's somewhat unfortunate that I'll be ending my trip in Dublin...not exactly known for its cuisine.

Second, and admittedly, this can't happen on this trip, but I've decided that it would be fun to visit every country that starts with the letter "I". Why? you may ask. Why not? I've been to Israel, and I'll knock out two more this trip - Italy and Ireland. So that only leaves Iceland, Indonesia (cool!), India (exotic), Isle of Man (I'm not sure if this is technically a country as it is still under the British crown, but it's between Ireland and England, so I could theoretically take a little detour and check it out), Iran (this one could be a bit tricky - a friend of mine did recommend that I leave Iran for last - you know, in case they detain me and I can't finish the list or something. and Iraq (my brother's been there...I'll say that's close enough). Michael is taking care of all of the continents and I thought I needed something to work towards. And, frankly, nine seems like a manageable number of countries.

Third, I'm just looking forward to exploring a new place. I'm taking the next six weeks (43 days to be exact) to escape reality and to immerse myself in something completely different (ok, not completely different...I'll be learning about all sorts of conflict-related things). It may be transformative on a level that Israel was, or it may be an opportunity for me to rejuvenate so that I can really engage when I return, or it may just be tons of fun. Stay tuned to find out...