Eleven Hours Ahead
So I have exactly eight days until I depart for Thailand, and time couldn't be slipping by faster (when I started writing this post I had twelve days). In the past week or two - ever since the daily countdown moved into the 20s and my travels began to feel real - the days have been packed.. literally. In the course of five nights I have moved out of my apartment in Amherst, lugged the entirety of my material worth to Connecticut and then to the North Shore, driven to Boston for a concert, and moved myself temporarily back into my parents house. Now the process begins all over again as I attempt to prepare and pack "lightly" for Asia, although this really has been an ongoing process throughout the summer. Whenever I'm not mindlessly occupying myself with work, chores, entertainment, etc. my thoughts inevitably surface back to my trip. Have I learned enough so that I won't appear culturally inept? Am i equipped to deal with potential health issues that crop up, both physical and mental? Have I purchased the obligatory Western necessities that may not be available to me overseas (i.e. deodorant, tampons)? Do I feel balanced and calm enough that I will not have a meltdown on the airplane? Calculating out the time difference(s) I have just about 20 hours in the air, and I am not the best flyer, especially alone. So this last one is definitely important.
My flight trajectory is pretty straightforward. I leave the U.S. next Tuesday the 9th and arrive in Dubai on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately my connecting flight to Bangkok got pushed back, so I will have a fifteen hour layover. I got a hotel room two minutes away from the airport so I can at least shower and sleep (I also struggle to sleep on planes), and theoretically I'll have a little time to explore. Dubai International Airport is known to be one of the most impressive and stunning, so I guess this situation isn't truly all that unfortunate. I leave Dubai at 3am on Thursday morning, arriving in Bangkok at 2pm Thai time, where I have a final hour-long flight to Chiang Mai. Since the majority of Southeast Asian countries are eleven hours ahead of the US, I will skip almost an entire waking day while traveling (or a night of sleep depending on how you look at it). I'm only just realizing this as I write and it's very weird to think about; I'm sure the jet lag will be unreal..
Speaking of being eleven hours ahead, the story behind the naming of this blog is kind of amusing – at least to me, so I'm going to share it.
For weeks, literally weeks, I was wrestling with a clever title that would subtly explain where I was headed and what I would be doing in only a few catchy words. I know from reading and song-writing, and from merely existing in the world for twenty-two years, that a title can make or break an audience’s decision to engage in another's work. “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” the respectful, open-minded side of us always says. But most of us inevitably do - whether it’s for three seconds or three years - we just can’t help ourselves, its ingrained in our humanity.
So with this fun fact in mind, or belief I should probably say, I was anxious to get the name right so people would take this blog seriously (which also means a commitment to writing consistently). Well, I thought, I’ve always been good at rhyming so why not go in that direction? Among the “best” of my ideas in this category were “A Ride on the Other Side” and “A Steer through the Western Hemisphere”. Quickly deleted. Way too corny.
Then I thought, maybe I’ll just make the title something obscure and Southeast Asian-related, like, “133 chances to ride an Elephant” (because my four month stay is the equivalent of 133 days – so original right!?) or “Four months, two countries, one girl” but that was probably the most pathetic and lame idea I had come up with yet.
Frustrated at my lack of creativity, I put the blog at the back of my mind and began focusing on other preparatory matters like the dozen doctors appoints and errands I had to take care of in the next week, or the six page book report about Cambodia’s history I had just been assigned, two and half months late (luckily that due date was graciously extended). One inconsequential day I was driving along absent-mindlessly, thinking about how strange the time difference would feel at first between myself and everyone back home, when all of a sudden it hit me. Eleven Hours Ahead. That’s what I would call the blog.
As soon as I said it to myself I knew it made perfect sense. First and foremost, I liked the sound of it: short, enticing, and a bit ambiguous. It also made sense on a practical level I realized, because honestly, most of my family and friends (understandably) cannot remember the time change. Even if they can remember eleven hours, is it ahead or behind? No one knows, I barely even know. So the title felt logical; a helpful reminder for all of us that whatever day and time I’m posting will not be the same day and time for my readers back in the US. Not that I expect people to be reading right when I post, but I think knowing the time change is just a helpful formality... and a good excuse for a catchy blog name, of course. :)
Next time you hear from me, I will hopefully be safely in Chiang Mai getting situated and recovering from jet lag. And undoubtedly I will have much more exciting events to share. So far its all just been a preparation game, which is exhausting let me tell you. One word of advice: if you’re planning a trip all the way across the world, start planning way beforehand. I’m talking years, people. Seriously, I have been preparing for this trip for six months now and I feel like I’ll barely be ready in time. But I’ve already paid the program feels and booked my flights, so there’s no going back now. The organization that is coordinating my trip, The International Program for Service Learning (IPSL) has been extremely helpful so far (minus the late book report assignment) and at this point I'm just thankful I didn't have to plan this whole thing by myself!
Truly, behind my traveling anxiety I couldn’t be more excited for the next four months. Here’s a picture for proof! A map of my goals as part of an online orientation assignment; I went totally overboard. And no that brown blob at the beginning is not a fish, it’s a plane. Enjoy!
Catch you all on the other side!
-Amy
