I want adventure in the great wide somewhere...

One of the most troublesome things about living abroad (that I will assure you they didn't tell me in the brochure) is that once you start traveling, stopping is nearly impossible. My daydreams mostly consist of itineraries, flights, hotels, and most of all, adventure.

An adventure I've been dying to have for quite some time is a volunteering-vacation. I did a bunch of research on this a couple of years ago, and found that Habitat for Humanity does Global Village trips. Habitat, if you're unfamiliar, exists to provide decent housing throughout the US and the world. They build in countries on almost every continent, often using local materials and techniques.

I've thought about several different countries ranging from China to Malaysia to Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt, but nothing has ever felt right (and fit with my schedule). I was perusing the website today, however, and found that Habitat is doing a blitz-build in Nepal next October. I looked at a Nepal trip this year, but it didn't work with my schedule. Next October, though, is totally a potential option.

Nepal is interesting to me for several reasons. First and foremost, I'm totally into traveling off the beaten path, and Nepal doesn't seem like somewhere I'd ever go on my own. Additionally, this trip is only 8 days, as opposed to the typical 10-14 that Habitat does on most of its other trips. This will help my lack of vacation days at work, too! Additionally about Nepal - I have read a lot blogs written by people who have traveled in the country and they are nothing but glowing. I think Nepal may be one of the few places where the true local culture hasn't gotten too polluted by tourism. I'm into that. A Global Village trip is a perfect way to get to meet local people and absorb some more of the culture - without being suffocated by tourist traps.

One other thing: I think I want to do this trip solo. It terrifies and excites me at the same time, but one of the things I loved the most about living in Copenhagen is that I was totally on my own. I think I grew and stretched more as a person because I had very few comforts to fall back on. I really absorbed the culture. I know this idea probably gives my parents the cold sweats, so we'll move on (for now)!

We'll see how this all turns out, but I'm hoping that it will all work out!