September 4, 2008

BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY...

I decided to create a blog of my journey so that I can record every important event in order to maximize my experience of the trip, so that I don't forget anything and that other people can understand in detail what happened during the trip.

First day

- It felt amazing to take off. L.A. was becoming a very empty, superficial environment for me and actually flying off the ground almost put tears in my eyes. I know this trip is going to be amazing, and I can already feel a more positive, creative energy awakening within me.This trip will help me remember who I really am, and see sights that I have only seen in pictures for twenty three years.. I am going to connect to a culture that I have always claimed, but never even experienced. I am sure that visiting a "third world" country for the first time will help me appreciate material luxury a little bit more, and if not that, then at least motivate my natural humanitarian passion to give to others. I am about to arrive to Seoul, Korea any minute.
There are so many things that I want to let go of, so many negative attachments that I want to finally release from my mind. I want to be able to feel with my heart more and connect to a higher part of myself. I have expectations for India, and I know that India will raise more than just the bar. I cannot imagine the architectural and natural miracles I am about to see.. because I've never known them.
I have a few goals on this trip. The first is to release my past attachments. The second is to restore my soul and repair my heart. The third is to find creativity for my goals. The fourth is to find appreciation in not only the obviously beautiful areas of India, but in the less recognizable elements and people around me. There is so much more to my personality and life than the parties activities at home. UCLA is just a school that I stress about all the time. I want this trip to help me remember that I am smaller than I think, and that my life is more valuable than I treat it. I want to remember that I am a global citizen,and that there are problems that are much larger than mine. I want to know that my problems are merely issues that can be fixed and I am absolutely capable of fixing them in order to become successful and help people with theirs.
I want to cut things out of my life when I get back to LA. Anything that does not agree with my replenished set of expectations and values should be quickly let go of and erased from my life. I trust myself to know the difference between right and wrong.

I truly appreciate this trip and experience and am prepared to embrace a new chapter of my life.

I am ready to use this trip as a stepping stone to tap into my true self and progress towards the success of my future.
I really miss my dad a lot, I keep looking at my mother's face and remembering the flight we took when he passed away. I look at her face now, 11 years later, but I feel as though I am still caught in a moment many years ago. I really wish he was here with me on my first trip to India, he would have loved to see his princess finally experiencing this culture. He always encouraged my passion for Indian culture, and now I am finally visiting my " home " without him.
... looking out the airplane window at the universe below me helps me realize that the world and the universe is so much bigger than i think. Sitting on one small part of land closes my mind, but experiencing the globe makes me realize that my father's being is somewhere in this infinite structure, and perhaps he is not as far as I think. Regardless, I will make him proud one day.

I am so lucky to have such a beautiful mother and father.. and I am excited to finally see my brother and his girlfriend.. hopefully I will visit my sister Sheena next year.
I am so excited that I will be with family in India.