Less than three weeks left before we depart. Here are some thoughts...
1) How do you choose which places to visit and which not to visit.? We are definitely going to be in Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia (just Bali) and Cambodia. Do we go to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? Do we go to Phuket and/or Chiang-Mai or do we stick to Bangkok? Do we visit Osaka or stick to Tokyo? And what about the Europe leg? How many places can we visit in three or four months and not feel like all of our time is spent on the move rather than enjoying each spot? Do we skip Morocco? Do we skip Greece and Croatia? We can't see it all, but we can't eliminate destinations without feeling a sense of loss, either! How 'bout we send Josh to the southwestern continent, Chloe to the southeast, and Carol up north and have everyone just take a whole lot of pictures and compare notes later? I'll create a home base in Switzerland for everyone to meet in the middle. OK, break!...
2) Do we rent a car to do Europe? The train is super-expensive as we'd need tickets for four. But how stressful would driving in twenty different countries be? And what do we do with a car in all those big European cities? How many times per day can we get lost driving and not need to hire a marriage counselor? And how much fun is over 100 hours in a car (not including the driving once we actually get into each city?)
3) How do we pack for this trip? We will be on the move so much in Asia and Europe that we have to pack light. But we won't need the same stuff in Costa Rica as we will in Belgium. And the family reunion cruise in Florida will require nice clothes that we won't need anywhere else. Do we want suitcases or duffle bags or backpacks? Does this pack make me look fat? Is it unrealistic to think the kids will be able to carry all of their own stuff no matter the terrain?
4) Do I sound stressed? Breathe... Don't panic. Calm... Cool... AAAAAAGGGHHHHH! Only 19 days left!!! Ohhmmmmmmmmmmm, Ohhmmmmmmmmmmmm. I know what will help!
5) How much preparation do I need to homeschool the kids? Am I actually teaching class? Am I just tutoring? Are all the materials I need out there on the web? Don't want to be schlepping textbooks around the world. Will I have the patience to do this? I can't even get them to do their Spanish lessons every day. Buenos dias, senora. Tiene usted medicinas para mi sanity? By the way, does anyone know how to produce an upside-down question mark or an "enye"or an accent mark using my keyboard?
Truthfully, not really panicking. Super excited. Just ruminating. Chewing the thought process cud. If you've actually read this far without skipping to the bottom, we've got to find you a hobby... Lord, I was born a ramblin' man....
Thanks for letting me share.
