Notes in transit

I wrote this while waiting to check-in for my flight at O'Hare. I've edited the original essay before posting. That picture to the left is me pretending to feel "ready" for Asia. I will not confirm nor deny if I cried right before taking it.

So, here we are. I'm sitting in O'Hare waiting for my midnight flight to Seoul. I've spent the day in the sky and airports and lugging about 100 pounds of luggage around. I also accidentally deleted "Kitchen Confidential" off my Kindle and can't seem to get it back because I don't have wifi so I'm a bit bummed right now. Whoever told you international travel is glamorous is either delusional or wealthy enough to fly first-class. Or both.

In place of reading Bourdain's masterpiece, I started reading Amy Poehler's "Yes Please." She's a goddess, so reading her book has been on my to-do list for a while. In the preface, Poehler writes:

"I believe great people do things before they are ready."

In the days preceding my departure, people have asked me if I'm "ready" to move almost 9,000 miles away. Sure, I've gotten my vaccinations and my visa, and I've already found my living arrangements. But, how can anyone, let alone a 21-year-old recent college graduate, be "ready" to live and work abroad? I have a suspicion that even my peers starting their careers stateside don't feel "ready" for their jobs.

Life experiences -- not just the mundane ones, but the really, really spectacular and important ones, aren't things you can prepare for. They're things you just do. You maintain a positive attitude, stay smart, kind and patient, and take the good times with the bad. Three months ago, I was offered the opportunity to live and work in Viet Nam. So, I did what any curious young adult does. Without thinking or skipping a beat, I said yes, despite the fact that I'm probably not ready.

#bourdain #vietnam #flight #travel