pre-trip thoughts

the time is quickly approaching.... i leave in 2 weeks from YESTERDAY!! i'm so stoked i can hardly stand it but at the same time, if i'm completely honest, i'm nervous. but its a good nervousness. i'm not a naturally spontaneous person. i typically enjoy order, details, check lists, etc. this trip embodies really none of that. this trip is about going with the flow, being completely flexible to go wherever we want, whenever we want, living out of a single bag, and channelling our inner hippie and be total free spirits :)
when i think about what it will be like when sarah and i land in paris i have no idea what to expect. i picture us stepping out of the airport, looking around trying to spot the eiffel tower, and saying "umm, ok, lets go in that direction" :) and for some unknown reason i look forward to that! i love that i'm embarking on this trip totally naive. a blank slate. nothing to taint it. i don't want to go with too many preconcieved notions about what it'll be like. all i know is that if tons of other people can do it, then so can i!
people have tried to throw out advice - which i heed greatly. but others come with a more pessimistic worldview and say that people are rude or mean in this country or that, and that all europeans hate americans. and first of all, if an american busts over to europe acting like they're the shizznit then yeah, i'd probably hate them too ;) but i refuse to buy into those stereotypes. sure, some people aren't the most pleasant people in the world, or they simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed. we all have our moments, no matter what country we're from. i'm just really stoked to experience life in so many different countries! to see how they do things, interact with people, go to church in gigantic catherdrals, talk to strangers and hear about their lives, etc. i want to learn from others. i want to embody and respect their culture. let's break the stereotypes one person at a time...