Wonderlust

I sketch the following roughly.  Great people, places, or activities could derail me at any point.  In instances of exact dates, I have (flexible) flights booked.  Get in touch if anything sounds strangely familiar.

September 14: Los Angeles, California
September 18: Portland, Oregon

Asia
September 21: Tokyo
October 14: Hong Kong
October 17: Shanghai into China/Tibet Overland
Early November: Nepal
Early December: India
April 4th: Singapore
April 7th: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
April 10th: Bali, Indonesia

South-Pacific
Late-April: New Zealand
May 28: Papeete, Tahiti

Americas
June 7: Easter Island
June 10: Lima, Peru
July 22: Denver, Colorado
Late August: Return to east coast

Friends have connected me to contacts undertaking meaningful socially-oriented work.  During the course of my travels, I will visit as many as I can and roll up my sleeves where possible.  I would like to understand the type of work these selfless individuals are doing, how they got started, what their goals are, and, generally, how they think about their projects.  Maybe the learnings I take away will trigger something.  If you know of any visits I should be making, please let me know.  Please.

PS-There are many organizations that charge considerable sums for the privilege of volunteering abroad.  These organizations are great to the extent they put willing individuals in situations where they can make an impact.  Where they discourage in other instances, because of expense, they disservice society. If you are looking to volunteer abroad without significant expense, searching Idealist, Ecoteer, Volunteers for Peace, and host country organizations will frequently provide viable alternatives.

Post-return:
I wrote the following in “Better Call Back-up.” “PS-I would like to catch up my loyal readership, perhaps numbering in the hundreds of thousands, just briefly. After Peru, I returned to the United States. I regrouped, spent time with friends and family, enjoyed the incredible honor of officiating Brooke and Jamie’s wedding (See “Empire”), and decided on a self-directed study, in the area of the relationship between the individual and society, as a course of action. I had considered Phd programs but decided that for my individual purposes it would be more restricting than enabling. With the flexibility that a completely independent study offers, I am taking advantage by locating myself where I feel most inspired. I went to Colorado for two months and am spending my winter here in India. While studying, I am also continuing the inward journey that intensified during the ten month trip. For some people, I can understand that the uncertainty, the living out of a backpack and the not having a steady address would be a nightmare. All I can say is that other than the occasional run-in with cops, it ain’t so bad.”