I’ve never done anything like this course.  Except for maybe once as a kid, I have never taken time out of a trip to do homework, let alone go to a class.  While the school aspects of this trip will often be pulling me away from likely more enjoyable activities, I can’t say that bothers me too much, given that I will still be away from the repressive nature of the campus, and frankly, this region.  Also, with the journaling we will be required to do, I will now be forced to do something I’ve told myself I need to do regularly in my life.  I need to do more healthy reflection, rather than just dwelling and ruminating, like I often do, and writing things down will make that easier.  So, with learning nothing, I expect to gain at least that from the class, and hopefully keep it going when I come home.

I do expect to get more from the trip than just experience journaling, though.  Mostly, I want to see and experience new people and things.  I haven’t done a whole lot of traveling in my life, and most of what I have done was under the auspices of my parents and other family.  Granted, I won’t have a car and total independence, but hey, I still get to go somewhere I’ve never been; somewhere historical; somewhere a little more accepting of the odd.  I may feel similarly to what I did when I experienced Los Angeles for the first time; I didn’t want to leave, or I at least didn’t want to go back to Peoria.

I really don’t have a lot of real concrete or lofty expectations of what this trip will be or what I’ll gain from it.  I worry enough as it is, so I don’t need to be thinking too much about expectations.  I just want to try to operate out of my norm and just live in the moment and enjoy myself.