Nov. 24: Too busy to think about trip

Robert Taylor traveled through South America from Nov. 24- Dec. 29. While there, he kept a journal. Each blog entry is an entry from that journal, posted daily (excluding weekends and a few other days), as it was written while he traveled.

I didn't even have to look at my phone to see today's date. Today's a day I've been waiting for for the past few months. I'm on a plane on my way to Chile to spend the next five weeks traveling though South America.

A lot of people kept asking me if I was excited the last couple of weeks. I had a stack of homework to knock out before I could leave or start to think about leaving. I finished up the work for this semester's classes yesterday afternoon. Then it was Thanksgiving dinner and packing for me. Again, I didn't have time to think about leaving. My mind apparently found the time to think about it overnight as I spent most of last night in a sleepless haze.

I was surprised this morning to find a Christmas stocking and a digital camera waiting for me on the kitchen counter. I dropped my last camera standing between the Lincoln Memorial and the large reflection pond in Washington, D.C., a few summers ago and haven't had it fixed or replaced. As a result, I hadn't planned on bringing down a camera with me. I had planned on coming down without any technology, a welcome break from my days spent in front of a computer with my phone glued to my hands. But I'm sure the gift from my sisters and their husbands will not go unused.

It wasn't until I cleared security that it hit me I was on my way to see a large part of the world that not a lot of people get the chance to see or visit. Some people have told me this is going to be the trip of a lifetime. I'm not sure I share those expectations. Not only am I looking forward to traveling through Europe (2010 I hope), but I hope the highlight of my traveling experiences does not occur at 25.

I have some traveling experiences, but it's hard to determine the highlight of that experience. I like to think of all my travels as one big experience, as if they are all chapters in one book. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick Boston. I love that city and hope to call it home someday.

Though to be honest, the focal point of my travels would almost certainly have to be the 18 months I spent deployed to Iraq and the training leading up to Iraq. The circumstances of this trip are far different than that trip, a fact that is not lost on me.

Other than a few hours spent in Tijuana during summer break in eight grade, this is my first trip out of the country that wasn't sponsored by the Army. The term for what I was in Iraq - a liberator, an occupier, an invader- is a debate best left to history and politicians around the world. But in South America, I know what I am, an observer, a spectator, a student of the world as I look forward to taking it all in as I walk in a land that is as familiar to me as its culture or language is.

As I write these words, other words come to mind as to what I'll be in South America too, words like outsider, minority, visitor. As a white male in the United States, I do not know what it means to be different, through I am by no means normal. I wish that this statement was true for all citizens of my country, but the ugly face of prejudice still exist. I am hopeful our president-elect's decision to bring a diverse staff with him to the White House goes a long way in showcasing the hard work and skills of people of all colors and genders at the nation's highest level and helps to break down stereotypes held by those who are scared by something different than what they are familiar with.

I imagine I'm going to feel a mixture of culture shock and lost for a while, if not the entire trip. This will be added by my lack of understanding of the Spanish language. I have no doubt being fluent would be more convenient, but I'm not going to let it be a road block either. Tara knows Spanish and promised me, or rather told me to expect, lessons on our many bus rides. I probably have a gasp on .5 percent of the language and expect that to increase dramatically as I am surrounded by the language.

I am also aware that so much of communication is non-verbal, so I'll have to pay more attention to body language, facial expressions and tones to help me understand what is being said to me.