Destination: I Lost Count

http://www.wwoofusa.org/

Today, a teammate of mine from i4k told me about the best thing she's ever done: WWOOFing.  Don't worry, I also had no idea what it was.  As it turns out, it stands for Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms.  Basically, it's a program devoted to help farmers gain willing and interested volunteers to work on organic and sustainable farms throughout the US--and even Australia and New Zealand!  The volunteers pay a membership fee of something like 30$ and with that they browse different farm profiles and select where they would like to go.  Although the internships are unpaid, volunteers are provided with food and housing in exchange for their help.  At the same time "woofers" as they're called are provided with skills, knowledge, and a new perspective. I'm putting this on my bucket list as we speak.  I love farming, I'm from an agricultural background and I would love to learn more about the organic side of things, since my dad isn't exactly an organic farmer.  At the same time, I think it's really cool to dive into new things and learn practical skills about issues completely unrelated to your personal field of study.  I'm a sophomore Media Studies major at a big 10 university...why do I want to volunteer to help a random family out for the summer?  Why not is the better question...I'm not exactly sure when I'll be able to do this since I'm biking across the US this summer..but maybe I'll tentatively put it on the list of things to do for next year.

On a semi-unrelated note, I think new experiences are great for so many reasons.  Being part of the Illini 4,000 team and knowing nothing about cycling has taught me so many lessons.  Not to mention, it was this new experience, that introduced me to another new experience...just from being able to talk to a teammate who I would not have otherwise known.  Sometimes, it's weird the way that things work out.  It's strange thinking about how one door opens to another so easily.

Quote of the day: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Destination Numero Diez: Italy

I've always wanted to travel Europe.  As my roommate gets ready to leave for her study abroad trip to Venice, Italy soon I find myself wishing I was going with her and dreaming about the day when I can visit Venice and paddle the city in a gondola.  I would love to try some italian-style pastries and indulge in creamy pasta with homemade noodles and seafood (even though I hate seafood, I feel like I would like it in Italy).

I think I'd spend an entire day at the isola san michele-- a gorgeous and spacious island filled with breathtaking sculptures and incredible ocean scenery.  It was a common place for travelers to land at one point in time and it is still home to one of the original Renaissance churches.  One of the most beautiful things about a city is the way life is captured through it's architecture and sculpture...

Destination Numero Nueve: Travel by car, without actually owning one.

http://www.codysmart.com/hitchhike/index2.html

I don't have much to say except that whoever reads this should automatically click on the above link and check out an incredible story with some even more amazing photographs.

Hitchhiking is like the ultimate adventure for me.  I've never done it, but I really really want to.  It's extremely dangerous and arguably a stupid thing to do.  But when you're young and you can...I feel like you should.  If I ever did it, I think people would try to tell me it's too dangerous, especially a young girl. I think they're right.  But, I hate how sexist that has to be.  Maybe I'm a really physically strong young girl.  Maybe I'd be better at hitchhiking than lots of boys my age.  Or maybe I'm just more clever and could get out of danger faster.

I guess this blog has been themed around traveling the United States a lot.  I think thats one of my main goals in life.  Of course, I want to travel the world...but there's so much here...America is full of so much diversity, not just within her vast landscapes...but with the people and the communities as well. I'm fascinated by people and driven to see this land for all that it is.  Every state has a story, and all across each state, county roads have a million more to tell you.