Start in 2001...go.

In my 11th grade AP English Comp class, I wrote a practice college entrance essay for Villanova University.  Though I had no intentions of pursuing an education at Villanova (I knew of it primarily as the school that upset Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas in the 1985 NCAA basketball final), I did have an assignment to write a mini-autobiography for my hypothetical 30th class reunion. I wrote of my modestly successful football career (ended by a knee injury my Senior year), endeavors in various preaching ministries, graduate studies, and speaking engagements. Strangely, all the accolades, accomplishments, and endeavors in my 30 hypothetical years occurred entirely within the United States.  Not once in the entire 4 page essay did I mention leaving the USA for any reason.

As I'm about to embark on an 18 country-4 continent-across the world-bus trip called Oz-Bus 20, I cannot exactly recall how I went from a guy who thought international travel was unnecessary to one who wants to be a citizen of the world (no slight to my previous ambitions, they've just changed). Though the personal journey is a bit foggy, I do know that with each new country I visit and each new culture I experience, the world seems a little bit bigger, and I'm a increasingly aware of how little I truly do know about anything (aside from football trivia...got that covered).  So with 18 countries ahead and 92 days to travel, I'm eager to see more of how much I really don't know.  Reveling in one's own ignorance seems to be something reserved the Briscoe Darling-Uncle Rico-Michael Scott types, but I'd like to think that my case is a bit different. For me, becoming aware of the unknown is seeing the enormity of God.  His world is vast, mysterious, intricate and vivacious and I'm only aware of a shred.  Over the next three months, feel free to follow me from Ireland through the UK and Germany to Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, India, Nepal, SE Asia and Australia as I become aware of a slightly bigger shred of ignorance...it should be bliss.