i'm ashamed to admit...

... i've never been out of the country. i don't. even have. a passport.

not only is this shocking and appalling (especially considering i'm a Sagittarius AND a writer) it's also a little pathetic. i know there are plenty of people who've never been out of the country, but let's put it this way: many of my younger cousins, kids i used to babysit for and younger siblings of my friends have traveled extensively. their passports are stamped all over the freaking place. on Thanksgiving, i found out that my cousin Alayne will be celebrating her 25th birthday at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. it's been a dream of hers for the last 14 years, and so she's doing it - she's arranged to reach the summit the day she turns 25. (i sat there for a moment and thought about my 25th birthday. i spent it drinking too much in a bar on the upper west side. brilliant.)

the truth is, studying abroad was not a big thing at my college, at least in my department. i was impressed enough with myself for spending a summer working in Disney World (alas, EPCOT's World Showcase is the extent of my European experience). i really had no idea what i was missing out on until all the aforementioned whippersnappers started jetting and sailing off to places i wasn't even sure i could locate correctly on a map.

i wanted to get my passport this summer - i thought at least that was a step in the right direction - but without a permanent address it didn't seem like a good idea. but, aha! now i have a new, permanent address! and guess what i did during my lunch break today? i filled out and printed the proper passport form, and sometime before my birthday next Sunday i am planning to get myself to a post office and make it official. in lieu of a party, i'll apply for my passport, which will make my goal for 2008 - to get the hell out of dodge finally - a little more viable.

i'm thinking a few days in London, followed by as much time as i can afford in Ireland. it seems an appropriate place to begin. after that, who knows? my places-to-see list is long enough to keep me busy 'til i start taking those senior citizen tour group trips.

so maybe i didn't travel halfway around the globe by the time i was 22, maybe i didn't spend my 25th birthday gazing across Africa from a (literally) breathtaking vantage point. but, dammit, it's never too late to start.

mb