Introduction

Unlike 99% of the Regis class of '09, I will not be going to college this year. Instead, I will be taking a gap year. I'm going to travel to various countries as well as do community service in some of the places.
When I tell people that I am taking a year off, I get two different reactions. The most common response is the one where people say how they wish they had done the same thing. But whatever, that's boring. The other type of reaction is where people look at me strangely, and say that only freaks take gap years(Alex Ciccone). I think this reaction actually sums me up pretty well. As much as I love my Regis class, I guess I am different than the rest of '09 for taking this year off. I like to be my own person and if that means being a freak, well than I love being a freak. I like to stand out and make myself known, and I feel like me being an independent person will help me on my adventures this year. I guess me going alone around the world, living in tents and shacks in 3rd world nations makes me a freak, but I am so excited to start this journey, and I would not give anything to take this year off.
People tell me that I'm going to meet new people, "discover" myself (whatever that means), mature and see the best and worst in people. Whatever happens, I really hope that I can experience and see the world unlike any other way I have seen it before, and I can become totally immersed in these foreign cultures. Hopefully this blog can help me clarify all my experiences and interactions.

Let me give you a quick synopsis of what I think I'll be doing this year.
Today I'll be going to the last frontier, Alaska. I'll be traveling up and down the coast line, climbing glaciers, sailing through fjords and hiking through the wilderness.
Next I'll be off to Crete, where I am going to live on the beach for a month and help clean up the beaches and protect an endanger Greek sea turtle species survive.
After saving the turtles, I'll be traveling around Europe and the Middle East going to Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and London.
From London I will fly to Accra, the capital city of Ghana, where I will spend 6 weeks coaching a kids soccer team in the morning, while during the afternoon I'll hopefully play for a 2nd or 3rd division team.
This brings me to early December, and I will be back for the Holidays. I am currently thinking of places to go and things to do for the start of 2010. I want to work in an orphange in India, teach English to children in Fiji, and traverse the jungles of South America.

This is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity and I am writing this blog to share these experiences with you!

You are more than welcome to comment on whatever you would like. I am not sure if I will have internet access in all the places I will go, but I will try my hardest to update it as much as possible. I will be traveling alone to the majority of these places, making friends along the way, but please leave comments, post facebook messages/ videos and send email.
I wish everyone the best, and I'll talk to you soon.