My Bio
June 14th, 2004
Hello, my name is Neil, I’m 23 from Minneapolis, MN. I have been living here in Minnesota since I graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, ME in June 2003.
During my senior year of college, I decided that after graduation I wanted to live abroad for a while. I had spent a semester living in Vienna, Austria during my junior year and loved the experience. Errands that seemed like a chore here in the US became exciting challenges. I loved meeting new people, not understanding a thing, and getting lost. My grandfather spent most of his life living in various locations around the world, working in telecommunications. I probably got the travel bug from him.
Once I decided that the expatriate lifestyle was for me, I needed a means to finance an extended trip. Luckily, I am a native English speaker and my skills are in high demand all over the world.
I came home last summer and enrolled in an intensive TEFL Certificate class at Hamline University. That was last August. I initially had hoped that I would be able to leave in the winter, but saving money is hard (even when you are living at home). I have a serious CD habit, have taken a few pricey trips, and enjoy the local nightlife. I think I now have enough money saved up in order to last me a little while, and if all else fails I have a return ticket.
By the end of June I will be on a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. From there, the plan is to travel overland to Hanoi, Vietnam where I hope to find a job teaching English. I have no idea when I will come back, but I do hope to stay for at least six months to a year.
One question that I am constantly asked is “Why Vietnam?” It is a hard question to answer, and I sometimes don’t know myself. I have always been interested in Asia, I want to spend some time in a developing country, it is supposed to be gorgeous, etc. The truth of the matter is that I spent countless hours on the internet researching different destinations and they all sounded amazing. There came a point when I realized that I would have an amazing experience no matter where I went, and needed to just pick a destination and go.
This travelblog is designed to keep friends and family updated as I head off on my adventure, but I welcome any and all who stumble upon this site. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or suggestions at norskihero at yahoo.com. Enjoy, I know I will.
Neil