Welcome. Bienvenidos.

Friends, family, and fans:

Welcome to my life. Many of you have been a major part of it up this point, others not so much, but I can assure you all that it is never dull, at least when seen through my eyes. The idea of writing about my experiences, beliefs, and ideas and then sharing these writings with others was fairly unappealing to me for the first 20 or so years. Now, as I set off on what I believe will be a life changing journey, I am more than ready to express everything openly and freely. And I didnt just get to this point over night. The transformation that has allowed me to express my inner emotions and thoughts more openly has happened over the last few years. It gives me great comfort to know that you will be sharing this journey along with me and that even though I will be the only one physically there, the idea that you are reading this right now makes me realize how lucky I am to be surrounded my so many friends. Life truly is best when shared with others. In my first few entries, I will probably play around with the title for my writings and discuss various themes so bear with me but once I get going, I promise that you will be entertained and hopefully enlightened. Right now the title that I am toying with is “Looking for Love”. This doesnt mean that I am looking for a partner, in my case a woman….I think I am trying to reflect the fact that I am searching for my passions while hopefully experiencing the love that floats all around us on a daily basis. I am certain that as I meet new people and experience new lifestyles over the next months and years, I will have the privilege of seeing the many amazing things on this planet. So I will play around with this idea for now but if you have any ideas for an overall title….email me!

I am leaving for Guatemala in mere hours on a 2:40pm EST flight on a one way ticket with one expandable suitcase (thank you Costco) and a small backpack. I have enough clothes to last for around 10 days without wash, 20 if I wear everything twice, more than enough for anything I encounter. I am also bringing my laptop, camera, and Spanish language books that should all prove helpful in the upcoming months.

What am I going to do in Guatemala? Well…I will arrive in Guatemala City and be picked up at the airport by my friend Lorena and then stay at her house for the first night. I met Lorena when I studied abroad in Italy, she is a native Guatemalan, and I was very excited to find out she was on facebook. Facebook is really amazing, seriously, it’s great. So I will probably stay with her one night (maybe two) and then head off to the Western Highlands to a city named Quetzaltenango, aka Xela (pronounced Chela). For more information on Xela, you can check out the well put together website www.xelapages.com that has loads of info about the city. Xela is the second largest city in Guate, many Mayan people live in and around the city, and its elevation is more than 6000 feet above sea level. Should be pretty cool…I will send pics. In Xela, I am going to attend a language school, yet to be determined, where I will have a tutor for about five hours each day and also participate in many other activities and volunteer with the many community organizations in the city. Dont know how long I will be there and dont know where I am living (it will be with a host family) but I do know that I plan on being fluent in Spanish quickly.

Currently I am feeling a nervous anticipation that can only come with traveling. I cannot sleep, my mind is constantly thinking, and I am both extremely excited and extremely nervous at the same time. I do not know what to expect, what I will see when I walk off the plane in a foreign land. Will it be different? Will it be the same? What will the people be life, will I like the food, where will I live, will I be happy? When I spent a semester abroad in Italy, I went in kinda knowing what to expect. I saw pictures of Florence, had eaten pizza and pasta before, and through movies and television had a basic understanding for the Italian culture and lifestyle. When it comes to Central America and especially Guatemala, I know very, very little. I have not really looked at many pictures, not studied the country, and do not understand the culture. I hope to learn about the country and its people along the way and will share with you all of my observations, photos, and experiences.

I now need to try to sleep. For updates on my trip, please go to www.avirichman.com. Yes, I feel very cool that I have my own domain name….very cool. I will be posting as much as I can and will send you all my contact information as soon I have a cell phone, address, etc.

Peace and love,

Avi