It has been decided. My girlfriend Zoe and I will be traveling to the Virgin Islands in the fall and living there for as long as we enjoy it. Its a really big step for me because for one i have never lived in such an isolated place away from my hometown for so long. I grew up in Hamburg Michigan, a tiny rural community in conservative Livingston County. I lived with my parents until I moved away to college, but that was only a half hour car ride away; hardly moving out into the world on my own. I was very much a sheltered kid growing up, and that may be why I feel so anxious and on edge whenever I am in a new place. Until being on Survivor I never really had been out of the country without friends, family, or other track teammates with me (I got to run at Nike indoor and outdoor Nationals in High school in Washington DC and North Carolina). In moving to these isolated islands I won’t be able to just turn back home if I want to talk to my dad about what’s wrong with my car, or see what my mom’s been up to lately. I am a very family oriented guy, and moving this far will definitely take a little time.

I’m getting off track. We are going to live in the Virgin Islands this fall and a lot of our friends are in shock. Apparently people our ages don’t do this kind of thing. We’re leaving behind two decent jobs and a lot of childhood friends to live on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Why would we want to do this?

Well that’s simple. Because we can.

Update: Things got a little hairy once we arrived at our hostel. Jump ahead a few posts to “$575 for an abandoned hostel” and you will see what I mean!