I was fortunate during my time at Brandeis University to take a class on globalization taught by Thomas Friedman. In it he stressed the importance of positioning oneself mentally, professionally, and personally such that as the world becomes increasingly interconnected, or flatter as Friedman puts it, one can ride the currents of change and not be left behind. I took this message to heart and with the encouragement of friends, family, and past colleagues decided to spend my first several months out of college to traveling and volunteering abroad.
My first inclination was to circle the globe starting in Europe and heading east to California but the more I considered it the more I felt that a shorter, more focused, trip in which I wasn’t constantly on the move would be more rewarding. As such, I decided to spend just over two months trekking in Southeast Asia and four months volunteering in New Delhi working in rural development. This offers a perfect combination of exploration and site seeing with settling and developing my professional skills in an entirely new context and community while doing good.
In FNW I will document my travels, what I see, and who I meet. The purpose of FNW is not only to share with you what I have been doing but also to invite you, literally, to join me. I will maintain a running itinerary and should you be able to join me, say, for a week in Laos or a lunch in Tokyo, by all means, please write me and let’s coordinate. I also invite you to share your destination ideas (be it a place to visit or person to meet) with me. I have a relatively focused itinerary and I am researching destinations, but nothing compares to the personal recommendations, experiences, and stories that only you can offer. I am confident this will be a great trip and I know with contributions from my friends and family it will be even better.
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FNW is by Jacob Bockelmann. I am a Virginia native and recent graduate of Brandeis University majoring in Politics and Economics with a minor in Business.
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