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Just before I left San Francisco this week to join the Odyssey World Trek, I joined several friends at a street fair a few blocks from my apartment to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year. Hundreds of Vietnamese immigrants spent the entire day eating, playing games and lighting firecrackers. Naturally, with the World Trek on my mind, I began to wonder about this next year and all of the amazing changes it promises to bring.

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When the Trek began over a month ago I remember feeling really lucky compared to the other Trekkers because I still had a few weeks to pack my bags and say my goodbyes for the next two years! As you can imagine, my last month has just flown by. I've been in touch with the other Trekkers and have tried to imagine what it's like to be with them. I even spoke to Jamila last night on the phone and she gave me comforting advice and told me above all that I should, "Just have a really great time!" I'm looking forward to seeing Abeja, Kavitha, Monica, and Shawn, getting to know them better and working together as a team.

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I sometimes try to imagine what it would have been like if I'd been able to follow a Trek like this over the Internet when I was a young student like most of you. I probably would have thought of the world as being a smaller place. I bet I would have wanted to see the world and change it much sooner. In any case, I'm on my way now and remain ever so hopeful for what the future may bring.

Kevin