Who am I?

Although a very philosophical question, the answer I'm looking for does not involve any philosophy. At least not yet. The answer to this question is simply looking to briefly share with you who I am in the realm of this physical world, and where I come from.

So who am I? I am currently a senior at one of the top liberal arts schools in the United States, Amherst College. I was born in Lima, Peru, and my permanent residence is in Miami, Florida. I have a plethora of hobbies. I speak a few languages other than English and Spanish. I am a very healthy person. I don't have major vices. And upon graduating from college, I will be doing so debt-free thanks to Amherst College's generous Financial Aid package. Overall, I am a person who is happy with life and has managed to overcome the many obstacles of living in the United States by myself since the age of 15. I have no complaints.

Amherst College during the winter time

So what is this "Between Two Worlds" journey? And what are these two worlds?

This journey is roughly about my experiences and struggles as I learn more about Bhakti Yoga, AKA devotional yoga or the Yoga of Love. A practice that takes roots on Vedic tradition from India. More concretely, this journey is my leaving of modern comforts for 6 months as I travel with my Guru, Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti, all through Europe, Central and South America, to finally reach India. We will be visiting and staying in temples (Ashrams) throughout the course of our journey.

That's me back in 2009!

The two worlds I will be journeying through are the spiritual and the material.

I am really excited and feel blessed to have this incredible opportunity. However, I have to admit that I feel nervous because I don't have any major spiritual preparation to travel side by side with a person who has dedicated his whole life towards a spiritual pursuit. I will face many challenges, I'm sure, but I will try my best to learn as much as I can and keep an open mind. Hopefully I will receive help and guidance from everyone  I meet during these few months of travel. I'm certain that with everyone's help I will be able to have a memorable and pleasant experience.

Wish me luck as I prepare to embark on this life changing journey, everyone! I will certainly need it. Also, as I prepare for my journey I would love to hear from my friends and everyone else who wishes to give me some advise, or have comments or perhaps questions about all of this. This journey will be a new experience for both you and I, you as a reader and I as a traveler. So don't be shy and just say hi!

Haribol to all!

To get to where I want to go, I have to start somewhere

Beginning NOW!

I find myself always waiting for the perfect moment to start anything, as if this perfect moment can happen on its own. I know it doesn't, at least not without a little help. My help. I know I can make a moment "perfect" by changing the way I see it- in the same way I choose to make being stuck in traffic less dreadful by tuning in to my favorite song and starting a mini jam session. So now I choose to see right now as the most perfect moment, for this, for anything.

I was asked by a wonderful person to start a blog about my journey "Between Two Worlds," and while I'm not quite ready to explain what this journey entails just yet, I decided to start it NOW despite my fear, yes fear, of being judged by what I have to say (although that hasn't really happened to me before, that I'm aware of), despite not liking the layout of this blog (because the perfectionist in me does not want me to go "live" without checking thousands of other blogs in order to see what works and what doesn't), despite not feeling ready. The true to the matter is I will always find excuses not to start, I will always feel "not ready," and I can't let that limit me anymore.

So here it is, my first post. After this first step, the next ones I'm sure will be a little less intimidating, specially when all things considered what the blog looks like is not really that important, the message is, right?

Cheers! And Haribol to all!