A Liminal New Year

Let us just begin by stating that prior to Zachary, I had never even heard of the word 'liminal' and now I am using it to describe a very real phenomenon.  Not sure that I have mentioned, but I will be travelling to Santiago, Chile soon.  I am going for a class but will be leaving on December 31st and arriving in Chile on January 1. What this means is that I will be "in between" when the new year rings in.  It dawned on me just yesterday that this was less of a hinderance (because New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday and how dreadful to be on a plane instead of celebrating--to further this aside, many have tried to argue that I will be on a plane...heading to CHILE but that, to me, did not negate the fact that I'll be covered in strangers' germs and peanut salt rather than glitter and champagne residue) and more amazing happenstance. Before I continue, a lesson on liminality. From what I understand of it, it is literally a state that exists in between two readily identifiable places; one of a past way (which you have left) and one of a way yet to be (which you have yet to embody, fully).  Zachary calls it the third space. I think of it as grey.  In any case, because of the time differences when travelling, I will be in-between many things:

• Places--> North and South America, home and destination
• Times--> time..I'll move through december on into january and out of 2012 on into 2013, plus time zones--I mean will I fly right through Midnight? Just goes to show how menial and contrived these things really are..
• Space--> What else would you describe 30,000 feet as?

When I reframed my thinking and realized that this trip will be an extraordinary opportunity to experience simultaneous multidimensional liminal states, I can't lie I got pretty excited. Zachary described it as magical, and I suppose that in large part I see it the same way. Talk about falling down the rabbit hole...but I wondered (aloud, and to him) what it means that I've found myself set up for this experience? Surely it is no coincidence  and of course many people do this sort of thing often, but I wonder if they consider it as phenomenal?  I wonder what it means for me, for the trajectory of my life and my being, for my work (academic and otherwise)?

Of course, there are the normal things to be excited about...its my first time out of the country (out of the CONTINENT/ HEMISPHERE), it's going to be summer in Chile (not that winter in San Diego is anything to complain about.  I am going to get to take amazing photos which is something I do not do enough of these days. I am also going to get to be learning about change within educational policy.

Honestly though, I am most excited that I am going. What I mean by that is that the trip is booked. My flight is booked. I did not allow myself to see  any other option other than going and I set my intentions to making it happen. I faced any problems head on and kept insisting that I was going. I've been working really hard at not letting money be a barrier and it seems to be paying off. This new mindset is foreign and taxing, to be honest, but I am seeing how trust in a way much more knowledgeable than I really works.

Now, I need to brush up on my spanish :-/