Hello, my name is:

So who/what is goose and why is he/she/or it on the loose?


Hey. My name is Shea and Goose indirectly refers to myself.

During the summer of 2012, I rode a bike with 41 other students from the University of Texas at Austin from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska to raise money and awareness for cancer research. I completed that trek on my noble steed that I dubbed Goose.

I won't go into extensive detail of how his title originated because there is already a blog out there in cyberspace to address that topic. If you're interested, you can summon it here:

http://www.texas4000.org/journalentries/View/4928

Long story short: It does not have to do with the movie Top Gun (although, I do love that movie). Instead it's in reference to the teamwork and navigational skills exhibited by geese in their migration patterns and how that parallels with a team of college students cycling 4,500 miles across North America.

After the ride was over, I decided to commemorate my experience by getting a Pacific Northwest style goose tattooed on my ribcage. For me, it not only symbolizes the incredible journey I had that summer biking along the Rocky Mountains, but also the growth and fulfillment I felt getting on a bike each day and pedaling for someone or something bigger than myself. I would consider my time spent in Texas 4000 to be a pivotal point in my life that has helped me develop new perspectives and ideas about the direction I want my future to take.

A bike's name may seem pretty trivial (unless you're a cyclist), but it is a constant reminder to me (I guess you could call it permanent) of that first experience when you realize what it means to really really be living.

"For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been, and there you will always long the return." | Leonardo da Vinci


So there. I am this Goose. But now, why am I on the loose?

September of 2012, I applied to serve in the Peace Corps. After a very (very) long process, I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation in March of 2013 to serve in Togo, Africa for 27 months beginning June of 2013.

Where is Togo? Is that a city? If your knowledge of geography is comparable to that of a 6th grader like mine is, you might need to look it up..

Now that you know the location, whether you looked it up or not, that is where I will be spending the next chapter of my life. I will not speak English. I will not having running water. I will not have electricity. I will sleep under a bug net and improvise my utilities. I will also assist in community health and AIDS prevention in a community in dire need of it. I will become completely immersed in a culture unknown to the majority of the world and I will come back with a much deeper appreciation for all that I am leaving behind.

With this newly harnessed sense of adventure, post T4K, I look forward to every trial this experience has to offer. I know that there will be really difficult days, but I also know that I can't imagine doing anything else. I am going to be freer than I have ever felt in my life and have control over my own schedule and my own projects (after training that is). I am going to be cut loose from American society, the pressures of a 9-5, and keeping up with today's social media and politics. Without all of that, watch me fly.

Also, although this blog's name is derived from a cross-continental bike ride and begins with the tales of 27 months in Togo, I want it to be able to continue encompassing all the major moments to come. Besides, writing about them for people to read holds me accountable for many more future adventures.

I believe that life is about experiences.

So here's to having them and sharing,

Shea




Also, I have to give credit to Kate Simpson. I told her I was leaning towards blog names involving Goose. She was thrilled and shared with me that 'goose' is one of her favorite words, to be used in one of her favorite phrases, 'goose on the loose'. Thanks, Kate!


Just for more entertainment, I asked a few people for blog name assistance and these were some of the results (the majority being from brainstorm sessions with Sadia):


thoughtispokefrenchguessnot
lostinafrica
ihopeilearnthebongos
imgonnamissstarbucks
texastotogo
togototogo - Melissa
sheafrica - Mars
shuckleberryflynn
meettheflynnstones (inspired by Jonash)
sheasaddictedtogeographiclocationsthatbeginwiththelettera
pardonmyfrench
sheasshortvacation