I officially have the appointment to start the process of getting my passport!

I have been saying that I would do this for years, but I’ve never have because I couldn’t find my birth certificate. So I had to order a copy of my birth certificate from the state where I was born, and that was a long, tedious process. But, I got it in the mail this week and made my appointment to get my initial appointment this month! I’m sure it’ll probably take another few months to get my passport officially, but hey — I’m closer now to it than I have ever been, and that makes me tremendously excited.

Not that I’ll be able to travel internationally for some time. Cause, ya know, money. But once I can afford it, I have a list of the top five places I want to see first:

1.) Victoria, Canada. I actually would love to do a road trip to get to this place. I know that takes up so much more time and the fuel will probably cost a LOT, but I think the drive would be beautiful. Plus, time to listen to audiobooks! But I’ve always wanted to see Canada. It looks stunning.

2.) England. If you’ve been here for any amount of time, you know that I love Jane Austen. Seeing England has been something I’ve wanted to do since I was a teenager, but my family was too poor to send me on any trips. And even if they’d had the money, I doubt my parents would have approved it anyway. But I really want to see Jane Austen’s home in Hampshire; I want to see Highclere Castle; I want to see a musical in the West End; I want to visit Stratford-Upon-Avon and see one of Shakespeare’s plays performed at the theater there, and I want to take a train up into Scotland.

3.) Portugal. My family is partly from Portugal (I believe my mom’s paternal grandfather was a Portuguese immigrant), so I feel really drawn to its history and culture, even though I haven’t lived in the culture myself. I also read that Portugal is one of the most cost effective places to visit in Europe, so that’s pretty cool. I also love how close it is to the Mediterranean.

4.) Thailand. This country looks positively gorgeous and I want to visit it so badly. This is a relatively new location I’ve added to this list, but it’s one I am really excited about. I love Thai food, and while I think the heat would probably take time for me to get used to, the beauty of the natural environment and rich culture of the people who live there would fascinate me.

5.) Japan. I’ve wanted to see Japan since I was like, eighteen years old. I love Japanese food so much. And there are so many things I’d love to see in Japan. Getting the chance to experience their way of life would be educational and a huge privilege.

I’ve only ever known U.S. culture, and studies have shown that one of the primary things you can do to develop empathy is to travel and see how the world is different from your personal experiences. There is so much ignorance in this country regarding other countries and their people, their customs, their religions, their cultures and communities, and while I have done a lot to educate myself on these things, I also think traveling to these places is part of that process.

There are other countries I want to see. Mexico. Germany. Scandinavia. Ireland. Brazil. Egypt. France. I really would love to see some of the countries in the Middle East, but with Israel and the U.S. bombing the shit out of them all of the time, I don’t think it would be safe. These are some of the countries I most want to visit, assuming that I can do so ethically, especially the countries that are not Euro-centric.

When and if I’ll ever see this places is another matter entirely. With U.S. politicians of both parties actively waging war on poor people and stripping us of literally any and all forms of assistance to survive this capitalistic nightmare, it’s looking increasingly like I probably won’t ever be able to visit these places. And I’m not being dramatic or hyperbolic, either. My partner currently makes about $110,000 per year, and he can’t even afford to buy a house where we live because the market is so inflated. Which is absurd. No one making that kind of money should be struggling to afford basic costs of living. And that’s not even considering those who make much less than that and how it is for them to live and provide for themselves.

Anyway, if I can ever afford to travel internationally, at least I will now have my passport. That on its own is an exciting prospect.