Adventure Honeymoon

For about a whole day, I toyed with the idea of an adventure honeymoon. For me, this meant packing a bag and boarding a plane to a volunteer vacation. I was inspired by my desire to concoct a honeymoon that would be as life-changing as a marriage. I was also inspired by our friend Anna who is in Vietnam as I write this, teaching kids for a few days. With all of the excess and self-centeredness that Lauren and I will almost enjoy in the months and days leading up to the wedding, it seemed fitting to do something different for the honeymoon. As much as we will try to create a wedding ceremony chock-ful of meaning and community, the best way to do that would be to take cold showers with people who don't speak English, but really appreciate our visit.

I found two good sites. The first was Charity Guide which is a clearinghouse of thousands of clickable ideas and the second was to an organization called Earthwatch Institute which specializes in eco-education and volunteerism. Earthwatch has connections with domestic projects, as well -- save the parasite-infected caterpillars in New Orleans or the disappearing Diamondback Terrapins in New Jersey. The Diamondbacks being mine and Lauren's alma mater's mascot. Fear the turtle, and all.

Lauren is staunchly against these ideas, preferring to relax on her honeymoon. Nor is she a fan of bugs, heat, or laissez-faire food preparation standards. And, I have to be honest and acknowledge the constant question plaguing the minds of every gay couple stepping foot outside of New York or San Francisco, including myself, thusly killing the romantic honeymoon vibe: "Will the people at the Mwamba Bird Observatory and Field Study Center be upset if I kiss my wife in front of this Kenyan Sykes monkey?"