That time again

Those who know me well are familiar with my two year streak.  Other than growing up in Palau, my high school years on Guam and college in Boston, I haven’t live in one place for more than two years at a time.

On October 12th, I celebrated my two year anniversary in Costa Rica (and what a celebration it was too!).

Needless to say, the two year itch is here and I’m scratching the hell out of it! Come December, I’m off to Colombia to spend two weeks traveling with a friend and another three weeks doing a work exchange somewhere in the Caribbean coast.

After that I’m heading to Brazil–that’s right, BRAZIL–for…..

Wait for it……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been on my bucket list forever and now that I’m in such (relatively) close proximity AND have a Brazilian friend going too, there’s no way I’m going to pass up this opportunity.

After Carnaval I plan to do another work exchange in a small village by the beach just outside of Sao Paolo. If everything works out, I’ll be teaching English to the locals in return for room and board for about a month.

From there I’ll head to Peru. Specifically, the splendid city of Arequipa. Except for eventually seeing Machu Picchu, I don’t have any solid plans yet for what exactly I’m going to do. I may do another work exchange or perhaps try to get an English teaching job.

So that’s the general blueprint, for now anyway. I may have to tweak some things as I go but therein lies the fun and excitement, right?!

My pants would be on fire if I said I wasn’t the least bit nervous.  Although this is the first time I’m actually doing this without a proper safety net like a secure job, I’ve done the travel thing long enough to know that it comes with risks and challenges.

But then again, so does any other path any of us choose to take in this life.

My tickets are booked and the countdown is on!

 

On age, aging and moving forward

For some time now I’ve believed that age is an arbitrary concept that doesn’t necessarily define a person’s behavior or level of maturity. In many ways, it’s yet another social construct that puts people in boxes and dictates how we should act, think, and feel.

This past year I’ve certainly started to “feel my age” physically. Sadly, my metabolism isn’t as fast burning and, even sadder, I can’t drink as much as I used to without suffering for it the next day. Fine lines are starting to appear under my eyes, and just yesterday I found (gasp!) two gray hairs on my head! Reluctantly,  I’m accepting the reality that my body is aging and I’m trying to honor the change.

But in terms of the traditional expectations imposed on women in their 30s, I wouldn’t exactly say that I “reflect my age”. I’m unmarried, have no children or a permanent address. I have a job but not a career, a house but no mortgage. This is exactly the opposite of what most societies today expect and often even demand from women.  Believe it or not, I still (disturbingly enough) often get asked the question: when are you going to finally settle down? 

One of the best things I’ve learned this past year has been to answer that question with an honest: Maybe next week, maybe never. I don’t know. 

I may have completed another year around the sun but there are tons of things I still don’t know–and may never come to know. But I do know this: ever since I made the conscious decision to break from the mold and to follow my curiosity about this world more, I have been much happier.

So as I gear up for another trip around the sun, I also want to further open my mind and embrace my wandering curiosity. I guess my birthday is as good a time as any to make it official to my friends and family that I’ll be leaving Costa Rica in December. It has been an incredible ride, these last two years, and it’s time to move on.

Where to next?

Find out in my next post. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Day 29: Where I’ve Traveled

As of today, I’ve visited 12 countries.  I’m hoping to shade in a lot more by this time next year. #travelgoals

Day 28: What I look forward to

Soooooo many things but the most immediate has to be next year. Yes, 2018 is going to be a whirlwind of travels: Colombia, Brazil, Peru and maybe Bolivia and Ecuador if I can squeeze them in. I’ve enjoyed my time in Costa Rica and have learned oh so many lessons about life, myself, and being adrift. Now it’s time to drift farther and experience other adventures.

Here’s the general plan:

A month in Colombia. Three weeks in Cartagena, one in Medellin. I’ll be doing homestays to cut costs and more importantly, to fully immerse myself in the culture and among the people.

Six weeks (or more?) in Brazil. My coworkers (one of them Brazilian herself) and friends are going to be in Brazil and I’ll meet up with them for Carnaval. That’s right: CARNAVAL!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Then I’m going to do a work exchange in a town just outside of Sao Paolo where I’ll be teaching English to kids in exchange for room and board at a school in a quiet beach side village.

Six months (or more?) in Arequipa, Peru. I’m hoping to find an English teaching job and have sent out some feelers. If I don’t land something before getting there, I can teach online to support me for a few months.

I have to admit it’s a little scary thinking about how I’m going to pull this all off. I have some savings but it’s really not a big cushion. But I can’t let that paralyze me. With the way things are going in the world, now is the time to make leaps. The cliche is real: Tomorrow is not guaranteed. We only have now.