Last night, I strapped a pack to my back and one to my chest… the weight served as an instant comfort. Strolling through SFO, I felt at ease, more myself than I’ve been in awhile…

It’s been just over two years since I returned from my international adventures. I’ve been busy building a life I am proud of – I am truly at home in San Francisco. I have an incredible apartment with my chosen family – my boyfriend (for those of you who read my Europe adventures – yes, it’s Jon, we’ve found our way back to each other and have fought hard to figure this ish out ❤), my close friend (Nicola, who I started my last adventures with) and a sweet (yet incredibly sassy) adopted pup named Lady. I left an emotionally draining job and have found one that allows and challenges me to grow professionally, tapping into my OCD organizational skills while still allowing me to be creative. I have an unbelievable community of friends – in SF, from back home and in relationships I gained then fostered from my travels. I’ve been able to spend more time with my family whether physical or maintaining better phone contact. I am deeply grateful.

But, there is a part of who I am that doesn’t get to exist in the day to day grind. When I travel, it is awakened. I am open to new adventures and receptive to kind strangers. I am ready for whatever comes, not needing to be in control of everything. I can let go and let be, genuinely exist in the moment. I am a traveler again. 

I’m currently on a 3 hour layover in DC, waiting for a connecting flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where I’ll continue on to Johannesburg, South Africa. There, I’ll meet one of my closest friends from high school, Matt. We are going on safari for a week then spending a few days on Lake Malawi before volunteering in the Kasungu district to build a school before wrapping up with a few days in Cape Town. It’s an awfully big adventure. Work and life have been so bus that I don’t know if I’ve fully been able to process quite the adventure it is… but it is starting to sink in! 

I’m hoping to disconnect for most of this trip but I plan to update here and there – goodness, I’ve also missed writing. Until then…