Tag Archives: life decisions

The Evolution of Schtuff

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I traveled internationally for 4 months wearing a 45 liter pack on my back and a smaller backpack in the front through 15 countries. I had to be prepared for all climates – the nauseating heat of summer in Australia, the bitter cold of dead winter in Poland and Germany and the downpours of spring in Italy. I sent my ex-boyfriend back from Italy with a few extra items in his luggage and shipped a small package from Madrid a month before returning. I had posted a list of what I carried when I departed in January so I figured it was only appropriate to show what I returned with. Items in red were lost, broken or sent back to the states. Items in green were purchased along the way.

in 45 liter pack:
-1 pair of stylish boots – these got tossed in late April into a trash can in Leiden, Holland after quite literally being worn until disintegration
-1 pair of sneakers
-1 pair of black sandals purchased in a size too small (apparently they don’t have big footed women in Western Europe) in Lisbon to wear to the Moulin Rouge
-1 pair of black flip flops – these were tossed in the beginning of my trip in Australia to save space knowing I was headed into the winter months of Germany and Poland
-2 dresses (1 casual & 1 fancy) – I ended up with a different formal dress purchased in Lisbon for the Moulin Rouge after sending my ‘fancy’ dress back with Jon
-1 thin, stylish hoodie
-1 nice, outerwear jacket – this jacket ended up not being warm enough nor as waterproof as I thought and was replaced with a purple Northface in Rome
-1 cute cardigan sweater
-1 fashion scarf
-1 pair of jeans – these jeans grew too big and were sent back with Jon – I bought a new pair of denim and a grey pair of pants in Florence – a pair bought in Berlin was shipped back from Madrid
-1 pair of jeggings – sent back with Jon
-1 pair of shorts – sent back with Jon
-1 pair of capri pants – shipped back from Madrid
-1 pair of pajama pants purchased in Berlin
-1 Paddington Bear pajama set purchased in London
-1 fancy tank top – ruined during a laundry incident in Prague
-2 tanks tops / under shirts – shipped back from Madrid – replaced with 2 tank top bras from Lisbon
-1 long sleeve shirt – ruined in Prague – new one purchased in Lisbon
-2 blouses
-3 cotton blouses – 2 shirts ruined in Prague – replaced in Lisbon
-2 cotton t-shirts – 1 shirt ruined in Prague
-1 workout tank top
-1 sports bra
-1 tan bra
-1 bathing suit
-1 camping towel – sent back with Jon
-21 pairs of underwear – ended with 16 pairs of underwear
-14 pairs of socks
-1 reusable shopping bag for dirty laundry
-1 toiletry bag containing: deodorant, a razor with extra blades, shampoo, facewash, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, QTips, tampons, nail file, prescribed anti-anxiety medication, comb, extra hair elastics, a headband, bobby pins, makeup and some jewelry
-1 blue hat haggled for in Rome – sent back with Jon
-2 pairs of earrings purchased in Seville
-1 bracelet gifted by a co-worker in Paris
-1 ring purchased in Florence
-1 trinket bracelet gifted to me in Galway
-1 new claddaugh ring purchased in Cork at Blarney Castle

in backpack:
-purse (containing ID, passport, hand sanitizer, sunglasses + wallet) – purse was destroyed – new one purchased in Seville – new sunglasses were also purchase in Florence and then again in London to replace lost pairs + 1 leather sunglass case purchased in Florence
-computer + charger for work
-iPad for work-phone + charger
-mobile phone charger purchased in Australia
-wall outlet adapter
-headphones
-sweet leather fanny pack – sent back with Jon
-leather journal – shipped back from Madrid
-hello / goodbye book for memories + notes from people I meet along my journey
-blank watercolor postcard – shipped back from Madrid
-watercolor travel kit – shipped back from Madrid
-1 reusable plastic water bottle – broke in Germany
-travel pillow purchased during layover in London on the way to Australia
-2 books from Amsterdam, 1 was purchased and 1 was gifted
-1 beautiful hand crocheted ping gifted to me in Germany – lost in Prague
– 1 book gifted to me in Poland  – sent back with Jon
-1 book gifted to me in Augsburg – re-gifted to a friend in Frankfurt
-1 small Astronomical table clock gifted to me in Prague – sent back with Jon
-artwork purchased on the streets of Prague and Venice – sent back with Jon
-stainless steel Italian espresso maker purchased in Venice – sent back with Jon
-personalized wax seal kit with gold wax given to me in Venice – sent back with Jon
-small trinkets and presents purchased through traveling (some stayed with me) – most sent back with Jon or shipped from Madrid
-4 chocolate bars purchased in Belgium
-37 pins purchased from each city visited in Australia and Europe
-1 of each coin in the 7 currencies I paid with
-1 CD purchased from a band playing in a park in Barcelona
-1 spoon – stolen in Germany – used to take selfies throughout Europe

Before
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After
packing after trip
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Edinburgh, you had me at hello

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The second I arrived in Edinburgh, I immediately regretted not having more time there. It has a very different vibe then all the previous cities I have been to… the architecture, stone work, green grass and store fronts are unreal. I took more pictures in my 26 hours in Edinburgh than I have in most countries I spent 4-6 days in. 

The people (though difficult to understand… really, is this English?) were incredibly kind and helpful every where I went. I felt at home. This is one of the few places I have visited that I really, really cannot wait to visit again (or maybe I should never leave?!). It was hard to get used to cars on the left side of the road again (and remembering to stay to the left while walking, I just kept getting in everyone’s way and almost got hit a few times) but it was so nice to see advertisement, signs and menus in English after 2 1/2 months!

I have 13 days left of this adventure, which I have mixed feelings about. Work is more stressful than ever (I am now the sole production manager of my company ) so that has been weighing on me a lot. It will be nice to not have to make the most out of every single second in the day to balance full time work and traveling, but I’m not sure what I’ll do with all my free time (probably go crazy)! I’ll be happy to see friends and family, but I’m nervous about returning after four months of traveling on my own. This adventure has required an entirely different mindset and truthfully, it has changed me. How can I figure out what my next steps are? What will make me happy? What will allow me to balance my need to lay roots down with my desire to blow with the wind? I’m doing my best to concentrate on the moment and not what will happen or where I will live when I get back to the States but it is a constant drain of energy to refocus my thinking. Welcome to the brain of an OCD, over-thinking Virgo!

Moments in Edinburgh:
-I walked up and down the Royal Mile, passing the Saint Giles Cathedral and absolutely incredible buildings and cute stores.
-I spent two hours in Edinburgh Castle which was built on a 700 million year old extinct volcano, parts of the castle itself have existed since the 12th century though people have inhabited the rock since 850 BC. There are so many museums (including a war museum with a beautiful photo exhibit of Scottish soldiers in Afghanistan during the last decade) and areas to explore here with breath taking views of Edinburgh.
-I thought San Francisco had finicky weather, but when I walked to the castle I was warm in a t-shirt then freezing and being hailed on within an hour!
-At the recommendation of the bartender, I enjoyed a pint of hard cider at the Jolly Judge while I let my phone charge.
-I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a themed bar when I walked by a huge statue of Frankenstein so I decided to go in for dinner and as a true testament to my own luck, they happened to have karaoke voted ‘the best in Edinburgh’ on Sunday nights. The bar itself was pretty awesome, they even have a Frankenstein Lager locally brewed just for them which was quite tasty. At one point, Frankenstein was lowered from the ceiling and ‘came to life’. It was kitschy and trashy… right up my alley! I found a group of friends that can only be described as ‘my kind of people’ and we sang and danced until I had to leave for my ghost tour (I actually stayed later than anticipated because I had originally wanted to check out some live Scottish music that was happening but I was having too much fun).
-Testing my nerves on the City of the Dead tour as we explored the Underground City, the part of the South Bridge Vaults known as Damnation Alley, Greyfriar’s Graveyard and the Covenanter’s prison. We learned a ‘wee bit‘ of history and heard ghost stories of the South Bridge Entity and the Mackenzie Poltergeist. I luckily had made friends with two ladies from Chicago so I had a hand to squeeze in the darkness!
-I brought my new friends back to the Frankenstein bar… the bartenders and KJ had asked where I went and were happy to have my back… 6 hours in Edinburgh and I was already a regular at a karaoke bar! We had some scotch and beer, dancing and singing some more. After, we had a nightcap at a bar nearby followed by some ridiculously expensive pizza before I walked home around 4am.
–Observations: The lyrics in all 3 songs I sang were different in Scotland than when I have sung them in the states. I have no idea why. Isn’t that strange?? Also, every single bathroom I went in to had a condom dispensing machine… not sure what to make of that either!

Food Highlights:
–Scotch. That’s a food group, right?

Language Highlights:
-Instead of saying ’little’, I noticed the Scots say ‘wee bit’… As I’m ‘I’m just a wee bit knockered’ (I’m only slightly drunk).

AIRPORTS: 21
FLIGHTS: 20
TRAINS: 14
BUSES: 3
STATES: 7
COUNTRIES: 13
CONTINENTS: 3
DAYS TRAVELING: 142
CURRENCIES: 7

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Life contained in 6x8x8 space.

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Welp, my life in San Francisco is neatly packed away into a 6x8x8 storage unit. I have no idea what life stage I’ll be in the next time I see this stuff… where I’ll be moving it to or who I’ll be moving it with… It’s both terrifying and electrifying.

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Sometimes, you just have to say “fuck it”

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When you’ve dreamt of something for as long as you can remember and you’re teetering on the edge of big life decisions… sometimes the best solution is to slug back a few glasses of wine and say “fuck it”. That’s what I did last Tuesday evening when I charged airplane tickets to my credit card for 2 months of visiting family and friends along the east coast, 3 weeks in Australia and 3 months in Europe!

As said best in Billy Joel’s ‘Vienna’ (a longtime inspiration of mine) – “You can get what you want, or you can just get old.”  I’ve learned that time is the most precious resource I have – both abundant and limited in the same regard – I’m thrilled to be taking full advantage of mine. And while it’s one of the crazier moves I’ve ever made, it feels right like the right time to take the right risk.

And hey – some of the best decisions I’ve made have been while intoxicated, so let’s hope this one follows suits (I mean, that one way ticket to San Francisco turned out to be the greatest choice ever, right??). Drunken courage surely takes action for the sober heart! 

I’ll spend the next two months packing up a storage unit (sadly giving up a great apartment), figuring out what to do with my car and sorting out the hundreds of little details to leave my life in San Francisco not knowing where I’ll be when I return in June. I’m lucky and grateful to have a remote job so I will be able to continue working during this time and will also be tapping into my abundant bank of vacation hours (cheers to being a workaholic and having that shit saved up).

I’m also beyond grateful that I will be spending long overdue time with family and friends all over the world and very excited for the new connections I will make! I’m already overwhelmed with the love, support and offers that have come in within a week of making this decision – I’ll keep everyone posted throughout this process and of course when the traveling starts. Cheers to adventure and bold decisions!

Flight itinerary:

12/7 San Francisco –> Maryland to visit Kaley and my nieces
12/14 Maryland –> Florida to visit my grandparents and Ashley for Christmas
12/28 Florida –> Detroit to get a New Years kiss from Jon
1/4 Detroit –> Connecticut to visit friend and family for 3 weeks (hoping to make it up to Rhode Island to visit Josh’s restaurant in Newport and reunite with friends in Providence after 4 years of being gone)
1/27 Connecticut –> Australia for 3 weeks of adventure with Nicola!
2/16 Australia –> Germany to begin 3 months of European travels!
5/9 London –> Connecticut for a few weeks before returning to California

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