1 year later...

well..i realized a couple days ago that it's been 1 year since i set out on my travels. i would have spent the last few days in sevilla and i have to admit, i kind of wish i was doing it all over again right now.

i read my blog entry from my 1st day of traveling (http://broadcontinent.blogspot.com/2010/06/on-my-way.html) and realized how much of a difference one year makes. i don't know if it was the traveling or just time passing but where i am now is no where i really thought i'd be but i'm happier and more together than i think even i envisioned for myself.

other than the travel bug i'm fighting off....life is pretty damn good.

T minus 12 days til the big 3-0!!!

Wow. I've been back in Philly for just over 4 months and it's hard to figure out where to start. I turn 30 in less than 2 weeks and, even though it's a little scary, I'm ready. Last year, I told myself that by my 29th birthday I was going to quit my job at the law firm because it was not making me happy, it was not where I wanted to be, and I had been "stuck" for so long it was time to shake things up. I met that goal. I gave 2 months notice (actually almost exactly 1 year ago) and as my 29th birthday hit I was in the process of planning my 6 months of travel.

While I was traveling, I told myself that by my 30th birthday I would have a plan in place for a career and a life that will take me into my future, take me abroad, let me see more of the world, and aim for the goals and dreams I had discovered I had through my months of thought. I have just about met those goals. I fell into a job that I can see myself turning into a career. A company I can grow with or a new set of skills I can transfer. Not only that but, starting in a few months, I will get to travel for my job and, eventually, there is a possiblity that I could live abroad.

I was asked recently, now that you met all of these goals...what's next? And my answer, well, I think I have more work to be done.

While I was traveling, I set goals for myself. To learn to "let go," to stand on my own 2 feet again, to be ok in my own head with my thoughts (wherever they wandered), and to learn to put myself first. After some bumps and moments of doubt...I got there, or so I thought.

[EDIT: I DELETED THE REST OF THIS POST. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ IT AND CONTACTED ME, THANK YOU. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T, THAT'S PROBABLY FOR THE BEST. YOU SHOULDN'T DRINK AND DRIVE....AND YOU SHOULDN'T BLOG IN ANGER.]

back in the real world

I've been back in the States for less than 2 weeks and, honestly, I've been dealing with so much at once that it feels like ages. I knew coming back would be stressful...I need to find a job and figure out where I'm heading. I assumed that I would have some answers by today and, instead, I'm even more lost than when I was thousands of miles away running hypothetical after hypothetical through my head.

So I guess the moral of my return to the real world, thus far, is that no matter how hard you try to plan and be prepared life is just going to fuck with you anyway. My simple excitement over football Sundays, catching up with friends and seeing Preston for the first time in 3.5 months went pretty much the opposite of plan. Luckily, the NFL has not let me down and football Sundays (and Mondays, and perhaps also Thursdays this week) are still in effect. My friends seem to have remembered me.

Preston's visit was bittersweet. I think I did a good job of showing him around Philly while he's hobbling on crutches and I made sure he got some of the excellent food Philly is known for. My hope that I/we would have an idea of what path to go down pretty much blew up in my face for a variety of reasons. Long story short, Preston is en route back to Prague as I write this to finish healing and rehabing his torn achilles and I'm making my own plans as I always have which may or may not involve him. I am going to need a roomie or 2 pretty soon, a job (asap), and to make a decision regarding the States v. abroad. What I've discovered though is that I'm ok. I'm fixed. I'm solid. I'm finally just good and strong and happy. At the risk of sounding like Bush...mission accomplished. :)

Other than that part of my life being all humpty dumpty...there is Cruiser. Cruiser is my 15.5 year old cat. She's been in the family since she was 6 weeks old and has been living with me for past 10 years or so. She's my baby. She spoons with me and lays her head on my pillow. Upon returning from my trip I realized that Cruiser cannot hear. Yes she is old and yes they say that when cats lose their hearing most people don't realize until it's completely gone BUT I feel horrible that I haven't been here to help her. On top of that, she is also going blind. After 2 years of managing her early kidney issues with my vet's supervision it appears that she developed hypertension (common in cats with kidney issues) which led to the detachment of both retinas and a cat that can pretty much see absolutely nothing. (For the record, I'm pretty pissed that I wasn't offered blood pressure medication for her as a preventative measure 2 years ago). So yes, my cat is all Helen Keller and I have no idea what to do with this. She is lost. She is disoriented. She is stressed. It's painful to watch her walk into walls and cabinets or have absolutely no idea I'm close to her. All she has to look forward to is eventually dealing with her kidney failure advancing to a pretty uncomfortable situation. So what does one do? What does Cruiser want? What is fair? If she can get to the litter box and to her food and water is that enough of a life for her?

And wait, there's more...my baby cousin (ok, if 16 years old can be considered a baby) passed away suddenly early Monday morning. There really isn't a satisfying explanation for what happened other than a series of unfortunate events that, if each were taken separately, probably wouldn't have even caused a problem. He was the cousin I was closest to, the one I wanted to mentor, the one who amazed me every time I saw him as I watched him grow up and I don't think any of the family can really wrap our heads around this. I spent the last 2 nights completely sleepless and today driving up and back to Brooklyn for the funeral.

I'm not sure what else can happen but I guess this is just life's way of balancing out the past 6 months of mostly carefree travel. Don't want anyone to get too happy, eh?

Back in the States!

We have officially landed on US soil! After living Tuesday the 16th twice (due to the time zone change my Tuesday is 45 hours long) and flying for 12 hours (that's 3 movies, 5 hours of sleep, 2 meals, and the most recent Norah Jones CD twice) I am in Los Angeles! Now, in order to get to Philly I just need to survive an 8 hour layover, a 5 hour flight to JFK, another 5 hour layover, a 1 hour flight to Boston, a 1 hour drive to NH and then a 6-8 hour drive (depending on traffic) back to Philly. Fun fun fun.

Once we made it through the hour long customs line and then security into the domestic terminal I found a bathroom to clean up in. And by clean up I mean a "wet ones" shower, a couple biore face scrub cloths and brushed and flossed my teeth. Follow that with some tester perfume from the Body Shop and a skinny capp in a Starbucks Christmas cup and I'm good as new (except my feet which are somehow nasty dirty). Just 20 or so more hours til a real shower (and doing tons and tons of laundry).

I should be used to living in airports by now. And definitely used to not having a proper shower for days after camping, boating, and spending a night on a bench in the Auckland airport (and having a cleaning woman suggest I shower near the McDonalds for only $5) but I just can't wait to be clean and sleep in my bed and see my parents. Home sweet home. And then to Philly for some more of that.

Hold on, hold on...I found some lambies at a distance! #fb

Where have all the lambies gone?

As you may remember, my 1st 5 weeks in New Zealand had a lot to do with sheep and newborn lambs. On our sky diving day I did spot some on the way to the drop zone and it's sad to admit that my babies are all grown up. Sad because 90% of lambs born each season are sent off to slaughter at or shortly after 3 months of age. Poor lambies.

So, I'm sitting on a bus right now for the first leg of my multi-day journey back to Philly (7hrs on a bus, 36hrs of flying and layovers, 6-8hrs driving my car from my parents' house in NH home to Philly...all with a side of jet lag) and I cannot spot a sheep anywhere. The previously munched down grass is overgrown and the fields are empty. A couple months ago there would be more sheep than you could believe. Poor lambies.

We spent our last night and day in Queenstown freezing (again) and cloudy (again). I guess NZ wanted me to remember it that way and not sunny and warm like it had been for a handful of days there. We played some board games and cards and then "frisbee golf" this a.m. Let's just say I was no where near par, Courtney beat me by 6 and Evan kicked our asses. Evan then tried to frisbee bowl for sleeping ducks but ended up chasing them instead. If only there had been some sheep...

Just kidding...I'm not done yet!

I went on a long run this morning, probably my last run until I get back to Philly on Thursday and realized that I have more to say (is anyone surprised?) I apologize for the pics and entries that may seem a bit repetitive. Since I can't bring my phone camera sky diving or in the water you're basically stuck with what I see walking around and it seems that a lot of my days are pretty repetitive themselves. Now that I've been in NZ and OZ for 10 weeks, I admit it might all be blending together.

First, a pet peeve. New Zealand and Australia join England and drive on the "other" side of the road. The same follows for walking, biking, running and basically anything where 2 people or vehicles are moving in opposite directions. I'm very used to this now...so much so that I'm worried about crossing the street when I get home to the States. So, if I can figure out this system I would like to know why people from here can't handle it. If I'm running on the left side of the trail and you see me coming towards you MOVE to your left side of the trail. If I were a car would you just let me drive head-on into you?

Next, I don't think I did a good job explaining exactly what river surfing was like yesterday. I want you all to understand why it was the most unenjoyable activity I've ever willingly subjected myself to (and paid for nonetheless!).

Here goes. First, we got suited up in 10mm wetsuits and booties (because it's freezing cold water). On top of that we got a life jacket, a helmet and flippers. I pretty much waddled like a penguin. It was hot. I had a gold helmet which is pretty cool but I was a bit jealous of Evan's magenta one. Then we were handed our body board. Literally it's that 3ft long foam board you use to ride waves at the beach.

Next we got a lesson on how to enter the water, exit the water, and go the proper direction (easy, they say, just point your board where you want to go and kick). And off we went. Let me say, I am a strong swimmer and, from running, my legs are pretty strong but I could point my board any which way I wanted and kick for my life and I was not getting anywhere with that board that the river didn't feel like taking me. Rapids, cool. Whirlpools, awesome. Huge rocks and rock cliffs coming at me, no, not cool. On top of that we were in a group of about 11 people so just when you think you might be getting somewhere a clump of people would come flying towards you, turn you around and make it impossible to kick or get unstuck. So the guide yelling "point right and kick" or "downstream and left" was virtually meaningless until I drifted into him and he physically got me to the right place. Please tell me what part of that sounds fun.

And now I'm waiting for Courtney and Evan to return from bungy. I have dreams of Ferg burgers for dinner (NZ's most famous burgers) and I hope they're sharing my dream once they get back from hanging upside down all day.

Don't worry, I'm still not done...I realized I haven't properly discussed airport layovers so stay tuned for that!