Hello Friends!
I don’t write much, you’ve probably noticed, and I think the reason for that is that in comparison to the previous six years of my life, these last 20 months have been incredibly stagnant. Distant are the days of hopping busses in New Zealand or hiking mountains with near-strangers, or flinging myself into Australian deserts to score my next visa, or surprise trips to Tokyo to meet best friends, and so on. BUT NO LONGER!
In less than a month, barring any unusual COVID circumstances or other terrible worldly event (and I do feel like I have to acknowledge the possibility even if it’s just to validate myself in future), we are coming to America! *Fanfare*
And as such, we are on the cusp of big changes, big travels, and a whiplash into our “old life.” But it’s new, too!
How strange is it to become a tourist in my own country of citizenship? The other day I had to buy an Australian-to-American outlet adaptor so that I’ll be able to use my laptop while I’m home. I also purchased travel health insurance to cover any mishaps that might (but hopefully won’t) happen over there, because if I can avoid getting screwed by the American health system, then why not? Oh, and I bought a second-hand piece of carry-on luggage (my first ever with wheels - what an upgrade!) except now my concern is: WHAT IF the people I bought it from were coke-addled hooligans and when they swipe my bag for drug residue at the airport it comes up positive?! What then?! Surely I can just explain. Surely they would just test my pee and see that it’s all a big misunderstanding.
Surely none of this will actually happen at all.
But there you have it: the inner workings of my psyche - a stressful swarm of chaos and theories, most likely never to come to fruition, which increase in number every day that our trip approaches. I vacillate between excitement and anxiety nearly by the minute. I’m not sure if the reason for this is due to the extra stress of COVID (having to test at the airport, attempting to not get sick beforehand, etc.), the fact that we haven’t travelled internationally in 2.5 years, or that I’ve generally been a stress-mess about this stuff for most of my life anyway. It’s probably all three.
But THEN I remind myself of some lovely truths, and it almost always helps:
1. I get to do the first-worst leg of the trip with Viv, my four-years-and-counting travel partner and damn sweet love/rock/stress buddy/what have you.
2. I get to see my beautiful family at the other end of this journey, including a sister travelling home from Scotland, a beloved aunt and her family visiting from Peru, and even a nephew who I’ve never met before!
3. This is a much-desired break from work and monotony, something I used to do every three months or so, and feel long-overdue for.
I’ve resigned both of my jobs due to the length of the trip (nearly 2.5 months), though both have offered an open door upon my return. The truth is that I can’t even think about that yet. I’d rather take this ride and see what happens along the way, rather than plan exactly what I need to do and where I need to be on the other end.
Viv’s situation is slightly different, having taken a job that agreed pre-hire that she would be taking a collective three months off this year. Is that not a wonderful thing for an employer to do?! I’m overly grateful to her boss and the winery for agreeing to such unusual circumstances. Viv’s pretty damn good at what she does - it’s not just employer desperation here (I think.)
Anyway, we’ll be seeing the green side of Wisconsin by the end of June, leaving behind the winter season in Australia for a while. It DOES get cold here, mind you, but the worst is usually a thick frost in the morning. This is laughable to any North-Midwest standards, I know, but it bears mentioning how delighted I am to swap the cold short days for long sunny ones! The worldly snowbird is as it again.
I’ll see a few of you soon, and my heart is full with the anticipation.
Okay byyyeeeeee!
Maddy