Where I Am and Where I'm Going: Maine & Australia

The majority of the last four weeks have been spent
annoying my dog with forced nuzzles and belly rubs,











listening to music and dance-walking through the house when no one is looking,
sitting on the back porch with a pipe in my hand and watching the birds and squirrels,
surfing on days when the waves are decent,
conversations over coffee, wine, or home-cooked meals with my lovely and hospitable family friends, and
a wonderful visit from my sister.

I don't know if I've ever had this much down time - when I didn't have to worry about a job, school, money, or men... with the whirlwind of the last two years, I really needed a moment to decompress and make sense of the steps that have taken me to this point and where I will be headed next. I'm in an interesting point in my life where I have the savings and lack of ties to move anywhere.

Right now, Australia feels more like home than anywhere else I was considering. Within a few weeks of being stateside, all signs were leading me towards Melbourne. So, with the appropriate visa and plane ticket, I will be flying out of Los Angeles on July 9th for a job interview.

Where I've Been the Last Few Weeks: East Coast

I flew into Newark after a night of Malibu Rum and breaking even in Las Vegas. I spent two nights in New Jersey to see one of my best friends. I think everyone has THAT friend that is impossible to keep in touch with, but when you're in the same room, it's like no time has passed by.... I have more than a few, including my dog.

My friends and I caught a show at the WonderBar on the Jersey shore. The next day I drove 6 hours up to Portland, Maine to see Mokey and house sit for a long weekend. I'm not sure how it happened... but Portland is the closest place to home I have. It's a place where I can completely relax.

I then drove back down the east coast with a stop in New Jersey again and an overnight in Philadelphia - ultimate destination: Outer Banks, North Carolina for a long Memorial Day weekend. The weekend was spotted with a few surfing sessions and unfortunately some unsettling disagreements with my travel mate. I left the OBX for an impromptu night in DC and was able to hangout with my old roommates... It's been a long time since I've seen them and I was almost in tears of happiness as we started our traditional collegiate sushi night. The next day I flew out of Reagan Airport, bound for an empty house in Portland.

And I've been in Maine ever since.

Retrospect: Today and My First Posts

Now.

The adrenaline was still buzzing in my body as I was sliding my surfboard into the back of the Volvo. I just got done with swimming and floating in gentle swells for two hours and I felt completely de-stressed, at peace, and happy. It was a personal best day of surfing for me. I wanted to observe how those feelings translated on my face, so before I even took off my wetsuit, I took a Post-#surf #selfie at Higgins Beach. This will be a good reminder of how inner-peace should feel during the next few months of transition (new country, new job, new friends).

Then.

During my my first Instagram post, just 78 weeks ago, I had only one month before I started my new job with my first assignment in Hong Kong. My plan was to live and work abroad for two years, so most important thing had to be done before I left- a road trip to Texas with my long-distance boyfriend to get my Last Session done on my back tattoo. Tattoo is still here today... boyfriend is not.

Forever.

Hello Instagram Retrospect, Bye bye Vlogs

78 weeks ago I posted my first @globaltumbleweed Instagram. Instagram is my favorite social media app and I have used it consistently over the last 78 weeks to share moments from my life abroad - 10 countries in Asia and Australia. Other than Facebook, it's the network with the most followers.

Since my travels will slow down once I start my new job in Australia (next month!!) I won't be doing any more vlogs but I want my blog posts to be more consistent.

So I will be taking a few minutes and sharing short stories of my Instagrams every few days.

And since IG added a video feature, I will also post some @globaltumbleweed video clips! This is better for everyone... now you won't have to sit through my 6 minute youtube videos and I won't spend hours making them...

I hope you enjoy these little "Retrospect" features as much as I will reminiscing where the last two years have taken me.

Meeting Up with an Old Friend - Zion National Park

After seeing my sister in Los Angeles, I headed to Springdale, Utah - the valley town of Zion National Park.

Town of Springdale and entrance to Zion. View from our rockclimb.

This was my second trip to Zion and the second time spending it with an old friend, Ryan. Ryan and I are pretty good travel mates - we have been all over the east coast together, road-tripped to Texas, hung out in Hong Kong, and snowboarded in Colorado.

We hiked...

The crew - top of Angel's Landing.

We rock climbed...

            

We foraged up rivers...

Waded through freezing water to get to this fork in The Narrows. Zion National Park.

We drove an hour and a half to Bryce Canyon for the day. The park is filled with limestone towers known as hoodoos - they look like giant drip sand castles. It was raining earlier in the day and the sky was looking pretty stormy as we entered the park. As soon as we got to the trailhead it started to hail. It's a mile hike down through mud and a few of us were hesitant to start the hike... but Ryan led us on despite ice falling on us. 

 After a few minutes into the hike, the hail stopped. By the time we reached the bottom of the canyon, the skies had cleared. We did a 6 mile loop, passed a bunch of horse poop and the occasional horse, and called it a day.

Time flies in this peaceful part of the States. You hear so many stories of people visiting once and deciding to call these parks home. In Zion, any stress seems to melt away, and it's easy to embrace the moment.

Special thanks to the Zion Mountain School for their hospitality and gear :) 

A Week in California: LA, SF, Sister & BFF Time

It has been too long since I shared a travel post. I've been constantly on the go - I think if I don't record my travels, then this summer will end up a blur in my memory.

In truth, I have been preoccupied with reintegrating into US society and home… and since I don’t exactly have a house to call a home – I’ve been visiting all the places were my heart resides.

During my first week back in the States:

Sister, Myself, and Best Friend in the Mission

I stayed with my sister who moved to Los Angeles last year. She lives in Panorama City, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood where most signs are in Spanish, there’s amazing ethnic food on every corner, and the male pedestrians feel free to cat-call to any female driving or walking by. Although I’ve lived in plenty of places where the majority of the hood was Hispanic, it was still a culture shock after living in Asia and Australia for a year and a half.

I spent the first few days recovering from jet-lag and an intense stomach bug. After days of sleeping, I ate my first real California meal – El Salvadorian and Mexican cuisine…. Mmm.. pupusas, tamales, platanos, and steak..

Ferry Ride from SF to Oakland for First Friday Art Fair 

My sister and I then drove up north to spend a weekend in San Francisco with one of my roommates from university. We checked out the Richmond, the Mission, Haight-Ashbury, the business district, and Oakland. This was the second short visit I've taken to SF. It's somewhere I see myself settling down - and it was great to view the city through those rose-colored lenses.

Not the PCH but a tumbleweedy road to LA.

We took the PCH halfway down back to LA and then I left the next day to Zion National Park, Utah. 

Global Tumbleweed in Bangkok, Vlog 8

The first real thought I ever gave to Bangkok was a few years ago when a best friend's boyfriend moved to Bangkok for a summer internship. I did a little research and had decided the city was a cesspool of degenerates, prostitutes, and low-quality living. This judgement was completely based on a documentary I watched on Netflix with my roommate.

Fast forward two (maybe three?) years, and I found myself assigned to the questionable city for three months. My job was to promote the country's booming industries and learn about the culture and resiliency of the Thai people.

I am so happy I was able to live in this Southeast Asian metropolis.
Bangkok is the country's city of opportunity, and as a result, 8 million people live in this city (that's the same amount as NYC).

And just like NYC, in this city almost anything goes.

Things to Do:
Shop at Chatuchak Market
Walk down Khao San Road
Eat EVERYWHERE
Drink on Sukhimvit, Soi 11
Take a boat ride down the Chao Phraya River
Learn some Thai

More Honesty...

It’s not often that I share my intimate, personal life and relationships on this blog. This blog is primarily a travel memoir to share with friends and family back home… but I will try to be more open because I believe the transitions I have been experiencing can be related to anyone who is searching for adventure, love, happiness in their career, and eventually, a home.

Writing has always been therapeutic to me - so I'll be using my free time to explore some of the decisions I'm in the process of making. I'd appreciate your advice, guidance, thoughts, or criticisms.