My Nomad Anniversary
Today marks 4 years of being a nomad. Happy Anniversary to me and my suitcases! 4 years of new experiences and new people and 4 years of new countries and new cultures. 4 years of epic adventures and epic mishaps. And 4 years of being terrified but doing it scared.
When I first sold my condo and packed everything up, it was supposed to be a ‘gap year.’ One year to travel, volunteer and explore. One year of getting to know who I was outside of being a mom and dance teacher and wife. (Because despite being divorced, I was still ‘wife-ing’). It is hilarious to me now that I thought I would figure everything out in one year! I absolutely did not figure anything out that first year… except that I wasn’t ready to go back to my ‘old life.’ And I wasn’t ready to start a new one in a new place. I loved exploring and all my new experiences. And I loved living outside of my comfort zone.
And so began my nomad journey. I have visited so many places, met many new and wonderful people and done so many pet sits that I could not fit everything in one blog post. I also randomly lived in Hong Kong for a year. That was truly a roller coaster of a year, with a lot of lows and painful lessons.
In fact, every year for the past 4 years I have been gifted with unexpected lessons and adventures I could not have imagined. I have experienced heartbreak, wonder, sorrow and joy. And I have learned so many lessons that I could write a book. (Actually, I have several chapters of a book drafted. However, I had this idea that I would finish it when I finally figured “it” out but I am starting to think that is a goal not worth chasing and also not easily measured.)
So in honor of 4 years, here are 4 of my favorite countries, 4 of my favorite adventures, 4 epic fails and 4 random lessons.
Favorite Countries
I really struggled to choose only 4 as every country has its own unique beauty. And if it was a different day, I might choose a different 4, but right now, my top 4 would be Guatemala, Peru, Vietnam and Scotland.
1. Guatemala was where I met the kindest people and learned so much about perceptions and privilege. I also climbed a couple of volcanoes, learned I was much stronger than I thought and found a little bit of myself I thought I had lost for good.
2. Peru was also full of the kindest people and some of the coolest adventures. In Peru, I got to discover the joy and the challenges of living somewhere new, instead of just visiting. I found a lot of peace in Peru, made some friends and I also discovered how to be playful again.
3. Vietnam was so incredibly beautiful and I only explored a small part of it. A country is so much about the people and in Vietnam, I met a woman that both humbled and inspired me. And I recaptured the wonder of solo travel and found some peace that I had lost in Hong Kong.
4. Scotland was a surprise to me – it was not on my ‘list’ but I am grateful that I took a random pet sit in a small Scottish town north of Edinburgh. I just love the wild and rugged beauty of northern Scotland, the rolling green hills dotted with sheep in southern Scotland, the charming and old-fashioned but still efficient villages and the great city of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is full of real people and amazing history. It has an old-fashioned charm to it but it is also very raw and real.
Favorite Adventures
When I started thinking about my adventures, I realized how many cool things I have done the past 4 years. And more than that, how many times I have completely pushed myself not only outside my comfort zone but past my physical limits.
Adventure #1 – Climbing Acatenango in Guatemala. I almost didn’t finish and I cried when I did. It was the most challenging physical thing I had done, outside of childbirth. But like childbirth, it was totally worth it. One of the best nights of my life and the most incredible sunrise I think I will ever see.
Adventure #2 – Para gliding in Peru. Absolutely terrifying and I absolutely want to do it again. Floating above the Sacred Valley was just as magical as you might imagine.
Adventure #3 – Scuba diving in the Philippines. I had wanted to learn how to scuba dive since my first time snorkeling in Mexico, over 20 years ago. I finally decided to take the plunge (see what I did there 😉 and signed up for a full certification course and then booked a trip to the Philippines to do the open water dives. It was overwhelming and challenging and harder than I expected. It was also humbling and beautiful. There is an entire universe under the water that will take your breath away.
Adventure #4 – Exploring the Sacred Valley on the back of a motorbike for a day. So much fun – I felt wild and brave and free. 10/10!
Epic Fails
One thing I have learned is that if you are going to go new places, by yourself, especially countries where you do not speak the language, you are going to have a combination of mistakes, mishaps and failures. They are part of the journey and sometimes they turn into great memories and great stories. Other times, they are crappy mistakes that you hope to not repeat. And sometimes they are painful, cost a lot of money and make you question your decision making skills.
Epic Fail #1 – that time I realized 3 months is not the same as 90 days and overstayed my tourist visa in Peru. This resulted in an unexpected chain of events that led to me actually walking across the Peru-Bolivia border, dragging my massive suitcase along an unpaved road. I was laughing at myself the whole time and never felt too worried. I only had to pay a small fine, which was inconvenient but not expensive and then spend an hour sweating as I walked from one country to another. And now I pay better attention to the ‘fine print’ on visas 😉
Epic Fail #2 – that time, the US Border agent decided I was trying to illegally enter the US to work there. Based on my online teaching material and overly packed car, I was detained for over 6 hours and then sent back to Canada. Denied entry to the US and ‘red flagged’ for 3 years. That one cost me a lot of money and I still struggle to find any lessons or humor in it.
Epic Fail #3 – that time I took a job in another country for a whole year but didn’t do enough research about the company I was working for. I had so much excitement and optimism when I went to teach in Hong Kong but most of it sucked (I’m sorry but I don’t have a more eloquent word for it.) Teaching in Hong Kong taught me a lot and helped refine some of my personal values. I also loved the city but the job – massive epic fail!
Epic Fail #4 – that time I was doing the Camino de Santiago and I didn’t bring enough cash, and my debit card stopped working, and I couldn’t access my bank accounts and only a few places took credit cards. A lot of stress and worry in what was supposed to be this calm and spiritual pilgrimage… which actually was the epic fail part. I let money and stress about money take away some of my peace on the journey. Now I worry less, trust more and always have extra cash.
Random Lessons
Random Lesson #1 – I have gained a wild amount of confidence in my ability to do things. This is not to say that I think I can do things well or even that I have gained a lot of confidence in all areas of my life. But I have learned that I, actually all of us in case you are wondering, can do more things than we think we can. You just have to go for it. Do it imperfectly and messily and mostly just don’t stop when it sucks. Just keep trying. Also, even if you fail, no one really cares and you can always try again. Or not.
Random Lesson #2 – This is a cliche but it’s true. Experiences over things every single time. (Unless it’s local art or from a local market. Then do the thing AND buy the art.)
Random Lesson #3 – The less that people have, the more that they share. This is more of an observation than a lesson. But it has made me realize that I have more than enough and now I try to share more.
Random Lesson #4 – Last one is that being alone and being lonely are two wildly different things. In my experience, being lonely has more to do with not being who you are. You can be totally alone and filled with peace and you can be in a crowded room and filled with loneliness. This is not to say that I never miss my people – there are many times that I deeply miss my people. But since becoming a nomad, I am much less lonely than before.
Thanks for being a part of my nomad journey. I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since I “quit my life.” It seems both longer and shorter than that. Also I haven’t blogged in quite a while – the past few months have been filled with a lot of life. Having said that, I want to do a blog soon about what being a nomad actually looks like on a day to day basis. I’m also going to write about Scotland, Ireland and the Portuguese Camino. Please let me know which I should write next! Thanks for reading and please feel free to share.
Some posts you might like about a few of my favorite places and adventures.
