I turned 29 two days ago and feel like I’m ready to take on the world.
So I bought myself a passport and a one-way ticket to Bangkok.
Leave Madison next Saturday, and the US on January 18th.
Excited for 29 and all the adventures to come.
If you’re here you might have a million questions about why or how or WTF. All are good questions. But honestly, I’m not going to have great answers for you.
This is intentionally a “no-plan plan.”
But I’ve attempted to capture some of the most frequently asked questions below...
“Okay…. so wait… what?!”
I’m sorry, I don’t know how to answer that question….
“Where are you going?”
Not totally sure, there’s intentionally no concrete plan.
“When are you coming back?”
Also not sure. I think I’ll have enough resources to sustain myself for a year or so, but who knows.
"Are you gonna be in Bangkok the whole time?"
Nope. Will be all over -- just starting there.
“Are you going to (some specific country/location)? “
No idea. Should I be?
“Are you looking for good-people connections? I have a friend who lives in ________!”
Yes. Would love any and all connections to good people you have. I love meeting new people and make friends pretty easily. :)
“Are you going solo?”
Kinda. My sister Hannah is actually going to be with me for the first couple of months (she’s taking a semester off of school specifically to explore), and then will likely be solo from then on out.
“What’d your mom and dad say?”
They freaked out a little at first, but they’re ultra supportive now. I’ve always been a really independent person, and when I make up my mind that I want to go after something… there’s really no talking me out of it. I’ll be honest though — I’ve had two legitimate nightmares that I’m home for Christmas break and my mom tries to have a GPS tracking chip implanted in my arm while I’m sleeping. But she’s been pretty cool lately. It really means a lot to me that my parents support my dreams, no matter how unconventional or crazy they seem at times. They’ll probably come see me once or twice next year.
“Will you be working at all?”
Yes, on my own stuff, and I’ll also be doing some work for the organization I work for currently for (healthTIDE) part-time through June.
“What do you mean, ‘your own stuff’?”
I’m really excited to explore the ways in which the rest of the world interacts with the issues I really care about — food, movement, sport, feminism, community, etc. etc. etc. I’m essentially using this time as a year of ethnographic study — field work, if you will — to study the ways in which the rest of the world uses food and movement and sport to (1) connect more deeply with themselves, (2) how these things transcend and unite communities, and (3) how these things shape society and culture at large. I don’t feel like I’m gonna have to try super hard to structure this, as these are the subjects that have always been on my heart and that I work on personally and professionally already. This could all change, obviously. No plan, right?
“Are you planning to write, be on social, or document your trip somehow?”
Yep. Likely writing, some social, and maybe some video — who knows.
“Are you sad to leave Madison?”
Yeah. Beyond sad. I’ve been here for 10 years now — roughly a third of my life. This place, in so many ways, built me. It shaped me. It changed me. It’s definitely bittersweet to be leaving. (More on this in a future post).
“Are you scared?”
Not really. Pretty excited. I was kinda anxious about all the unknowns before — but I’m over that now.
“Are you crazy?”
I sure hope so. All the best people are.
I absolutely love this (also a secret dream to take off into the unknown and immerse in another culture). Can not wait to hear/see all about this journey - I have a feeling this is gonna be good. Formal request to please do some vlogging as a layer of communication and exploring. You’d be great at it!