If you don't know yet or are light on the details, I'll fill you in. I'll warn you now, it's going to be a long post. For those of you who feel like you already know and don't want to keep reading, I just want to at least make sure you know that while I'll try to email (omgitscarlyn@gmail.com OR carlyn_kelley@yahoo.com)/skype (carlyn.kelley) whenever I can, this will likely be the best way for me to give people updates and I'll be starting to write posts now in the final month before I leave to give people more information. There is a place in the right sidebar of this blog where you can subscribe via email so that you can be notified whenever I add a new post so if you're interested, please do that!
I love to travel, meet new people, try new things and learn. I've also always lived in pretty much the exact same region. I'm not complaining, the Washington, D.C. region has a lot to offer. And I've been fortunate enough in my 26 years to have visited every state on the east coast, Kentucky (for the Derby, of course!), Chicago, Texas, New Mexico, Vegas, Hawaii, Louisiana and California, as well as the Bahamas twice and Costa Rica once. I'm so grateful that I've gotten to do that so far, but I've always had this thought in my mind that I'd like to spend an extended period of time traveling and experiencing other places in the world. Not just a vacation. I don't think I'm unique in that regard. Many people I've talked to have expressed the desire to do the same thing. And with the exception of a small handful, most people haven't, and have the same excuses/reasons I do or that you're thinking of why not to right now.
For a long time, I didn't do it for reasons such as I was afraid to leave a boyfriend or friends and family behind and miss out on experiences with them. Or, I thought it'd be too hard to make it work financially or because I had a good job or at least one that paid the bills and I didn't want to seem irresponsible in what has always been a down economy since I graduated. Also, because as much as this is something I want, it's a pretty scary idea to go it alone.
I decided to be bold and just go for it, so this is the short version of what I'm doing:
- I'm leaving in early February for a road trip down the east coast. I'll be stopping through Myrtle Beach, SC first to see friends and family, then making my way down to Florida to spend time in the Keys and with friends in Miami.
- Following that, I'll be flying to Goa, India (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/goa). I'll be spending a month in this beautiful part of India, the birthplace of my beloved yoga, getting my yoga teacher's certification. I don't know that I want to stop everything I'm doing and become a yoga teacher, but I might want to do it on the side on some nights or weekends when I return or if nothing else, it will be a great personal challenge for me doing something I enjoy for a whole month and it make me a better student of yoga. I'm getting my certification at this place in Goa called Ashiyana (http://www.ashiyana-yoga-goa.com/index.shtml).
- From India, I'll then make my way to Argentina (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/argentina). I'll be flying into Buenos Aires, but in the month that I'll be spending there, I plan to do some traveling to other parts of the country, including the Andes mountains and their wine country. I want to spend some time in the city, and some in the country, and I really look forward to doing some horseback riding here. I chose Argentina because it is know to have European influence in addition to Latin American, but at half the cost of going to Europe because the dollar is so much stronger in South America. It was important to me to spend part of my trip in a Spanish-speaking country because I really want to work on my spanish and they say immersion is the best way! I am also interested in finding something here that I can volunteer my time doing.
- From Argentina, I'll be flying into California, and then renting a car to road trip down the bottom of the United States, hitting the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, El Paso (to see family), New Orleans, and finally Destin, where my brother and his wife should still be living. I'll likely fly home from there.
There are a ton of reasons not to do it, but I recently had cause to stop and think about what I'd regret NOT doing if I were to look back on my life later on, and this trip... this risk... was right there at the top of the list. Nothing else comes even close. Once I realized that, it became a no brainer. This is just the kind of thing I had to do. And though I'm young, I've acquired enough wisdom so far in life to learn that there is no such thing as perfect timing, so you just have to take control. If you wait, you could be waiting forever. And the thing about forever is that it's always in front of you... it never is *actually* happening to you.
So yes, I have a great job that I am leaving behind and am taking a risk that it won't be here for me when I return, but that is the only really bad thing about doing this now. Other than that, this is a pretty good time. This is the best possible opportunity, I believe. I'm single, I have no children, I have no mortgage and I'm young and energetic. A lot of people ask me about the job and money and safety because they're worried for me about that, so I'm going to spend a little bit of time sharing my rationale.
Are my finances going to take a little bit of a hit for me to do this? Yea. But I do have some means already to do this and have some very supportive people in my life that have in their own ways, helped me make this possible financially. Also, consider some of the things that other people my age are paying for that I am not right now. And there is nothing wrong with the fact that they are, we all just value different things:
- The average Masters graduate owes about $30,000. Not saying I never want it, but I want more time to decide and though unconventional, I will be getting an education on my trip and I already have my Bachelors, which I'm comfortable with for now
- Plastic surgeries that have become popular with people my age set them back thousands of dollars. There is nothing I plan on changing there.
- The average cost for a brand new car in 2011 was near $30,000. And in the area I live in, I know people are spending way more than that. I'm not really interested personally in driving new or super nice cars, so this is something you could say I'm spending that money on instead
- The average American has over $15,000 in credit card debt, never mind other debts. Other than a little I put on credit cards, I have NONE :)
- Having children costs a lot. I don't have any and don't plan to for a while. I'm just not there.
... I think you get the point I'm trying to make. Just want to put things in perspective for people who are worried about me. I'm a healthy amount of worried.. just enough to make me not spend like a maniac and do this trip lavishly... but not so much that I'm going to let it put the fear in me to not go at all.
Leaving my job in this market is a risk and it's not that I don't worry about it at all, but I also believe in myself and I'm not one to come home and start trying to freeloading off of others, so I will be dedicated to either going back to my position with my current company, or finding another job if that is not an option or no longer my interest. I also think this trip will actually add to the value I can bring to whatever I pursue professionally. Since I will be traveling mostly alone, I will be enhancing my ability to problem solve because I'll be figuring things out on my own. I'll also likely be inspired creatively, and I'll have more international and cultural knowledge. I also informed my current company about this in such a way so as not to burn any bridges and to give them plenty of time to prepare because I really care about the company, and I think that speaks to my professionalism.
The last thing people are really worried about is if I'm going to be kidnapped/killed/raped/mugged. I have a healthy awareness that those things happen and that there are things I can do that make me less of a target. I know what "stupid" things not to do. I know that as a woman alone in different culture, I have to take some measures and be alert of some things I wouldn't normally here at home. Trust me, I've done LOTS of research! However I'm not going to let this paralyze me with fear and keep me from going or keep me from enjoying and experiencing my trip. I'll make friends. I'll explore. And I'll take care of myself the best I can. I believe MORE in the good in people and more than anything, I'm excited about all the friends I know I'm going to make. Yes, the world can be a dangerous place but please remember:
- The United States in included in that and I myself have been in plenty of scary situations and unfortunately witnessed the worst in people right here in the USA. It's good to be smart EVERYWHERE, including at home!
- I'm not the first person to do this and make it back in one piece. TONS of people chose to take some time for long term travel and even go it alone. If you want to know more about this kind-of culture, check out http://www.vagabonding.net/ or http://www.bootsnall.com/
- The media dramatizes everything. One person goes missing in another country and everyone seems to freak out and say it's so dangerous to go. The media doesn't tell you how many Americans safely went there and came back and had a fabulous time.
Hopefully that answers a lot of questions about why I'm going on this trip and eases people's minds a little about some of the up-front concerns. I don't mean to come off as defensive, but I have already gotten a lot of questions about these things, so I thought I'd just put it out there. Also, they're reasons for YOU to do this if you've been wanting to. I hope you're excited for me and I hope you also feel inspired to just go ahead and go after your dreams! Even if you can't just go and do whatever it is next week, maybe you can figure out what steps you need to take and start making forward progress. Whatever you think about my trip, I think we can agree about this, 2012 is definitely my year to be bold!!!
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