Play it Rockapella!

Back in the day (early 90s), there was a computer game and PBS game show called, "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?"  Carmen and her "henchmen" were villains who pulled heists and caused mayhem around the globe.  Carmen always seemed to be one step ahead of the authorities, so the ace detectives (kids) were needed to capture her.  It was really a show about geography, culture, and history, and my little nerd heart loved it!

Check out this episode.

Of course I had to do a Carmen Sandiego inspired photo shoot before starting my worldwide journey.

 

Fantastic Voyage

My year started with adventure, and more adventure awaits me.

Several years ago, I had a dream of leaving my normal life and traveling the world. I researched different teaching programs and international degrees. I thought about how I would support myself during that time away and I started making financial decisions that would put me in the best position. Instead of stepping out and fulfilling that travel dream, I put my dream on hold and married a man (who didn't have a passport). I didn't totally give up on the idea, but I knew it would probably not happen the way that I hoped. After the marriage ended, I committed to myself that I would finally take that journey, and set a bold goal to do it in 2018. I wasn't exactly sure of how I would do it - I just knew it was going to happen.

I took a step in early 2017 that shocks most people who know me. I became a host with Airbnb, an online platform that matches property owners with travelers looking for inexpensive, local lodging. I live near the airport, so my home is very convenient for guests with delayed/cancelled flights, long layovers, and interviews/business at the airport. I decided to be an Airbnb host for 2 reasons: 1) to make extra money for travel and 2) to become more comfortable with people in my space. I knew that I would probably be renting out my house while traveling, so I needed to ease into having strangers in my house. I also thought ahead about my discomfort with potentially sharing lodging with other travelers, so I shared my home to become more comfortable being around other people. I have had some really great experiences and met very interesting people from around the world. In fact, I have maintained my Super Host status for over a year, which means I provide a superior lodging experience to my guests.

Even after making the decision to travel the world and taking some action toward the goal, I started losing heart toward the end of 2017. I felt like it was a crazy dream, and I was too stable to just take off and travel the world. That's something for kids that have just graduated, not for a single woman approaching 40 with a good job and a great life. I started doubting myself and my dream and pretty much gave up until I had a conversation with one of my mentors at the beginning of 2018. I shared my dream with her and my doubts and fears, and she told me to do it before it was too late. Her faith in me was exactly what I needed to hear at that very moment. I was also inspired by a few other women in my life who walked away from what was comfortable and stepped out on faith to do the impossible.  I decided to make it happen in 2018, and I made a verbal commitment to start my journey in July. A few weeks later, I picked a date and circled it on the calendar as a visual reminder of my commitment to myself. A couple of months later, I did one of the scariest things I have ever done. I went to Skyscanner, and I entered my departure airport and the departure date that I circled on the calendar. In the destination field, I typed "Everywhere", and scanned the list of locations from lowest to highest price. I bought a one-way ticket to Thailand! I felt my heart racing. Did I really just do that? I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and tears began to flow. I was excited and scared at the same time. That's what my friend, Charlotte, calls "doing it afraid".

I'm calling my worldwide journey, "Operation Let Go". I have a list of places that I would like to visit and basic entry requirements for those countries, but I'm not locking myself into a set schedule. A couple of people have asked me if this trip is my version of Eat, Pray, Love. Am I trying to find myself? Am I trying to get over heartbreak? Am I depressed? The answer is no to all of those questions. I am whole and I am well. This journey is about me fulfilling a dream at a time when I have the opportunity, the resources, and the good health to do so.

I have 2 objectives:
1) I will be open to the experience and what the universe has to offer. I will just live in the moment.
2) I will help other people in the capacity that they need, both as an individual and by partnering with charitable organizations.

My experience with ziplining and the Tarzan Swing earlier this year in Costa Rica is symbolic of the next chapter in my life. It might be scary, but at the end, I'll be able to say, "I did it!"

I will share more about my preparation for the trip in the coming weeks. Subscribe to this blog to ride along on this "Fantastic Voyage" and read about my adventures.

Doing it afraid!

2018 is my year of adventure!

I started the year by doing something I never thought I would do voluntarily. When I booked my birthday trip to Costa Rica, the package at the Blue River Resort included 4 excursions - hiking to a waterfall, tubing, touring a dino park, and ziplining. I decided that I would finally give ziplining a try after saying for years that I wanted to keep my feet firmly on the ground.

On the morning of the tour, I walked to the front office at the designated time to meet my guides. When I arrived, they told me I would be the only person on the tour that morning. I later realized that was the perfect scenario for a newbie like me, because all of their attention to safety was focused on me and I could go at my own pace without feeling rushed by other guests. I signed the waiver, and we boarded the van to the starting point. I was given a helmet, a glove, a harness, and instructions on how to hold on to the line and stop. One guide went ahead of me to stand on the platform, and the other guide stayed on the platform behind me setting me up in the harness and sending me off to meet guide #1 on the other side. There were 9 lines with a Tarzan swing at the end.

I hung on the way that they told me to, and I zipped over the Costa Rican rainforest screaming and with a racing heart. One of the lines required that I flip over and hang upside down from the line. Wait, what? After the initial shock of being suspended in the air, I would relax into it for a couple of seconds and look out over the canopy at the luscious green earth below, and then it was over.

I was so scared, but I did it anyway.

Pura Vida

1/28/18

Today, is my 37^th birthday.  I woke up to rain hitting the roof of my cabana in the Costa Rican rainforest.  I’m supposed to go for a hike in a couple of hours, and later, I will zipline for the first time.  After ziplining, I’m going to do a mudbath and massage.  All of these things are new to me (except the massage), and I would not want do them normally.  This is my year of stepping out of the box and doing things that make me uncomfortable.  I will walk into my fears and discomfort, and do IT anyway.  I am grateful to God for all that I’ve experienced so far, and I know that there is even more in store for me. 

On my half birthday, July 28, 2017, I declared that would not be alone on my birthday.  Although I didn’t have a travel companion, I met a couple at the resort, and we’ve been hanging out together.  It didn’t manifest the way that I expected, but I still received the companionship that I desired.

I am enjoying the natural beauty all around me.  I know that the same God that created the rain, the volcano, the flowers and plants, animals, butterflies, hot springs, etc.  also created beauty within me, I radiate the beauty and light of God.

1/29/18

Today, is my last full day in Costa Rica.  I woke up the sound of the rain pounding on the roof and the birds chirping in the distance.  It has been the same ritual for the past 4 days.  I fall asleep early (before 10pm).  Rain pours down every night, and I am awakened by its clamor on the roof in the middle of the night and each morning between 6 and 6:30am.  The workers said it’s the same every day of the year.  Thus, the term rain forest.  It rains off and on throughout the morning and then stops midday for the sun to make an appearance for a few hours.  I painted my toenails with a polish that changes colors in the sun, but I haven’t seen much of the color transition since I’ve arrived.  If sunbathing was my top priority for coming here, I would be deeply disappointed.  However, since it wasn’t, I’m enjoying the rhythm of the rain and how it bookends each day.  

The level of rain determines the activities for the day too.  For example, the plan was to go tubing with a couple that I met the day before my birthday, but the river was too high that day.  Yesterday, I was supposed to zipline (canopy), but a limb fell on one of the cables during the rain, so ziplining was canceled that day.  I went tubing instead, and that was an adventure I was not prepared to do.  My idea of tubing was floating peacefully in the water, like the Lazy River at Wet n’ Wild.  The water was rough, and there were big rocks all along the course.  I flipped off the tube so many times I lost count.  No wonder they gave us kneepads, elbow pads, a helmet, and of course a life jacket.  We also had to sign a liability waiver before we started.  That should have been a red flag.  I walked away with my adrenaline pumping and bruises covering my hips, legs, and butt from hitting so many rocks.  After that adventure, I returned to the resort to prepare for an afternoon massage appointment.

I ate a small lunch after tubing and still had some time to kill before going to the spa.  I decided to go to the natural sauna and mudbath while I waited.  The natural sauna is a small wooded shed with an open floor sitting over a hot spring.  The resort recommends staying in the sauna for 15 minutes to relax and open the pores before stepping out to apply the mineral-rich volcanic mud all over your body.  After the mud dries, then you wash it off in the outside showers that flow back into the spring.  I followed the instructions, and I found the sunniest space in the clearing to stand and allow the mud to dry.  I did a few sun salutations and other yoga poses while I waited on the mud to dry.  After I washed off the mud, I hurried to the spa for my birthday massage.  I signed up for the Swedish massage, although in hindsight, I probably should have done the deep tissue massage instead.