Here we go....

While its a fairly trivial step, I am now one step closer to a trip I have been planning for months... I started a blog. Last November I decided I am quitting my job, packing up and moving to New Zealand for a year. Step one was getting the visa (accomplished in January) and step two was booking the flight (booked for May 17th). Having a date was the most exciting because it made it real, but everything I do now gets me more and more excited. I still have a lot to do and every once in awhile it gets overwhelming, but at the same time I wouldn't be more happy than if my flight were tomorrow.

The hardest part so far has been trying to find a job. I have been in school for Yacht Design for the past two years and I would love nothing more than to finally become immersed in the industry. Unfortunately the industry isn't really booming right now and jobs are pretty scarce but I've had some wonderful help and made excellent connections. I keep hearing "sorry, we can't really take on anyone else right now" but people seem willing to help so I remain optimistic. My biggest goal is to travel, so if I have to wait a little longer for my dream job, then so be it. At the same time, if you happen to know anyone in the industry, feel free to send them my way :)

So far I have been trying hard to not have a plan, to see where the wind takes me, but i'm so excited that's all I want to do. I've traveled internationally before (Kenya for 2 months and India for 3), but those trips were planned by other people and while I was technically living there, I wasn't really a normal citizen. There is a lot more to think about when you are going to be a productive member of society. There's also the second task of wrapping up the life I have here. My travels before left me with a few boxes shoved in a closet at my parents. Now I'm a real adult with a much larger number of boxes and contracts to cancel. Motivation at work is becoming harder and harder to come by, but knowing I'm so close helps a lot.

My goal with this blog is to keep my family and friends updated on my trip and share the latest news and stories without having to flood everyone's inboxes with extremely lengthy e-mails they probably don't have time to read. So here is my story. Read it at your own leisure and enjoy.