Hey, everyone! Well… it has been a minute. I am just a few days away from beginning the next and final (for now) leg of my longer term travels. I’ll be starting in Taiwan on the 20th of February. I’ll talk more on my travel itinerary later, but for now I wanted to chat about my time in the Midwest the past three months.

Three Months at Home

This is going to be quite long and a lot of “I was by my parents, then I was by my brothers, then I was blah, blah, blah.” Feel free to just skip through and look at the pictures if you’d prefer. It was a lot to try and remember haha. More than anything, it’s for me to catalogue the visit. In the last blog post, I think I covered the below events:

-arriving back in the States and staying by Joey/Rob for a few nights
-quick visit with Dan and a pregnant Maisie, an afternoon with Michael, and lunch with Gretchen
-the Allie X show with Joey and Rob (feat. Michael and Brandon)
-Thanksgiving and my birthday in Michigan with family
-about a week spent hanging with Dillan

After a week in Michigan, I returned to the suburbs. I stayed by my brother Mike for a night or two, then went by Dan and Maisie. Dan and Maisie were having their baby shower, so I was hanging out with them leading up to that for a few days. The baby shower was lovely and the food was incredible. And it just kept COMING haha. It was really cool to spend time with Dan and Maisie so soon before their first baby was being born. And how serendipitous that I was home during this! I originally bought my flights home before knowing they were expecting. I think it was even before they knew they were expecting.

Once the baby shower finished, Joey and Rob picked me up and we spent some time with Joey’s mom Jeanne before heading back to the city. Jeanne had recently taken to putting food scraps in her backyard, attracting all types of nocturnal critters. Throughout the night, we watched through the glass doors and observed our guests. A few raccoons came by, a possum, and even a skunk! It was really cool to see them. I don’t think I’d ever seen these creatures up close with proper lighting.

After Jeanne’s, I spent a few days in the city with Joey and Rob, and a few days by Michael and Brandon in Uptown. Michael’s friend/coworker came to stay with him as well, so we all did some day excursions together.

Then it was back to Michigan for two weeks. The initial weeks of my visit went quickly – I was trying to at least get some face time in with everybody before settling down a little bit. Michigan was a much chiller, relaxed pace. It was so cold at times, we were basically forced to stay indoors. Prisoners to the Midwestern cold.

My nephew Dillan came up to spend a few days around Christmas. My mom and I had gone shopping to get him gifts and do a little “scavenger hunt.” He’s thirteen now and so we decided to theme all the gifts around self-care. Getting his first face wash, cologne, deodorant, etc. My dad gave him a shaving lesson, as he had with my brothers and me. I taught him how to apply face wash, and my mom taught him the cologne. It was really adorable, and such a cute tradition my parents have carried out for Dillan. They’ve been doing it for a couple of years at this point!

After Christmas, my parents took me back to Mike’s place in the burbs. As a Christmas treat, he had bought tickets for himself, his partner and her daughter, Dillan, and I to check out the light show at the Morton Arboretum. It was really cool – some of the light instillations were pretty trippy and unique. Later, we retired at Mike’s apartment and goofed off for the rest of the evening.

Another day, Mike and Dillan dropped me off by Michael’s parents house. His sister Kelly was in town and I hadn’t seen her since she moved to San Francisco. It was really nice to reconnect and to see Michael’s parents. I hadn’t seen them since before I left for Australia… maybe?

I then stopped by Dan and Maisie again for a night or two. They cooked up some delicious food, as per usual.

Just before New Year’s Eve, Joey and Rob picked me up and we went to see Kathy Griffin at the Chicago theatre. Thanks, guys!

While I love laughing, I’m not the biggest fan of stand-up, so I was a bit wary. I do like Kathy, though. I had seen Kathy’s documentary that came out regarding all the backlash from her decapitated head fiasco. The show was honestly amazing. The best stand-up I’ve ever seen (not that I’ve seen heaps lol). It felt really cool to be supporting her and seeing her first tour since that debacle. She told tons of hilarious stories, but it was also sad to hear about everything she’d gone through as a result and after all that. Lots of pain. Once the show finished, we drove back to Lisle to blow off fireworks for New Year’s Eve. We also each pulled a Tarot card to represent the year ahead. Mine was an Arcane card – Temperance (which is a card for moderation, balance, and patience).

I visited with Michael and Brandon again, and we went out to eat with Rob and Joey. It was the first time the four of us ever had a proper hang session for an extended period of time. So nice to bring friends together!

On another day, I took the bus out to Forest Park to see my dear friend Jen. We went out to a vegan diner, had some yummy food, and caught up. I hung out with her most of the afternoon and then took the bus back to Joey and Rob’s. On another day, I saw my old friend Austin – we had food, caught up and played video games. We also mused about how we’ve known each other for 20 years at this point, which is crazy!

The next day, I met up with some old coworkers/friends Terra, Kate, and Rachel. Once finished, we went back to Rachel’s house to hang out for a bit. Joining us was Rachel’s husband and son. I was in the neighborhood, so I hit up my former partner Elliott, and we hung out for a little over an hour before I had to meet Joey and Rob.

I went back by Dan in the suburbs. While there, I met up with my oldest friend Ellen for dinner. I’ve known Ellen since preschool, believe it or not. The funniest part of our friendship is that the only time we were in school together WAS preschool. So we maintained our friendship for 30+ years, and that’s not even including school. It was so, so good to catch up with her. She is doing well and I’m really proud of her, and proud of us for staying friends all this time.

It was my last time with Dan and Maisie prior to them having their kid. We went to get some wings for dinner, and talked about how different their lives would be the next time I saw them.

I returned to Michigan and spent a couple weeks with my folks there. We took Gizmo for walks, went out to eat with their friend Ellen, and otherwise chilled. My mom made some incredible comfort meals, as she always does. She has perfected her pizza so well, I don’t think any pizza joint in the world will ever compare. The soups, too! Her broth is exceptional.

I was also happy to receive a care package from my friend Gene in Cairns, Australia. He sent me the book Fight Club, some Australian cereal, cookies, lollies, a candle, a hat, a book about crocodile sightings (very Australian) and more. It was so many things. Very unexpected and kind of him.

The morning I was heading back to Illinois for my final visits, I found out my baby nephew Bonham was born. I was feeling incredibly grateful that everything worked out well and that there were no issues with Maisie’s labor. I found out about Bonham when he was the size of a blueberry, so it was really incredible to have him grow to the size of… a BABY! A couple days later, I took the train out to meet my nephew. Dan picked me up from the train station and we went to get some flowers for Maisie. Upon our arrival, there was Maisie and… a baby! He was so much smaller than I’d imagined he would be. It had been a very long time since I’d seen an infant. Incredible. We caught up about the experience at the hospital and what it was like to be new parents. Later in the day, Maisie asked if I wanted to feed him – which, of course. I remarked a couple of times how bizarre it was to have another human being in our family. We went for a walk with Bonham in the stroller. It was such a neat experience – seeing Dan and Maisie navigating being new parents and interacting with their child.

I also spent some time with Mike and Dillan. Dillan loves to ski, so Mike and I sat in his car for an hour and a half, trying to spot Dillan in a crowd of people skiing/snowboarding down the hill at his apartment complex. I would have joined Dill, but I don’t have health insurance at the moment and I had a feeling I would break an ankle lol.

I stayed a few days with Michael and Brandon in the city. We went to a goth dance party, which was pretty bizarre but cute. Otherwise, it was a calm affair. I would do my own thing during the day, and in the evening we’d all hang out and talk, play games, make food, etc. Sometimes Michael and I would go out to eat. My highlight was probably when Koda got her bi-weekly massage LOL. There was also a crazy fight between humans at the dog park. People be cray.

I then went by Joey and Rob for my last few days. We went out to eat, and watched really good movies and shows. They had work during the day, so I ended up seeing Ellen one more time. We had an art date at Panera. I also stopped in the burbs once again to see my nephew. Before my brother drove me back to the train station, a wave of emotion rolled through me while saying goodbye to Bonham. I said to Maisie and Dan, “I just wish I could be…” and then I got choked up. Here, present, around to see him grow up in these early months of his life. So many things, right? But here I was, about to embark on yet another adventure – the final phase of a plan I’ve had for years. Maisie knew what I was trying to say, and responded with, “but you will be. We will be giving you all the updates and video calling, etc.” I hugged her and my brother tightly and expressed how happy I was that they have Bonham now and that everything went smoothly with pregnancy and labor. They pivoted the conversation to how excited they were to hear about my upcoming travels.

I was still teary as Dan drove me to the train station. He reiterated how I’m going to have the best time, how he can’t wait to hear about everything, and to hear about me going to some of the places he and Maisie had already been to.

It is honestly the strangest thing to say goodbye (for now). Time doesn’t stop just because I leave – life continues on for everybody else. And I miss out on so much back home. Travel is a double-edged sword in that way.

While farewells are hard, I have gotten better at them. I always feel a little guilty if I cry, because I want my loved ones to see me leaving happily. When they see me crying, that makes them sad, I think. But it’s a beautiful thing, right? Emotion, love, heartache, the heaviness of being apart.

And then suddenly, it was time to say goodbye to even Joey and Rob. Rob woke me up early in the morning before he went to work and we shared a goodbye hug. Later, I joined Joey in an Uber on the way to his job. He gave me a knowing smirk. We’d been here before. We talked about what our next year would look like. There is some exciting traveling that will be happening for Joey and Rob in the future – maybe they’ll be starting a blog of their own soon. While driving downtown, I saw the blue line which, I kid you not, had a promotional sign for Taiwan on it. My next stop. A premonition, and a good omen for the future.

I’ve been back by my parents since then, and will be until I leave for the airport in a few days. My mom and I went for massages, which were excellent. My mom hasn’t gotten one in five years, if you can believe it! We also went to St. Joseph one day to check out some cool ice sculptures that had been set up all over town. We went out for pho – at this Vietnamese restaurant my parents have been raving about for nearly a year. It had been closed down last time I was home due to some rain damage and was finally opened again. It did not disappoint!

Otherwise, we’ve watched some good shows and movies, have taken Gizmo out for multiple walks, and have relaxed and enjoyed one another’s company. It was my mom’s birthday on Valentine’s Day, so we went to the beach and had some Chicago-style hot dogs. We proceeded to watch Hacks majority of the evening. Happy birthday, Ma!

This weekend, Mike and Dillan might be coming up, if the snow doesn’t get too bad. I have my fingers crossed, because we didn’t really have a proper farewell. We shall see. And then on Thursday, before my flight, we’re going to go see Bonham one more time. That is a new development (hence why I got emotional saying goodbye last time I saw him), but I’m excited to see them once more before I go!

Things to look forward to. Hellos and goodbyes.

Miscellaneous

My nephew Dillan and I always do these “battles,” where we both play as characters that are good and evil (guess which one I am – *insert devil emoji*), and we basically come up with a different story/lore about them every time. The battles started just before I was leaving for Australia and have continued ever since. This visit, we’ve had some damn good battles and storylines. We created a character called Zork… and we also created a separate game entirely… also called Zork. In that game, we turn all the lights off and I basically hide in the room scaring the shit out of my nephew in the dark. It’s hilarious LOL. My favorite game to play.

Dan and Maisie bought me… a NINTENDO SWITCH! I have wanted one for years now – mostly so I could play Zelda games. I’m not much of a gamer, but I am a total sucker for the Zelda franchise. It was a super generous gift. While I’ve wanted one for ages, I haven’t been able to justify the cost. I figured – “well, that’s about a week in hostels and food. I’ll get it at some point.” But Dan is a gamer himself, and knows the joys of gaming, so he surprised me with it one day. He figured it would be a great pastime on long bus/train rides and flights. He’s right. I’m currently chugging through Skyward Sword, which I’ve never played before. It’s really good!

My parents gave me the very generous gift of some cashola as well. A little boost for my travels. I’m so grateful for that, as it will help with buying a flight or two. Thanks, guys!!

The other day, Marion tagged me in a photo I’d never seen before. She and I were on the balcony of the Queenstown hostel, where she was having a cigarette and we were chatting about something. I think it actually was RIGHT after the crazy Green Lake Hut tramp we did.

Everyone I stayed with had pets. Joey and Rob have two kitties. My parents have Gizmo. Dan and Maisie have Bambi and Maia. Mike has Fred and Cudd. Michael and Brandon have Koda and Toph. LOTS of animal love in my life. And lots of dog walks haha. I think about 50% of my time home was spent walking dogs hahaha. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love animals!

And, hey, lots of love in my life in general. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to family and friends alike for hosting me, feeding me, spending time with me, MAKING time for me. I’m so grateful to know you all and to have you in my life. I hope I provide you with even a fraction of the support and love you bestow upon me.

Kühl Hiking Pants

And lastly – one VERY cool and unexpected development was… having a company reach out to me via email, telling me they came across my blog. The brand is Kühl and they make a lot of hiking apparel. They asked me if I would be interested in trying out a pair of their hiking pants and writing a review about them. This is the first time I’ve ever had a company reach out to me to do some kind of affiliate work and I was extremely honored. All I had to do was pick out a pair of pants I wanted… and they sent them! I haven’t yet properly worn the pants, since I want to save them for my trip, but I have tried them on. They’re comfortable, light-weight and water-resistant, so I’m sure they’ll make a great addition to my travel gear. (Bonus: they convert into shorts, too! Perfect.)

I’m hoping for more affiliations like this in the future. It would be a dream come true to turn my travel blog into a full time career. I’ve been going at this for a couple years now, and it hasn’t happened yet, so I’m not holding my breath, but who knows? Exciting!

Art of the Week

I haven’t been working on art too much lately, but I do try to do at least one drawing a week, as usual. I’ve shared my latest piece above, but I also wanted to share a tattoo my friend Abby got, which was a piece I drew her back in Queenstown. How cool! I think this is maybe the fifth tattoo someone has gotten of my work! I’m always very touched when someone wants to get one of my pieces tattooed on them. They wear it on their body… forever! Hope you don’t regret that, Abby! LOL. I also had an old friend reach out, asking if I could draw him a little something for his and his partner’s upcoming wedding. They want to get stickers made of some drawings as party favors, so I did that as well. Cute!

Otherwise, I’ve been chugging along with my latest novel – The Death of Duncan Lee. If anyone would like to read it and give me some feedback, it would be greatly appreciated! I think I’ll be finishing up the first draft in the next month.

Reflections

Only a few more days until I’m on the road again. Say goodbye to comfortable beds, clean drinking water, private bathrooms with showers that have reliable water pressure, cabinets/drawers for my belongings and… solitude! While I have spent two years abroad so far, this new journey will be the longest I’ve ever been traveling full-time. In Australia, I worked for six months, then traveled the other six. In Aotearoa New Zealand, I worked ten months, then traveled for three more. Now, I have roughly a year of travel ahead of me… with no job. It has already been five months since I left my job in Queenstown. Crazy! Do I miss working? Not a bit.

I have had a lot of upkeep to do ahead of this next journey. I’ve had to buy some new gear, like art supplies, underwear (lol), etc. I’ve had to get new debit and credit cards and IDs because otherwise they would be expiring while I’m away which would be no good. I’ve had to purchase some flights, iron out the early days of my itinerary a little better. That’s just a sample, but there has been a lot of necessary maintenance-y things.

Some really exciting reunions will be taking place over the next few months. My roommate from Queenstown, Jasper, will be meeting me in South Korea for a few days. My friend Gene from Cairns, Australia has just bought his ticket to join me in Japan for a couple weeks, and I’ll be seeing my Perth roommate Kory in Bali for a week or so. I’m also hoping to bump into some others I’ve met along the way. We’ll see what happens. I think there are pros and cons to having company. I do prefer to just do what I want, when I want, but it’s also really nice to share the memories with someone.

I figured I’d share my current travel itinerary with you all here. Things can change. I am flexible, but I do want to try to hit all or most of the spots below.

Taiwan (Feb 20 – March 1)
South Korea (March 1 – March 23)
Japan (March 23 – April… 10?)
Philippines
Indonesia
Singapore
Malaysia
Thailand
Laos
Vietnam
Cambodia

Maybe:
Nepal
India
Sri Lanka

This leg of travel will be kind of interesting because it won’t be quite like Australia or New Zealand. I can’t stay for a whole year in one country. For most of them, it will likely just be a month at most due to visa restrictions. I don’t see that there’s any way I can really get familiar with any of these countries in the same ways I had the opportunity to in Oz/NZ. But, we can never see everything. At the very least, it will be a lovely trip experiencing some of the highlights of these countries.

I am really looking forward to… the cheapness. The first few countries will be rather expensive, but after that? Accommodation and food is extremely affordable, especially compared to the last two countries I lived in.

I’m also looking forward to the warmth. I’m so fucking sick of winter in the Midwest. At least in Michigan, it’s very beautiful with snow covering the fields, etc. But it’s cold. It’s very, very cold. And the sun is often obscured by the clouds. I can’t wait for the days where I’m just lounging at the beach, applying sunscreen and going snorkeling all day. I wish I could do that every day haha.

It is so bizarre to think that this is the third year of my travel adventure. I’ve said it before, but… things sure panned out differently from the plan I had set for myself a few years back. It was supposed to be – a little bit of time working in Australia, then right to Asia, then home. Maybe sixteen months tops. Instead, it has been:

-One year in Australia
-Two month visit back home
-Six months in New Zealand
-Three weeks back home
-Six months in New Zealand (with a week of Fiji added on top of that)
-Three months back home

And now one year in Asia. Ish.

I have been thinking about what comes after that. Will it be back to Chicago for a year, to find a good job, be near family and friends for a while, save up more money before moving somewhere else?

Will I stop in Hawaii on the way back to do some volunteer work that includes housing and then try to find a way to live/work there for a year or two? Maybe the same in Alaska? Will I get my English certification and teach English in South Korea? Will I work in Antarctica for a season? Will I go back to school and get a degree so I can become a therapist?

I don’t know. I really don’t know what the future holds. There are so many options and forks in the road. I suppose what happens in this next year will help dictate which path I may take.

I am ready for everything that is yet to come. I feel incredibly grateful for all the love in my life and the time I’ve spent with friends and family while in the States, but I’m ready for the next adventure to begin. I often talk of my time in Australia and New Zealand feeling like “a dream.” It’s as if when I get home, it fades away so quickly. In some ways, it’s like two separate lives. But I love both of those lives.

For those who have been following along, thank you. I hope you’ll enjoy reading the weekly blog posts this next year!

Until next time – sending you all my love. xx