Seventeen days
It's crunch time.
Seventeen days till I leave home for six months, heading for the Southern Hemisphere. I have a lot to do - booking more arrangements, implementing a very refined packing strategy that will result in a backpack and a carryon (just like in writing, it often takes much longer to create the concise, edited version), and vacating my home .
Through the steps toward the goal of this trip, I've been learning the differences between going away for two weeks and going away for six months. There are considerations for a six-month trip that are not needed for a shorter one, things like special travel clothes, clothes for any weather, new shoes, snacks for a long flight, prescriptions arranged in advance, and a computer back up. It's all a logistical puzzle.
The greatest difference was one that I determined at the end of 2022, that I would rent out both of my condos; I just couldn't see leaving them both empty for that long (longer for my city place since I’d relocated to the Cape), if there were renters out there to take them (which there were). I spent December, 2022 packing, cleaning and fixing in my city condo, and movers came two days between Christmas and New Years to move some things to storage and others to my Cape Cod condo. Now, after being comfortable here on the Cape for four months, I'm packing up again to move personal items to the basement in order to make way for renters coming in June 1rst. More fixing, painting, and cleaning over the next couple of weeks.*
As I pack, I find I don't like the idea of leaving "my things" behind, my creature comforts. My sofa with my favorite fuzzy throw and down pillows. My tablet. My collection of colored markers and notebooks. My books. My yoga mat. My pillow! My clothes (although I've learned in the packing process that I have way too many clothes, so weeding out will resume when I return). I am both an adventurer and a homebody, an Aries with Cancer rising. With Aries as the dominant sign, I want it all. As a sentient being, I understand that most goals come with trade-offs.
More mixed emotions are beginning to surface. I've not been abroad since an early-2016 trip to Myanmar (excluding shorter and less-exotic trips to the Caribbean) so my travel skills are a little rusty. That trip was only a month, though; I'm regularly taken aback by how long I will be away this time. It feels very different. Excitement, anticipation, fear (mostly of, "what am I forgetting?"), even a little bit of sadness are all part of my mood rotation. On the second legit, 70-degree spring day here on the Cape, I'm feeling little twinges in my heart over missing the spring and summer, and travelling towards winter; it seems very counter-intuitive. We Cape residents have waited through a long, dreary winter for today's beautiful spring day, and I feel a bit troubled that I'm not in a position to enjoy it in a carefree way. I feel pangs of loss that I won't see the prime days of our local beaches this summer, this year. In the first summer that the concerts are back full force, post-COVID, I won't be going to any, and I hate knowing I will miss some of my favorite bands. No summer drinks on a sidewalk, patio or deck with friends this summer, and no barbecues; in fact, no seeing my loved ones in the U.S. for a while. Things will continue to evolve for my loved ones in their everyday lives, and I will be more out of the loop. I'm even removing myself from my own everyday life in a way that will make my projects - this blog, the book - incur significant delay. (Already, my to-do lists are reducing my availability to post; I hope this will improve once I get on the road.) I will miss a lot.
What keeps my needle well on the positive, optimistic side of the meter are my connections to my destination.
I've been doing research on Netflix (ha!): Zac Efron's "Down to Earth" series on sustainability in Australia, and Miriam Margolyse's three-parter "Almost Australian". While it whetted my appetite to learn about more about Australia's impressive sustainability initiatives, Zac's show applied a superficial touch. Miriam's delved fairly deeply into what it means to be Australian in three themes that seem deeply rooted in the culture - the "Australian Dream", "Mateship" and “the Lucky Country". I will be asking my new acquaintances about these themes, without a doubt. I imagine there will be strong similarities with the U.S and also significant differences that I'd like to better understand.
People, as usual, are the best thing about travel, and this trip will be no exception. A very dear friend arranged to be in Sydney for a day while I am there, and I'm thrilled to have his company for explorations abroad. I will meet up with another dear friend, a Sydney local. My generous hosts in Adelaide are planning to include me in a series of events, which go a long way towards my dearest wish, to get to know everyday life in Australia. Perhaps the greatest comfort is the well-known friendliness of Australians, a cultural vein of gold for all of the world.
And New Zealand? I need to get on the planning for that!
*NOTE: Renting out a home is definitely work. For anyone wondering about renting out your place, know that it is a job - starting with the packing, moving, cleaning and fixing. I'll need to be monitoring things from abroad. It isn't easy to find good property management, and that also requires consistent involvement. Only rent out your property if you are okay having a part-time job while you travel. I’m happy to discuss my experience with anyone contemplating renting out their home.
