Time off!

In the Summer of 2018, I drove west from Athens, Georgia to Los Angeles, California. I didn’t want to take the shortest route. In fact, I think I took the longest route! I chose my stops where I could meet and crash with friends, and mapped my route that way. I stopped in the following cities where I met a friend in each except for the last one:

New Orleans, Louisiana

Austin, Texas

Santa Fe, New Mexico

(quick stop at sunset at the Grand Canyon, because why not!)

Sedona, Arizona

And finally Los Angeles, California

I remember my last stretch of the trip was the hottest and most difficult. I was driving in August with a car full of my treasured belonging and I remember seeing the smoke in distance. They were fires from southern California. I was headed there to leave my car at my Uncle’s place while they were waiting to see if they were going to be evacuated because of the fires. Both of us were lucky. I was able to leave my car and they did not have to evacuate.

I flew to San Francisco to attend my graduation, then to Doha, Qatar to spend time with family and make up for birthdays missed over the last four years. Then I was off to France where I spent three months learning French and checking off a childhood dream. I sat for the exam of Level B2 as recognized by the European Union which qualifies those who pass successfully to be hired to work and apply to graduate school. I finished the year joining some old friends on a trek in the Himalayas in Bhutan.

I started 2019 in the Bay Area, and decided to extend my time off just a bit to cross off another bucket list item and that is working at every outdoors fanatic’s favorite store and that is REI. How did that go? I’ll tell you next time.