We finally made it to OZ!!  After a 15 hour flight we landed in Sydney.  I was a tad bit concerned that the flight was going to be tough but all in all it was a non issue. I have made about three of these long-haul flights (Madrid-Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires-Baltimore, San Francisco-Sydney) and to be quite honest I sometimes think they are easier than my typical San Diego-Philadelphia flight.  All my flights have been through United Airlines (Thank you Mileage Explorer credit card.  If you haven’t signed up for a credit card that gives you points and you’re a traveler do this ASAP!!) and I have found them to be very reasonable. United Airlines domestic may be a little rough around the edges but United International-downright pleasant. The airline keeps one pretty well entertained and comfortable for the entire flight.

We made it to Sydney airport and went through the ‘fast-past’ version of customs.  If there is a handy microchip in one’s passport, it it allows the person to go through ‘automated customs’ rather than interact with an actual person. Who doesn’t love this at 7am?! Less human interaction and more coffee please! This is also amazing because we didn’t have to wait in the 45 minute ‘in-person’ line.  The only bummer? No Australia stamp in the passport. We inserted our passports under a scanner, got our picture taken and that was it.

No stamp! Not okay!!

You better be darn sure I want the stamp.  I love those stamps! I get bummed if they aren’t in order or if the ink is wearing out a bit.  “Oh I’m getting a stamp.” I sassily confirm to Julia.

And so the search was on. . .

I found a random counter by the baggage claim with a customs man sitting behind it.  “Hi there!” I say to him in my cheeriest of American accents.  “I know this is super ridiculous and a bit superficial but I would love if I could get one of those little stamps you have there for my passport.”  I nod my head towards the stamp and ink pad sitting beside him.  He gives me a “You have got to be kidding me, it’s 7:30 in the morning and this is what you are asking me,” look.  I smile and give him my best “Yup, that’s what I just said. Please and thank you,” look.

“Are you going to look at this stamp every day and think about  how much you love Australia?” he asks Julia and I.  “Probably, most likely, yes.” I respond.  He looks at me with his best “Yeah right” look.  “Okay then.”  He stamps our passports.

“Cheers mate!” I call over my shoulder while dragging my luggage to the taxi line.

Bypassing the hour customs line, getting a stamp in the passport and mastering the art of Australian lingo!?

Brilliant!

Score one for the Wetherhold girls.

My little sister is traveling with me for the next 3 months! Yet, she almost didn’t make it through the first leg of the trip.  Ladies and gentlemen, Julia Wetherhold made it to San Francisco!  We were lucky enough to be on the same flight heading to Australia.

Julia flew Harrisburg Washington DC-San Francisco to Sydney. I flew San Diego-San Francisco-Sydney. Meeting in San Fransisco was ideal.  But did I think she was going to make it out of the east coast to meet me in San Fransisco?  Nope.  There was a huge nor-eastern predicted for the entire eastern seaboard.  I was talking to her a couple of days before she flew out. ‘Are you worried about making it out here with the whole weather situation?’ I asked her.  ‘Meh, I’m not really concerned,’ she responded.  Okay then.  I would be complete the opposite.  Pacing around the house, snapping at any poor sap who may ask me if I’m okay and ready to for the trip.

Well Julia was fine.  She had good reason not to be concerned because the storm was a near bust.  What she should have been concerned with was acquiring a “visa” to enter Australia.  She called me in a panic 2 hours before her flight was set to board, telling me that the agent at gate wouldn’t let her through because she didn’t have the proper visa.  WHAAAATTTT?!!! Still being in San Diego, I was able to quickly google “Australia Visa.”  Let me tell the Australian government does not exactly make it super clear that US citizens need to pay a fee to enter the country. Luckily, the ‘visa’ is very quick and easy to process.  We both acquired ours in less than 15 minutes and Julia was able to board the flight.

I felt so ill-prepared not knowing that I needed this until hours before boarding my flight in San Fran I got an email from my friend Jackie who we were meeting in Australia.  She was flying in from New Zealand to meet us in Australia and the email said “Theresa!!  I am in the Auckland (New Zealand) airport and we were just told we need a visa to enter into Australia.  We had to buy it just now at the airport!  Do you have this?!’  Okay if Jackie didn’t realize we needed a visa, and she has everything planned out, I’m not going to beat myself up about not knowing of it!

Despite a Nor-eastern and a visa snafu, Julia Wetherhold made it to San Francisco.

A question I typically get is “What has been your favorite part so far?”  It’s such a difficult answer to decide upon! I have really loved all of my travels to this point.  I’m not screaming with joy from the rooftops all day,everyday but even during the tougher times I try to appreciate the lulls. I have to consistently remind myself that I’m not really on a trip. A trip is shorter and more planned out.  Right now this year of traveling is my life.  Sort of like when you hear people talk about diet and exercise the tag line that follows is: It’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle!!  That is essentially my motto for this year. It’s not a trip it’s a lifestyle!  Just like there are ups and downs in life, no different is my life this very moment.

I was out to dinner with a friend in San Diego and she posed an interesting thought to me.  I was anticipating her to say “What’s been your favorite part so far?” But instead she said “What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?”  Wow!  I love that.  Quite thought-provoking for me. I needed a couple of minutes to think about that one. I finally determined that the biggest take away thus far has been that everyone in the world is equipped with a certain set of skills in their life.  The key is to spread your skills to others who need it in that moment.  One’s skills obviously changed throughout life and therefore so does their ability to give these gifts to others.

The help towards others can be small-scale or large-scale.  For instance, I was in small town Argentina when in a fit of frustration to speed up my computer functioning I began deleting random programs off my laptop.  McAfee Security System-You’re garbage, Yahoo Search app-It’s not 2003. Goodbye.  Bluetooth connector-Never head of you.  Beat it. Little did I know this blue tooth connector was actually my wi-fi connector.  Gah! I emailed my brother from my iPhone and he told me I needed to find an ethernet cable to hook into a modem so I could download the program back on to my laptop. Where in the world was I going to find this?  My language skills were still developing and there wasn’t exactly a Wal-Mart around the corner. (Side note: I’m not the biggest fan of ‘the wholesale store.’ I love the little speciality shops you find in other countries.  Somewhere different for bread, cheese, wine, pharmacy needs etc.  But good God sometimes it is so convenient to have
all those things under one roof.  I’m looking at you  Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club.)

I wandered around the town looking for a computer store until I finally found a little video game shop that I thought may have sold ethernet cables.  I tried to explain to the man working there in my best Spanish what exactly I had done. My Spanish skills were around a 1st grade level so imagine me trying to explain my problem in half-Spanish half-Sign Language.  It would have been hilarious I’m sure if I wasn’t so annoyed with myself.  I eventually got my point across and he cut me a piece of  cord.  Before leaving he told me we should test it to make sure it works.  This guy plugged the Ethernet cable into his wi-fi, found out a way to re-download- the program, and installed it on my computer.  It was a Sunday, his shop was closing mid-day, and he stayed an extra 45 minutes to figure this whole situation out for me. As I profusely thanked him, I asked how much for the cable and the help.  “Oh no nada, nada.”  I couldn’t believe it.  And yet I kinda could.  This was a relatively simple task for him, (and maybe could have been for me if I was not so far out of my element) but at that moment in time in meant so much to me.

I have seen this countless times from so many people.  My friends in Sicily who carted me around for a week, a friend in San Diego letting me borrow their car for a few days, a person going out of his/her way to offer me directions and make sure I am on the right path.  I am acutely aware of these ‘random act of kindness’ and try to ‘pay it forward’ as much as I can.

On my way back to the states (via Toronto!) I sat next to a very sweet elderly Chilean woman who was visiting her daughter in Canada.  She spoke as much English as I did Spanish but we were able to put together a little conversation during our short time together.  She had an adorable little dog with her tucked under the seat. When we landed in Toronto she started assembling all of her carry-on bags.  It was intense to say the least. Between her bags plus the pup, trying to carrying it all would have been a tough feat for even the most strapping of young chaps. I had a short connection between flights but I knew I had to help my new friend. I grabbed a couple of her bags and we headed off the plane. She needed a ride to baggage claim because it would be too difficult for her to carry everything. Her English wasn’t great, so I asked the desk agent where we
could get her a ride on one of those handy airport golf carts.  The agent pointed across the way to the other side of the terminal.  My new friend, the pup and myself carried her bags a short way until we found her a ride.  I asked the driver if she could hop on the back and to take her to baggage claim.  We said our goodbyes as she was driving off.  “Ohh muchas gracias Teresa!  Muy amable.”  I responded with “No por favor. Esta nada.” (I use this Spanish phrase any chance I can because love
it! ‘Oh nooo please! It’s nothing.”) And it was nothing.  It was nothing to me in the moment but it meant a lot to her at that time.  Something like that was easily in my skill set but it was outside hers in that place and time.

That’s how I feel traveling around.  I am quite outside my comfort zone and need to rely on others.  Good directions from a stranger on the street, tips from the front desk staff where I am staying, kindness from people I met along the way.  These may all seem small to the person imparting them on me but for my experience it is immeasurable.  As I continue my journey I hope to pay it forward when I can and receive other’s blessings when I am open to it.

After leaving the east coast I headed to San Diego for almost 10 days.  What a treat to be able to fit this stop into the ‘Around the World in 10 months’ schedule.  Since my next destination was Australia, it just made sense to layover in San Diego for a couple of days to catch up with friends.  San Diego is my second home, having lived there for 7 years.  My friends are like family to me.  I am truly surrounded by the most caring, kind, generous and loving people a person could ever ask for.  You may think you have good friends, but let me take a moment to assure you that mine are by far the best! It was a bit unreal the level of support that arose around me last summer as I was preparing to leave for my trip.  So many people stepped up to offer emotional and tangible support.  From engaging in long conversations to letting me borrow things like backpacks, travel gear and even a CAR after I sold my own, it was truly unreal.

I struggled a bit when selling my car.
True story: I was talking to my dad one night about how difficult it was to sell this thing.
He responded with “Oh come on Theresa.  Doing this on your own builds character.  This is fun!”
“Dad would you be able to bake a cake? Layers, icing, the whole 9 yards?”
My dad is notorious for being a non-baker, non-cooker. According to him, my mom is so good why would he even want to attempt it.
After a moment he responded with “Well yeah probably I could figure it out.”
“Okay Dad, but would you find that experience fun or like it was building your character?”
“No  I would probably hate it.”
“Well that’s exactly how I feel about selling my car.  I can do it but I hate it.”
Radio silence on the other end.
“Hello Dad?  Are you still there?”
“Yeah, point taken.”
“I rest my case.”

So the car.  Selling the car was a nightmare.  I began the process  of selling it to close to my date of departure.  Because of this, I had to entertain the idea of keeping the car for the year while I was away.  This wouldn’t have been an issue if my parents lived in the area but seeing that I had no family around I wasn’t sure where I could store it.  Finally in a fit of desperation I emailed my principal (who lives outside of San Diego in a town with a bit more land than most of my friends.) I emailed her asking if worst case scenario could I store my car at her house for a couple of months.  She responded with: “Theresa!  Yes, you can keep your car with us.  Tom (her husband) will start the car every few weeks and try to sell if for you if you would like. Just let me know.”  WHAT?! I mean really.  This is my boss. How lucky am I that I have these type of people in my life?  Pretty unbelievable.  Ultimately, I was able to sell my car (through a reference from another friend!) and all was well.

My friends created a “Read Me When. . .” card gift package.  They all took time to write me a card and then titled them in different ways.  “Read me when you are feeling homesick,” “Read me when you are so happy to not be working for a year,” “Read me when you need to remember how much we miss you.” I read these cards every few weeks and it means so much to me.

Heading back to SD was a bit of a mindtrip for the first couple of days.  In Pennsylvania, I have spent 7 years feeling like a visitor in that I am used to living out of a suitcase and borrowing my parents car (‘high school style’.)  Being in SD as a visitor was so strange.  Not having a car, sleeping at my friend’s houses, rushing around to ‘visit’ people, stopping in at my old school with someone else in my office and doing my job; it all just felt kinda surreal.

Luckily after a few days of resettling, my friends and I didn’t miss a beat.  It was like nothing had changed. I attended a lovely bachelorette party in LA, spent quality time with friends, visited my adorable cat and the wonderful family he is residing with, cut 11 inches of my hair, attended at bonfire on the beach and had an overall fabulous 10 days of catching up.

Throughout my visit my friends were so sweet saying things like, “We are just so proud of you for doing this.”  Proud of me? Proud of me for vacationing! For taking the year off of work and traveling!  But. of course,  I knew what they were saying.  Proud of me for taking the leap into the unknown.  My typical response was “I couldn’t have done it without all of you!” Another thing I have heard is “You are so brave. I could have never done this.”  Honestly, my thoughts are “Yes you could!”  I’m not quite sure who I am fooling out there, but I am really not that brave.  I get scared all the time. Half the time I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. But that doesn’t stop me from doing it.

I read a quote once that said “Being brave is not being afraid to be afraid.”  I AM afraid or anxious or nervous many points along my path, but I try to remind myself that it’s okay to be afraid.  I don’t love to fly.  I hate goodbyes. I don’t really love heights. I’m not the biggest fan of spiders. I’m a bit of a homebody. I miss my family and friends all the time. And all those things are okay. What’s not okay is for that fear or anxiety to stop me from moving forward.  Another story I love:

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…
“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
“One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, anxiety, and ego.
“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
“This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
“Which wolf will win?”
The old chief simply replied,
“The one you feed.”

Moral of the story?  Stay positive and keep the faith!

San Diego Friends:  If I didn’t tell you how much you affected me and helped me with this whole transition please take this little note as a formal THANK YOU. I love you all a whole lot.