Thursday, September 30, 2010

On the Up and Up?

This morning I got up at 8:30am and started making phone calls. I managed to get through four calls (bank, insurance, airline and my old cable company [to check status on my refund check]). It was a good, motivational start to the day. After getting out of my pajamas and into my everyday clothes, I headed over to the local pharmacy, where I paid $172 for:
  *acetozolamide (altitude sickness pills for trekking in Nepal)
  *azithromycin (super-strength stuff for serious traveler's diarrhea that occurs with additional bad symptoms)
  *refaxamine (super-strength stuff for regular, E-Coli related traveler's diarrhea).

Tomorrow I go back to the pharmacy for my Doxycycline (Malaria pills), which will be another $50.

Holy expensive, batman!

Next up was calling the doctor's office to see if they could get me in for two shots: TDAP (apparently Pertussis is making a comeback) and flu shot. They said I could come in anytime and that insurance would cover the TDAP but not the flu shot. Once I got to the doctor's office, and called my insurance, I found out that I'm not covered AT ALL for immunizations. I guess my insurance company would prefer to pay for treatment of actual diseases instead of preventing them. Gr. Since the cost of the TDAP shot was $160 and the flu shot was $125, I decided not to get either.

Maybe that's silly, but here's my reasoning: the travel doctor told me that Pertussis has made a comeback and that TDAP has been a highly recommended immunization for all adults since 2006. But the military docs never said I needed it, to include when I went to the public health office on base and informed them of my travel plans. Then, the Public Health office in Durham, NC, didn't even ask about it a few weeks ago when I got my last Hep B shot. And it's not on the CDC website. So I'm not sure where she's getting her information.

As for the flu shot, I usually get kinda sick after each shot, and since I'll be flying in a few days, sick is the last thing I want. So... no shots.

I pitched a fit after the doctor visit, but it was nothing a bit of used book store shopping couldn't cure! I also went to Radio Shack to ask about power converters (and was given a key piece of info which later helped me determine I didn't need one) and Payless (to check on flip flops, which I've decided not to get until Korea). I asked about unlocked phones at Verizon Wireless and Radio Shack, but was just told to find one locally.

Once home from the mall, I started relaxing - or trying, anyway. One very, very nice thing that happened was a surprise FedEx delivery - for me! My aunt and uncle in Duluth, MN, sent me a wonderful card wishing me well on my adventures, along with a lovely necklace and pendant of Lake Superior. It totally made my day!

This delivery made me think and I realize that I've only been posting my frustrations and none of the nice things. For example, on Sunday night, in Miami, I met and had dinner with long time family friends Eileen and Richard. We originally met when I was ten and got interested in astronomy. I convinced my dad to take me to a nearby public observing event, where the Southern Cross Astronomical Society (SCAS) had members with telescopes. It was the beginning of several good friendships and wonderful years of star-gazing. On behalf of Richard, who is very interested in politics, don't forget to vote (and vote Democrat!) in November's elections! It was a great visit with them, as always!

Me, Richard and Eileen!

On Tuesday, my parents and I ran some errands and then went to Duke Gardens. We walked slowly, stopped to smell the roses and relaxed under a vine-laden gazebo, reading books.

Dad and Mom


Last night, after the travel doctor debacle, the family went out to Crook's Corner, a restaurant my dad and brother had been to before, and enjoyed. Although the table next to us had obnoxiously loud people, the food was awesome and we had a nice time together, chatting and laughing and eating!


Me, mom, dad and my brother, Remi


So although my last few days have been stressful, it's been awesome to have great family and friends to enhance the good things, the things I'm sure to miss when I leave.

And miss them I will!

--Z

Tick, Tock...

The time is going by far too fast. It's already, technically, Thursday, although I'm only about 19 minutes into the day (ie it's Wednesday night still for me).

The week has been good, although my internal stress-meter has been in the red. There's nothing in particular that's stressing me out, just MY ENTIRE FUTURE in general. Ha. Monday and Tuesday were lovely days and even though I was starting to feel my innards scrunch up with worries and fear and doubt, I was doing all right with managing it.

Today, I went to a travel doctor. My expectations were destroyed as I spent two hours with a nurse discussing prescriptions, malaria and other diseases, maps, safety, insect repellant, sunblock and any manner of important travel things. It was actually a pretty good visit, but at $268 (which doesn't include paying for the four prescriptions she wrote me), I'm in a bit of shock. I'll be that way over-prepared backpacker you see, struggling along the road.

That's the other main stressor: packing. I can do it, I'm sure of it, but getting everything I want to take with me for the next year into a 45L pack and a small day pack is going to be tough. The next day or two will have me rolling clothes, deleting things from my packing list, and deciding whether or not that neck pillow is really needed, among other things. Oh, and I realized that I need a power converter (the adaptor I have is awesome - thanks Bev! - but since my few electronics are not dual-voltage, I need the converter too). Things like this keep creeping up on me and I have to figure out what I'm NOT going to take in order to take the new thing.

Oy!

Time to try to sleep. Tomorrow's a busy, busy day of worrying, planning, prepping, running errands and trying to enjoy my family while I'm here!

T minus four days and counting....

--Z

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Minor Epiphanies

Yesterday I flew to Miami, with absolutely no hitches in the whole flying routine. Hooray! Hopefully this is indicative of my future flying trips. Before leaving for the airport, I made an appointment with a travel clinic, who had been recommended by a woman I spoke to on Thursday.

Oh dear, I'm going about this backwards.

On Thursday, I worked out - with the help of my mom - how to send in my prescriptions to the home delivery pharmacy of my insurance company. That may not seem difficult, but when the doctor writes two medications on one prescription and the local pharmacy won't give it back, and then the insurance company refuses to accept a copy... well, I was getting frustrated. Eventually, however, we worked it out and soon the insurance company should start sending my prescription refills directly home. Mom will collect the refills until December or January and then mail them to me, so that I'll be set for the rest of my trip.

It's hard learning to depend on other people for help, when I've felt so completely independent for a long time. However, I'm really glad my family is willing to help me out. They're doing so much to make my trip easier for me!

Later on Thursday, I met with a coworker of my dad's, who is a near-seventy year old breast cancer survivor who, being overweight, lost over one hundred pounds a few years ago. Her inspiration: a National Geographic article about the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal. Using that article, she called and booked a group trek with a Nepali company.

She's done the hike twice now and is attempting to get in shape for doing it a third time later this year. She's an awesome lady! She agreed to meet with me to give me some information, because both Nepal and a trek are on my list of to-do's for my Big Trip. We spoke for about an hour and covered all sorts of topics; in fact, I took an entire page of notes based on her recommendations, warnings and advice. It really hyped me up for Nepal!

One of the last recommendations she had was to go see a local (in Durham) travel clinic, because they would give me prescriptions for Cipro (a broad spectrum antibiotic to fight off the various bacteria I'm sure to swallow during my trip) as well as a altitude sickness medication (for the Nepal treks and any others that get me above 10,000 feet. So, Friday morning I called up the clinic and made an appointment for next week!

Everything is coming together and I'm pretty psyched!

Late Friday morning, my mom drove me to the airport and off I flew to Miami, via Charlotte, NC. In Charlotte, as the plane was getting loaded up with passengers, I glanced out the window and saw crates and crates of US Postal Mail marked envelopes being loaded onto a conveyor belt that seemed to go to the belly of my plane! I know this sounds pretty dumb, but it hit me then - a minor epiphany - that snail mail moves so (relatively) fast because it can hitch rides on passenger planes.

That's not something I've ever really thought about, or realized, before, but it makes a planeload of sense! All the people flying all over the country every day allows the mail to go everywhere that people are going. Then I recalled that a few months back, the US Postal Service was considering stopping Saturday mail delivery. I don't believe they have, and so I wonder if perhaps part of the fare increases we see on airplanes have something to do with it? Now that I've typed that thought out, it doesn't really make as much sense, though, so I'll have to ponder it a bit more.

As soon as I stepped out of the airport in Miami, my hair seemed to stand up on end in response to the humidity. It's pretty stormy here, alternating dark gray clouds with light gray skies. Friday evening I went with my grandmother (who is the reason I came to Miami) to a dinner with my aunt and cousin. It was so much fun hearing about my cousin's thoughts on her first couple weeks in high school, and as usual my aunt made a wonderful dinner.

Today I woke up to growling thunder and the sound of gushing water, which was really just the rain sleeting off the roof and onto the ground right outside my window. It's a few hours later now and things seem to be clearing up outside.

My second minor epiphany: I'm really going to miss my family when I take off traveling!

--Z

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

A Nice Day

Quick note: I've edited the packing list spreadsheet to remove the prices.

Today was a nice day! It was a slow start, but eventually dad and I headed to Eno River State Park. We'd heard from one of the vendors at CenterFest, a local art festival, that there was a sort of "water hole" further back than the usual swimming places, so we went on the hunt for it! Turns out it wasn't too hard to find, with a bit of research done beforehand on the internet. We took the "long" way on the way out to the spot, which was maybe three quarters of a mile, probably a bit less. There were three fishermen... and us! We sat and admired the view for awhile before politely telling the closest fishermen that we were going to swim. He told us not to worry about him; honestly, it didn't look like he was having much luck anyway.

Dad being silly by the watering hole.
The water was wonderful! It was a warm day and it felt like high humidity, so even that short hike had us sweating a little bit. The ground was rocky but we managed to to make our way out pretty easily. We swam for about half an hour, checking depths and figuring that the deepest place was only about twelve feet deep. The fishermen kept asking us where the deepest parts were, which was funny. One of them caught a catfish, but it was small and he let it go.

All in all, it was a gorgeous day. I tested out my new travel towel and it worked well enough. We hiked back on a more direct path and headed home. After a good shower and some downtime on the computer (which is when I first saw the "Where the Hell is Matt" blog and video, linked earlier today), we all headed over to my brother's house to watch "Up," which I'd never seen before. He'd hooked up his new 47" LCD TV with an HDMI cable and good DVD player, plus he'd calibrated it all, so the image was awesome. What a sniffly movie!

Then it was home for a nice dinner: roasted chicken, orange-glazed carrots and corn on the cob. Mmmmm!

Yesterday, I submitted my last Air Force compensation paperwork (for moving some of my stuff to NC from DC) online, and I also sent in the correct form to obtain an absentee ballot for Minnesota, where I'm a resident.

Today, I printed out my Prescription Home Delivery forms and I'll put everything together today to send it out by mail.

Things are looking good! I head to Miami on Friday for a quick visit to my grandmother and other family and friends there, and I'll return next Monday. At that point, there'll be just ONE WEEK LEFT! I'm feeling ready, though... mostly.

Yahoo! The excitement is mounting!

--Z

A Site You've Got to See

Hey everyone, this is a fantastic site with fantastic videos. Whether you laugh or sympathize or ooh and aah, I hope it makes your day like it made mine!

--Z

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Two Weeks to Go!

It's two weeks until I start off for my big trip. Two weeks! That's so weird. A few months ago, I figured that my four weeks at home would feel like forever (not in a bad way), but it's just been flying by, really.

Yesterday was an incredibly productive day. I went to the UPS store to fax a few health insurance related documents. Next up was going to AAA to pick up my Korean, Hong Kong and Thai cash that I'd ordered last week.

After the faxes, we drove a short distance to my mom's bank, where we got a Power of Attorney form notarized for free! This was to allow my mom to sign checks sent to me (I'm still expecting my cable company return and my rent return check, but they'll probably arrive after I leave) and deposit them in my bank account.

Then it was off to Public Health, where I impatiently waited for ten minutes at the "registration window," then walked around the corner to Door 3 to complete my registration, then ambled over to Window B to hand in my shot records, and finally waited for half an hour, which was punctuated by getting called up to Window B a couple of times for clarifications, payment, etc. I was there for the last of my Hepatitis B shots. It cost me $51 and an hour of waiting, but finally that was done.

The next stop was over at my doctor's office to pick up my "letter of need," which was sealed formally in a blank envelope and sealed with the doctor's stamp. This letter is in case of border or customs agents questioning my prescriptions. Also, I asked the doc if she'd prescribe me Cipro, a wide-spectrum antibiotic that many travelers take with them to fight the various bugs that afflict them. The answer, unfortunately, was no, since it's too powerful and I have no condition that requires it. Ah, well. It was a good try!

So that was yesterday! Pretty good. I'm heading to Miami this weekend to visit with family, and although I was worried at first that I'd spend the whole time agonizing over travel-prep stuff, I don't think that will be the case now. The things I have left to do are pretty simple and I'm confident that by October 4th, I'll be ready to go.

And if not, it'll just have to get handled abroad!

--Z

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Packing List

So I've been promising to show a packing list and so, here you go. Check out my Offical Packing List, which I'm sure will change a lot during my first month of travel. I don't have pictures yet, but once I get a few last items, I will take some and post them.

Enjoy and please, leave me any comments/thoughts you may have! My goal is to be 30 pounds or under... we'll see!

--Z

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Planning Woes

Man, what a rough twenty-four hours!

Things have been going pretty well this week, really. I've figured out cash and medications, for the most part, and made a couple of decisive moves to prepare for those two issues. Somehow, though, I've really had a streak of bad luck since about six o'clock last night!

I'll start with yesterday's accomplishments. Firstly, I woke up feeling better. On Tuesday, I had woken feeling like there was lead in my head, and so I went back to sleep. After puttering around for half the day, I went back to sleep for several hours, puttered around some more, and then went back to bed for the night. As I said, on Wednesday I woke up feeling quite a bit better, if still a little stuffy.

So, I dropped off my car at a nearby Mitsubishi dealership to get an 88-point check and to have the windshield replaced. Then mom and I went out to a few places just to do a little shopping and to get out of the house. We went to Marshall's, Bed Bath and Beyond, and finally to the Dollar Store. I spent $3.23 at the Dollar Store to get a good shower cap (can't hurt), sweater bags (with zippers, to compartmentalize my clothes a bit) and some moist toilettes (for cleaning up abroad when water's not available).

While we were out, the Mitsubishi garage called and recommended that I replace my driver belts and timing belt, because they were showing wear and had a few cracks. Although it was almost a $200 increase, I agreed to it. Side note: while my parents are going to take ownership of my car, and thus pay insurance and regular maintenance costs (gas, oil, etc), our agreement is that I'll pay any major costs that come up. Thus, I figured replacing the belts now, rather than it coming up as an issue during my trip, would be the best option. Note: I only replaced the belts because the mechanics recommended it. This will become important later in the story.

We headed home and then I went to the farmer's market with dad, and "sampled" lots of local breads and cheeses. Yum!

Sometime on Wednesday, I perused the Aetna website. I have an individual plan with them now and wanted to make an appointment to see a doctor to get my prescriptions started. I take two main prescriptions, one for my hypothyroidism and the other is BCP. Aetna absolutely will not cover more than 30 days of a refill per month, so I've had to kinda game the system a bit to figure out how to keep myself supplied while I'm away. Luckily, before I separated from the military, I was able to get 180 days of a refill on the thyroid meds. Unfortunately, they would only give me 90 days of BCP, and since I go through those faster (one pack only lasts me three weeks since I take them continuously) than most, those 12 weeks only last me 9 weeks. You can see why I've started worrying about this ahead of time.

ANYway, on Wednesday I was able to go on Aetna's website, find a nearby doctor, figure out insurance costs of refilling my medications (vs just paying cash) and a few other tidbits of information. I called one of the doctors on their list, set up an appointment, and wrote down the doctor's name address from Aetna's website (this becomes important later in the story too).

Dad drove me to pick up my car from the garage around 5:30pm. The guys there seemed pretty nice and we all chatted and joked for a bit. I have to bring the car back next week, since in order to pass an NC inspection (which my folks will need it to do), I have to replace a little red lens on my back bumper that's been missing for the last seven years. Ah, well. We drove back home, and then dad and I headed out, in my car, to have dinner at the Fish Shack, a place dad likes.

Ten minutes later, I was on the side of the road, trying to figure out what was making that awful racket from under my hood. At first, I thought a branch had gotten caught in the passenger wheel well; that's how loud it was! We soon figured out, however, that one of the newly replaced driver belts hadn't been installed correctly, and part of it had snapped, frayed, and whipped around a bit.

Long story short, I called Morgan Mitsubishi on Hillsborough Road, where I'd had the work done, and luckily reached someone (it was after closing hours) who gave me the number to their tow company. An hour later, dad and I were in the tow truck's cab, headed back to the dealership, where mom picked us up.

Boo, Morgan Mitsubishi. Boo.

We ended up eating dinner at a nearby bar instead of going to the Fish Shack, since we were starving. The burgers and tater tots were pretty good!

That wraps up Wednesday, and the beginning of my bad streak.

Thursday morning, mom and I headed out to the doctor's appointment (my car was still in the shop). We got to the address I had carefully written down from Aetna's website, and lo and behold, there was no such address. After driving around for a bit, trying 411 to get the address for the doctor, reaching his office and finding out that I wasn't in their system at all, we headed home. It turns out Aetna's listing shows the phone number I'd called for several doctors, none of whom are actually at that number!

I called the doctor I'd made the appointment with, rescheduled, and we headed out. When we got there, I realized I didn't have my insurance cards on me. Start another round of telephone tag with Aetna. Finally, getting the Aetna rep to talk to the receptionist seemed to do the trick.

Really, that's the end of the bad streak, but MAN it took all the umph out of me. Too must frustration!

On the plus side, the doctor seemed nice enough and I got the prescriptions I needed. Also, she'll write me a letter of need, showing why I have those meds on me (in case of border patrol checks, emergencies, etc, abroad).

Then we headed to AAA, and I ordered cash from them for South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, just to get me started in each country (especially South Korea, since I arrive pretty late). I also bought traveler's checks as my backup method of getting cash.

We also got my prescriptions started at a nearby (to home) pharmacy, although I bought two refills and an extra prescription with cash instead of through insurance. I also got my other prescriptions on file. Whew! I finally figured out that I have enough on me, now, to last me until early February. My mom will pick up my other prescriptions monthly (or I'll figure out how to get them delivered to her monthly), and she'll send me a big package in January, when I'll be in New Zealand. Thus, I'll be refilled midway through my trip.

Whew!

Last chore was to pick up my car, where the folks were not too apologetic, although they at least acknowledged that they'd made a mistake. Barely, though, and I'll not be returning to their shop (nor will my folks when they have the car).

So, hopefully this starts up my positive streak again, because it's time for some relaxing and all that good jazz!

By the way, I've really wanted to post my packing list, but the best one I have is on my home computer, which I rescued out of storage but has no mouse or keyboard (they were in a separate box). My folks only have wireless, so I need to figure something out. I promise to have that out soon, and hopefully with a picture of everything before I leave!

--Z

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Few Steps Closer

Today I got up early, picked up my brother, and went to my storage location to wait for the movers, who I thought were coming between 8am and 10am. We hung out, chatted, avoided an odd woman who apparently worked there and decided to pull up in the one spot where we were sitting on the curb (there were two other empty parking spots). At 9:30am, I got a call from the moving company saying that the movers wouldn't be there for several hours. When I mentioned that I'd been waiting since 8am, the lady on the phone indicated that oh, no, they would call me when they were close, hadn't they told me that before? Oy.

So, Remi (my brother) and I went to a local place for breakfast called Mad Hatter. I had a simple breakfast of potatoes and eggs, while Remi had a fabulously pretty looking breakfast burrito. We headed back to my parent's house to relax until the movers called. We geeked out a bit, watching (more than once, and in slow motion) the trailer for HBO's "A Game of Thrones," a new tv series coming out in 2011 that is based on George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series. It looks pretty cool, and if you're into adult fantasy with a bit of magic, kings, queens, eunuchs and knights... take a look and read the series (which is, in fair warning, not yet complete and may never be).

The movers did call and let me know that they'd be there between 11:30am and 12pm. We headed back to the storage area at quarter til noon and soaked up the rays - it was a beautiful, clear, sunny blue day - until noon exactly, when the movers arrived. One hour later, they were done and driving away!


It's official, folks: almost all of my belongings are in a 10'x10' storage place. I really felt, as I rolled the door shut and locked my shiny new lock on it, that this was a major step towards leaving on my trip. A very satisfying step!

The day continued to be a productive one: I got my International Driver's License at AAA, which cost $15. There, I also learned that through AAA (of which my mother is a member), I can get foreign currencies! This solves a recent worry on how to handle getting foreign cash. There are many options, but all have their downsides. Luckily, at least to get me started, I can get this cash from AAA for free (well, there may be a $12 shipping fee, but that's not confirmed yet). In any case, I can get out some Korean won to start me off, since I'll be arriving at the Incheon Airport fairly late.

Anyway, after AAA, my mom and I went to the Social Security office, where I applied for a new social security card. Not strictly necessary for travel, but still something pretty good to have when I get back. Then we went to the grocery store to refill one of her prescriptions, and I asked the pharmacist a couple questions about my meds, refill procedures, prices, etc. She was incredibly helpful!

When we got home, we got to relax for a bit, and then it was time to search for my car title. I wasn't sure of it's exact location, but was fairly sure it was in one of the boxes of files I keep. When the movers delivered my stuff, I (luckily) found the box the files had been put it and brought it home. My mom and I went through all of my files, including an entire box of military stuff that I keep separate. Eventually, I found the title, but in the process we collected several interesting pieces of paper that will be kept out of storage, in case it's ever needed.

Once I take my car in somewhere to get a once-over checkout, I'll transfer the title to my parents. We've worked out a deal that they'll use the car, and pay for basic upkeep, insurance, etc, while I'm gone, and when I get back I can have it back. Nice, huh! It works out well because my dad's Mitsubishi Mirage is ... well, I'll just say, having a car that locks, and windows that work, and air conditioning that cools, will be a nice change of pace.

When the mail came today, I got my insurance approval notification, so I'm now covered for health insurance (although with a 25% increase in premium price from the original quote, which I need to appeal).

Then I cooked dinner for us, which was a basic dinner of garlicky leek and artichoke soup, crackers and cheese, and reheated crowder beans with mushrooms. Healthy and surprisingly filling!

Is it any wonder I feel like this was a productive day? I'm a step closer on several issues - health care and prescription concerns; sale of car; foreign finance plans; and a completed move!

--Z

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Travel Destinations

Someone wrote me an e-mail recently, asking where I'd be starting out on my travels, and then followed the question with the statement, "I guess I could go look at your blog." I blinked, and realized that actually, no, my blog doesn't yet say where I plan on going for my Big Trip!

That's a pretty big oversight, don't you think? A travel blog without too much discussion, yet, of travel!

So here it is - my general itinerary as I see it today, 11 Sep 2010. I fully realize that most of this will change as soon as I begin travelling, but... it's good to have a plan, right?

4 Oct - Depart US. **This ticket has already been bought**
5 Oct - Arrive Incheon, South Korea. Stay the night in Incheon, then take a bus to Songtan to stay with friends.
19 Oct - Depart Seoul, arrive Hong Kong.
25 Oct - Depart Hong Kong, arrive Bangkok, Thailand.

That's the part of the itinerary that's fairly firm, with the exception of the date I leave South Korea and get to Hong Kong, which may slip a day or two. I plan to buy that plane ticket sometime next week.

The rest of the itinerary looks something like this:

25 Oct - 18 Dec - Explore Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Bali. All overland travel except for getting to Bali
19 Dec - mid-Feb - Explore New Zealand, first North Island with my friend Sarah, a friend of mine flying out from the US during her winter break, and then visit friends Matt and Fiona in Dunedin, and then possibly WWOOF (to be explained in a later post) and travel on my own a bit.

I don't really have dates for the rest, but this is the general order of destinations, to follow New Zealand, that I'm thinking right now:

Australia
Philippines
Nepal
India
Israel
Egypt
Turkey
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine?
Hungary
Austria
Czech Republic
Germany
Italy (actually, Mt Blanc, which is at the intersection of Italy, Switzerland and France)
Spain
Portugal

---

Twenty-five countries in a year... I fully realize that this is absolutely crazy! However, I also understand, as I said before, that as I travel, things will change. Today, I figure that my "core" destinations (the ones I absolutely don't want to miss) are New Zealand, Israel, Mont Blanc and Austria. These will probably change, but New Zealand, at least, will probably remain my #1 destination.

What kind of travel will I be doing? That's another tough question. Right now I envision that it will mostly be free-wheeling, with the odd paid tour, volunteer experience and meet-up with friends.  I plan to find hostels or couches (via Couchsurfing, to be described later) as I go, as opposed to booking everything beforehand.

That's a good start on some insight into my tentative plans and planning. Let me know what other questions you've got!

--Z

Friday, September 10, 2010

L'Shana Tova - A New Year in So Many Ways

The Jewish new year (5771 for those who are curious), called Rosh Hashanah - literally, head of the year - just passed on Wednesday night/Thursday day. We celebrated here at my folk's house with a big dinner with our family - mom, dad, Remi and Liz, and me. For me, this was a particularly nice event, since in retrospect, this month is marking many new beginnings for me.

For one, I am surrounded by my family these days, living with my parents and just a few blocks away from my brother. And instead of being a quick weekend visit, or an extended five day visit, I'm here for the month. That's new, and different, and wonderful, fraught with all the emotions that go along with going from complete solo-living and independence to all-day company and support of family. 

Another way this month is new, of course, is in my status: civilian and unemployed. It's odd and awesome and has me alternating between happily foot-loose and confusingly lost. I suppose I feel like I'm just on vacation, still. 

Of course, I'll be starting my world travels in October, and that's a whole new way of thinking and planning and dreaming, too! Today I'll be turning in my application for an International Driver's License. I've scheduled my third Hepatitis B immunization shot ($51!!). And I'm working on researching ticket prices, understanding my health insurance implications, and other travel related "stuff." I have a bit of shopping left to do, but not too much. 

I've been walking in the mornings, although I took today off. The Duke East campus is a few blocks away and I go and walk around it. In total, it's about a 2.8 mile walk. I figure next week I'll start walking with my pack. 

The weather is warm but gorgeous, with blue skies and a slight breeze. Time to go out and soak up some of that sun!

L'shana tova to you all - may your year be a sweet one!

--Z

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Home Again, Home Again

On Sunday, I left April's place and headed down to Durham, NC, where I'll be staying with my parents until departing for my world trip. It was an easy drive with very little traffic and I made great time. I had a great dinner with my mom and dad, tossed my stuff into the guest bedroom and started looking forward to relaxing.

Ha!

On Monday, sure, I relaxed. This was mostly due to everything being closed on Labor Day! I had a nice time chillin' at home with mom, unpacking my stuff, getting situated, going grocery shopping and getting dinner ready for when dad got home from work.

Today, though, was a busy one! I started it out with a nice two-mile walk with my mom. I'm hoping to continue doing this regularly, maybe three or four times a week, to get myself back into shape. In a week or so, I'll start wearing my pack once a week on this walk to get myself used to that.

After breakfast, and shower, and saying good-bye to dad (off to work again), mom and I headed out to weigh my car, now that it was mostly empty. It was a fifteen minute drive to the nearest CAT scale. The reason I have to weigh my car is to get credit for moving some of my own stuff from DC to NC. It went quite easily: this time I used the broom first thing to hit the 'call' button on the scale, which is about eight feet up... about the height of a truck window. In DC, I jumped a few times and scratched my head until I remembered I had a broom in my car. What a sight I must have been...

Anyway, after quickly and successfully weighing my car, we drove to the first of three storage facilities, to check them out and try to haggle a good price. We ended up going to get our nails done first, which was relaxing, and then we went to the first storage place. We decided to go home for lunch before doing the next two, and sure enough, the third storage place was the best. Go figure! I'll be getting a pretty good deal and a bit of extra space, which will be nice.

Once we returned home for good after storage-hunting, I scheduled the movers to come (Monday), changed my renter's insurance policy, checked on my health insurance application (approved, but with a higher premium than quoted) and downloaded all the forms I need to mail back to the Bolling Air Force Base finance center in order to get reimbursed for the move.

Whew! I still have quite a long to-do list before leaving for my trip, but so far I'm feeling pretty good!

Just one thing is a bit weird, and that is being completely cut loose. There's no impending work call, no need to check my work e-mail, I don't have to think ahead to what's on my work schedule... honestly,  I feel really out of whack. It should feel good - free! carefree! responsibility-free! - but instead, I feel like I have no direction. In a way, it was nice to have that anchor, that responsibility and feeling of (self) importance.

It's sure to wear off as I continue to plan and prepare for my trip, but it's something I didn't really expect.

Footloose and fancy-free sounds good but so far, it just feels odd.

--Z

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Inaugural Address - First Days as a Civilian

Tonight I am sitting ona  couch in my friend April's kitchen. I'm staying with April and her family - her sister, Alice; husband, Jesse; and amazing little boys, Orion, Zaki and Roan - until Sunday, when I'll head out of the DC area for good.

Originally my hope was to post here on the first of September, as that was the first day I was officially a civilian. While the day started out well, it ended in frustration when I locked my keys in my car, couldn't find a working ATM to get cash to pay the tow truck, and I was in no fit shape to write an inaugural posting. On the second day of September, things took a bit longer than expected and a chore from the day before had been postponed, so by the time I was home, my head was hitting the pillow. On the third day of September, I had a fairly easy day, and so now, on my fourth day of being a civilian, I am ready to post!

31 Aug 2010

Since it was my last day as technically active duty (although I was still on leave), I toured a few DC places that I hadn't gotten to yet. First, I went to the National Portrait Gallery, which had some wonderful photos and paintings. Also, they had a Rockwll exhibit, which was ironic since I went to the Rockwell museum in Massachussettes a couple weeks ago.

Next, I walked to the Capitol building and walked around that area for a bit. That led me to see the Supreme Court building, so in I went to walk around the pristine, high-ceilinged halls, look at the marble busts of all the past Supreme Court Justices, and listen to a docent-lecture in the actual courtroom. Amazing how little I knew about our Supreme Court! Did you know that a Justice does not have to be a lawyer?
All of them have been, historically, but it's not
a requirement.


After the Supreme Court, I wandered over to Union Station and took a walk inside, which I haven't done before. It's gorgeous! Then it was time to head back to Sarah's apartment, stopping at Whole Foods to pick up salmon for dinner. We had a fantastic meal of salmon, sweet potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. Yum!



1 Sep 2010
The day started out quite well: I got up early and headed over to Silver Spring, where I completed and forwarded the paperwork needed to enter the inactive Reserves, received my Commendation Medal and said a final good-bye. Incidentally, I was in the building directly across the street from the Discovery Building, which on this particular day was under lockdown within two hours of when I was in the area, due to the guy who took hostages protesting Discovery Channel.

Luckily, I was nowhere in the area when that event began. Instead, I was in DC, getting my passport back from the Embassy of Vietnam, complete with a one month, multi-entry visa, valid for 1 Nov thru 1 Dec. Next up, I headed to what I thought was going to be my last doctor's appointment. That ended up taking three and a half hours of my day and I had a follow-up scheduled for the next day.

I decided to head over to Bolling Air Force Base to try to get my Reserve military ID. It was 3:30pm at that point, and they wouldn't take me (that office stops taking customers at 3:30pm), but they recommended I head over to Andrews Air Force Base,which was nearby and their office stayed open until 4:30pm. So, off I went. I got a phone call as I pulled into the Andrews ID center, and chatted with a former boss as I went inside.

I got seen around 5pm, only to spend the next half an hour trying to work out with the ID center folks how they should do all the administrativia necessary to get me my ID. It ended with them giving me a number to call the next day and with promises to call me first thing the next morning.

As I walked out of the office, I realized a disturbing fact: I couldn't find my car keys. I searched, I panicked, I raced out to my car, and then, it became clear: I had locked my keys in the car. This began an embarassing drama of calling my car insurance company and then my phone dying; a good samaritan loaning me the use of his phone; the arrival of the tow truck guy; and the extreme frustration of a company that wouldn't take credit card, me not having cash, and the first five ATMs I tried being broken or not taking my card.

You can see why I decided not to blog that night!

2 Sep 2010
This day started out with my additionally scheduled doctor's appointment, which resulted in yet another appointment for the next day. (Luckily, this is not really a bad thing; it's regarding my hearing problems.) Then, I headed back to Sarah's, packed up all my stuff, loaded the car, and headed over to see the classroom where Sarah teaches and to say good-bye to Sarah. Then, it was time to drive up to Fort Meade, where April lives. We chatted and caught up for a bit, and then I drove to Annapolis, where I met a couple prior co-workers for dinner, drinks and chatting. It was a fantastic evening, although a little sad because it was full of yet more good-byes. When I got back to Aprils', we chatted until late, and then I went to bed in the guest room. (Thanks, Alice, for giving up your room and bed for me!)

3 Sep 2010
I slept in, hung out with April and the kids, and was generally lazy for the first part of the day. In the afternoon I headed back to DC for my last doctor's appointment, after which I headed straight back to Fort Meade to try to avoid the Labor Day crush traffic. I only partially succeeded, but it wasn't too bad. We had a great dinner of steaks with mushrooms and onions, mashed potatoes and green beans. Then we spent the evening relaxing on the porch, chatting. Alice straightened my hair, too, and did a fantastic job!

4 Sep 2010
Today, we got up (relatively) early and headed out to the Maryland Rennaissance Festival! We stayed all day and saw jousting, many silly players, some great costumes and lots of interesting shops. It was a perfect day for it, in the low eighties and very low humidity, blue skies and a nice breeze. We managed to eat quite a bit of fair food, which we regretted later, and to drink several Bee Stings and beers. The boys had a nice time, getting wooden swords and enjoying the variety of interesting things to see. Once we got home, Jesse changed out my car brakes, which have been making truly aggravating and alarming grinding sounds, and changed the oil in my car. Thanks, Jesse!


That's the news so far! Tomorrow, I head down to Durham, where I'll stay with my folks until 4 Oct, which is when I fly out to Seoul, South Korea, to begin my round the world trip!

My goal is to write regularly to this blog, detailing my preparations for travel, thoughts and ideas and plans regarding the big trip, and general goings on in my life!

My next blog will outline my general plan for the big trip, to include what prep I've done so far. I look forward to seeing your responses to my blogs, so please feel free to post comments!

Happy travels,

--Z