What Deciding to Move Permanently to Another Continent Means

Hey world,

Are you on cloud nine, because I am! Alright, that could be either the world's corniest pick up line, or it is actually something that I would say...luckily for you, I am in fact on cloud nine still! 

There's been a lot going on in my mind in the last week or so, and no shortage of happiness mixed with being frazzled. So, I'm trying my best to document it all via blog posts, and share what I can with you all so if when you make the jump and pursue your dreams, you can state for the record that I was in fact, completely transparent (and how much I helped inspire you, yadda yadda yadda). 

Therefore, I decided to write down ten things (some general and could be applied to anyone, and others that are specific to me) deciding to move to another continent in approximately two months (or less) means, and got the following list:

1.You all of a sudden have a lot of people to spend time with, and say goodbye to

2. You have a lot of food that you need to eat as much of as humanly possible, before it becomes a rare delicacy

3. You start avoiding food that you know you can get there, for soon it will become an everyday occurrence (sorry bananas and rice)

4. You start to make lists like:

A) figure out how to break your lease

B) figure out how to sell all of your furniture

C) figure out how to cancel your phone, internet, and television

D) figure out how to then unlock your iphone

E) figure out what books you need to read before you leave so you don't have to carry them with you

5. You have a bunch of clothes you need to buy (at least in my case, where I’ll be splitting time between the field – literally – and the office, in a conservatively-dressed nation, that also happens to be on the equator, but which also happens to be located at a high altitude)

6. You have a bunch of clothes and other personal belongings that need to be given away

7.     You start stressing about how much liquid you can bring onto an aircraft in the form of your favorite blue nail polish and jars of buffalo sauce

8.     You realize that while everyone is happy for you, no one is happy about it.

9.     You lose multiple hours a day to daydreaming about your new home

10. You begin planning all of the new places you’ll go and the new trips you’ll plan, and you won’t feel an inch of regret.

It's hard to imagine this was taken three years ago, before I had even been to Tanzania for the first time. But I knew then, as I know now, that I had found one of my forever-homes. 

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There you have it. 

This is what deciding to move permanently to another continent means. It means snuggling on your couch for one of the (soon to be last) times and thinking of bumpity bus rides to towns on a map you're not familiar with as it does searching through the Verizon.com website and wanting to pull your precious hairs out. 

But most of all, it means smiles. and happiness. and all-around content. 

xoxo,

M