i’m so jealous- he goes everywhere on someone else’s dime!
the newest “dance” video.
the out-takes video.
log off and live!
By Jillian
i’m so jealous- he goes everywhere on someone else’s dime!
the newest “dance” video.
the out-takes video.
By Jillian
We’re back in the cold northeast. Just in time for a little snow later this week. Yay! (can you sense the sarcasm!)
Jamaica was a very necessary vacation. Ever have those days when it feels like you’re always running around and never get anything done? Well that’s been the last two months for me. Life has been chaotic with work, traveling and planning, so going to Jamaica was a light at the end of the tunnel!
Although getting there was less than stellar (air jamaica felt that by posting a 3:25 departure time that meant that they could show up at 3:15 to board the plane and the not take off until 4:30), there was free champagne on the flight!
We stayed at the Iberostar Rose Hall outside of Montego Bay. It’s your typical all-inclusive resort: beach chairs, fruity drinks, buffet food, etc.. A great type of resort if you have 15 people ages 18-88 with you, but probably not the best place for a romantic honeymoon or couples vacation. They only had two of the hotels open when we were there- the third is going to be couples only, or as we heard through the grapevine a “nudist” resort. Hm… that might not mesh well with the family vibe they have going there. Anyway, not too much adventure at the resort- they limit the amount of time you have to sail and snorkel, but we got in what we could. We went sailing twice and snorkeled, although there wasn’t much to see at the man-made reef.
With all of the family we didn’t get off the resort much. And by much I mean once.. and yes, I admit it- it was to the rastafarian craft village next door. In addition to certain substances which are not legal here in the US, but are definitely plentiful in Jamaica, they also sold lots of wood carvings and t-shirts. Most of it was hand made and they were certainly willing to bargain. Since we live in less than 600 sq. feet and are trying to get RID of stuff not ADD new stuff we didn’t buy anything.
Not much else to report on- it was your average Carribean vacation. Here’s a cute picture to finish with though!
By Jillian
This has been an incredibly difficult week in terms of trip planning. As you can tell we’ve been working non-stop on the website, hoping to actually pull this thing together before thanksgiving so we can really start publicizing it to our friends and family. I’m just completely shocked at how long it takes to build a website, I mean I know its very labor intense and granted I’m a complete novice, but I have a new found appreciation for graphic designers and website designers.
So back to the topic of this blog, which I am clearly trying to avoid. I told my work this week that I was leaving. Besides being very difficult for me because I actually like my job and my coworkers it was difficult to get up the courage to say something. Shaking like a leaf I told my immediate supervisor and second line supervisor who were both as supportive as they could be given the situation. I guess I expected them to be outright mad or angry, but they both could appreciate why I was leaving. They offered to discuss a leave of absence, but for the length I would be gone it just wouldn’t work out. I guess it went as well as it could have, but it was still one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I do feel relieved in a way that I told them because at least we can be open about it, and I think they appreciated the 90 day + notice, but alas it made the trip very, very real. More real in every sense of the word. No matter what happens,we are out of here sometime this winter… or atleast I’m out of a job. 🙂
In many ways telling them I was leaving was liberating because I’m actually doing something that I really, really, really want to do, not something that I think I am supposed to do just because it’s on the life path. Until this point I feel like I’ve done everything that I should have done with my life…graduated high school, gone to college, met a boy, graduated from college, got married, bought real estate, etc… without any blimps along the way. This is a step away from that predetermined life path, a big step away, but I think a positive one. I’m sure virtually everyone things we are crazy for doing this or at least naive, but I’m glad we are following our own path and not just doing what is expected.
For today at least, I am positive and upbeat about taking this trip. Determined to see it through all the way through no matter what may come our way. Courage is the word of today. 🙂
By Jillian
Spent today checking out travel health insurance and immunization costs… that was fun. Health insurance for six continents is a little difficult, but we’re not really sure what we’ll need it. Most countries would treat us and it would either be free or relatively inexpensive. We only have experience in Europe, any suggestions or advice out there?
I guess the major concern is really if something happens to us overseas and we have to come back to the US to be treated. Getting treated here without insurance is expensive and difficult in some places… hmm… so many questions.
The good news is that we probably don’t need rabies shots. Yay! 🙂
By Jillian
Since last May we’ve been a part of an online community called Couchsurfing. Yes, it is exactly what you think- people travel around the world sleeping on other peoples couches!! Ok, I know 90% of you are right now thinking “oh my god are you serious, you let strangers sleep on your couch!”. The answer is yes, and to be honest with you it has been a truly great experience. The site is set up with profiles (like ebay sort of!) where you post information about yourself and pictures. You can post as much information or as little as you like. Then you select if you are willing to host or if you are traveling (ie do you have a couch or are you looking for a couch). If you are willing to host you need to add information about the # of people you can host and the sleeping situation (ie, floor, private room, couch in the living room). Once you do that everyone can see your profile and request to stay with you. Like ebay you get references and can friend people on the site that you’ve met and trust. There are other security features there that are more boring so I won’t get into them… but it is regulated. Anyway, so say we get a request. We have no obligation to host them or even respond to their request if we don’t want to.
We get requests from all over the world and have hosted people from: Switzerland, France, Germany (so many germans!), Martinique, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Israel and Khazakstan. People are from all different backgrounds: students, doctors, teachers, writers, tv crews, fashion designers, etc… so its not just a group of free loaders.
While it was a little scary the first few times, we have house rules, etc.. so that everyone is on the same page. Seems to work pretty well. Very few people are free loading, most of them are just on vacation and want a real cultural experience, not what you get at a Hilton or a youth hostel.
Will we do this on our trip? You betcha. Spending a few nights with a family in another country is the BEST way to break down cultural barriers and get to really know another culture. Based on all the good experiences we’ve had and the interesting people on the site, I can hardly wait to get moving!
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