The So What's Next? of Sarah

When I got back to the states I told myself I would relax for the month of July and wait until August to begin figuring out what in the world I was going to do next with my life.  I didn’t want to stress about it, as I had already done so while in Cape Town with a month left to go on my trip; I began to panic, thinking I had to have something lined up before I went home.  After all, my trip WAS supposed to be about “finding myself” and hoping something would just fall into my lap, wasn’t it??  Yes, I got some clarity on a lot of things, I changed quite a bit, I decided there were a few things I didn’t want in life, but I realized there was no point ruining the last month of my holiday stressing about what was to come.  I would just let it go and hope that things would fall into place.   And that they did…

Leaving Cape Town, I was pretty convinced I would be back.  I wanted to come home and take some time, get over the travel “buzz”, and see how it felt to be in Chicago again.  But I wasn’t home even a few weeks before I was yearning to return.  The energy, the people, the culture, the mountains, the water, the beaches, the 25 children I left behind, and of course, Babalwa’s precious little face I promised I would see again. 

I assumed I couldn’t go longer than a few months without having an income, so I would plan to go back in October or November.  A little ambitious, I know…  I quickly began making connections, researching organizations, sending out emails to friends and anyone who could provide me with information on immigrating to South Africa and how I could get an extension to a 3 months traveler’s visa.  The amazing American couple I met in Cape Town, Dash & Pam, were extremely encouraging.  A few years ago, they too had the urge to move to South Africa, so they quit their steady/good paying jobs, picked up their 3 kids, and moved from New Jersey to Cape Town.  They took a leap of faith and they have been a great inspiration to me to follow my heart and my dreams.  And so I planned to do just that. 

But what would I do there and how would I afford to live?  I knew I wanted to help out at my children’s home, Masigcine.  After volunteering there for 8 weeks I had a lot of ideas, passion to grow the home and expand the organization, so I reached out to the manager and of course they are more than willing to allow me to help, but don’t have a paying position at the moment.   I was just happy to be in touch and even got to speak to the kids on the phone, which completely had me over the moon and reinforced how much I miss all of them and can’t wait to see their smiling little faces again. <3   So I decided I would help part time, with hopes of a position opening up, but I would also have to begin looking elsewhere within other organizations. 

While all of this was going on, I was getting back into my yoga practice, trekking downtown 3-4 days a week.  My friend, Maria, introduced me to Corepower yoga, and specifically the Corepower Sculpt class.  Not only is it Vinyasa yoga in a hot room, it includes arm weights, and the added bonus of music!!  I was in heaven.  And my idea of being a personal trainer on the side (something that came to me when I was on my meditation retreat) turned into an idea to teach yoga.  Yoga has really changed my body and my mind since my friend Marisa introduced me to Bikram yoga a few years ago. I can’t explain how much more calm and grounded I feel when I practice a few times a week.  It would be perfect!  Of course, they aren’t offering a teacher training course until end of October, which would bring me to at least end of November and to top it off, it wouldn’t give me a full yoga teaching certification.  So there I was, deciding if I could wait until December to go back, and at that point, I figured I might as well wait until after the holidays.  This was throwing a little wrench in my plan, but I had this feeling I should pursue the class.  The Yoga Sculpt class is not offered in many other places, especially South Africa, so I thought a few of the yoga studios I visited in Cape Town would be a perfect place to market this class.  But I still had the issue of not being fully certified.  Then the light bulb went off.  Why not finish my yoga training in Cape Town?  After some quick research, I found a teacher who will train me in whatever amount of time I need.   So with a 3 months traveler’s visa guaranteed, I can go to Cape Town, get certified, all while helping out at Masigcine and look for a full-time job.  If I can’t find something and/or get my visa extended after 3 months, I come home and at least I will be able to say I gave it a shot, I will come home with a yoga teaching certification, I will get to be in Cape Town during the summer (when it’s freezing in Chicago) and I will get to see the kids and all my friends again.  Sounds like a perfect plan to me. 

Oh and in the meantime, while shopping at my favorite yoga store, Lululemon, I was put in touch with a girl who studied for a year at the University of Cape Town , teaches yoga, and is moving back to Cape Town in January as well to start up an extension of The Africa Yoga project which was started in Kenya.  Britt and I quickly had a connection and have so many plans when we are back there together. 

And the icing on the cake is that a great friend of mine, Melissa, has generously extended an invite for me to stay with her in the city and I have a job until I plan to leave.  A former co-worker of mine recently went on maternity leave and needed coverage while she’s gone.  She had heard I was looking to make a little bit of money before I moved, and just like that, I am working back in my old role, but on the Gatorade brand.  I never in a million years thought I would step foot back into that building as an employee, but it’s actually quite a sweet gig and learning a whole new brand is a great new challenge for me.  And it just so happens she needs me until January, right when I plan to leave for Cape Town.  I don’t really know what I did to deserve all of this, as I often have to stop and question why am I so lucky and when will it all come crashing down.  But this all just reinforces my strong belief in Karma. What goes around comes around.  Yes, I’m still a gypsy and I don’t know what is to come after my visa runs out in April next year, but I’m enjoying living for today and continuing to believe that good things come to those who wait.

The Since I've Been Home of Sarah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s old news that I’m home.  I’ve been so lucky to have seen or spoken to many of you, my story has been told about 100 times, and most of you have heard what an amazing time I had on my 5 month journey traveling the world.  I have wanted to blog the recap of my trip, but a lot of great questions have come up from friends and family, which have made me think a lot more and much deeper about things I hadn’t even thought about.  I definitely plan to recap the trip at some point, but this blog will be about the last 10 weeks since I’ve been home, the adjustment being back in the US, the progress I’ve made on my next steps in life, and of course the planes, trains, automobiles, and boats that have taken me on a whole new 2 month adventure. 

So what’s a girl to do with nothing but free time, perfect summer weather, a swimming pool in the backyard, parents who can’t get enough of seeing her, and the most fabulous and generous friends?

The first few weeks home in July were busy, as if I had never left.  I think I had plans lined up for the first 3 weekends I was home before I even got here.  I had a lot of catching up to do and spent a lot of time making the trek between the burbs, where I was staying with my parents, and the city, to see friends (Something my parents weren't too keen about.  After 10 years living out of their house, I forgot what it feels like to be questioned where I'm going and what I'm doing).  I got the "when will you be home?" and "well it's nice to see you!" (sarcastic tone of voice).  I never knew doing my own thing at 31 years old would make me feel so guilty.  Lol! But to their defense, I was once again living under their roof and they just wanted to know what I was up to and when I would be popping in. Some things just never change I guess... ;) 

Although it was summer, a lot of social plans in the city revolve around eating and drinking. This didn’t help my plan to lose the 10 pounds I packed on on my trip, but thankfully my friend Maria had a different idea, so we would meet for yoga and brunch dates, which quickly got me back into a routine, realizing how much I truly missed my yoga practice.  I have only enjoyed practicing Bikram yoga for the past 2 ½ years, but Maria introduced me to another form of hot yoga, which opened up a whole new world for me.  But I’ll get back to that a little later…

Catching up with friends made me quickly realize I didn’t miss a whole lot while I was gone. Yes, some things had changed - A couple of friends got new jobs, a few got promoted, one graduated business school, there were a few engagements and babies born, a few moved in with their boyfriends, and a couple more found their sole mates.  Exciting times for all of them, but it just reinforced for me how much more I felt  “out of place”, or as my friend Deanna described me, “a fish out of water”.  Not that anyone made me feel that way, or that I couldn’t still relate to any of these friends, but it just solidified what I realized when I was gone – there is nothing conventional about the way I’m currently living my life and it will probably remain that way for awhile.  I’m still somewhat of a gypsy, bouncing around, traveling from place to place, packing and unpacking.  Sometimes I would give anything to just have “my” bed, a place to call my own again, but I’m learning to live with the fact that this was my choice and I’m actually happier than I have ever been in life.  The unknown is fun for me right now.  Where will life take me, where will I be 5 years from now?  As of right now, I have plans until mid April and after that, who knows?  I’ll figure it out as I go, I’m living day by day, and it seems to be working just fine.  Things are falling into place better than I could have ever imagined and I attribute it to my positive attitude and the energy I put towards taking risks and living life to the fullest. 

Still, it didn’t take long for me to get wrapped back up into the American way of life.  When traveling, everything was so simple.  Here, I try to avoid the materialistic things, the gossip and the nonsense they call “news” these days, but it is everywhere and it’s so hard not to get consumed by it.  Being single in Chicago for 2 years definitely took its toll on me and wore me out.  Now I’m trying hard to focus my attention and time on things like volunteering, weekend trips away, yoga, concerts, etc.  Taking my trip around the world opened my eyes to so much and just left me craving more. 

Here is a list of some of the things I’ve done “Since I’ve Been Home”:

• Spent lots of lazy hours laying by my parent’s pool, playing with the dogs and reading.  I have learned to relax, leave my phone in the house, and just focus on myself.
• Within the first couple of weeks home I only tried driving on the wrong side of the road twice and walked to the wrong side of the car once.  But still to this day, about half the time I’m still walking on the left side of the sidewalk.  When I’m alone, it’s ok, but the second someone else starts coming towards me, my mind can’t trigger it quick enough and default is to go left.  I have much more patience now for people that get a little tangled up and seem a little confused.  I know how it feels!!!
• I've learned to space out the important things I need to do, such as pay bills, fixing my car, running errands, etc.  I am so much better at managing my time, I’ve learned to take things slow, giving myself a few tasks a day and forgetting about the rest until tomorrow.  
• Bus ride with 25 friends to Ravinia to see Sting.
• Rihanna concert with my sister.
• Spent time on my family’s boat in Michigan City and shopping with my Mom.
• Deck parties, Cubs games, rooftop pool days, boat parties, and street festivals in the city.
• A weekend in New Buffalo with my besties, which started a tradition for many more years to come.
• A last minute weekend trip to Minnesota with my friend, Julia, which opened my eyes to what goes on in a tiny little town of 600 people and also allowing me to make some really cool new friends. 
• Brunches and lunches with friends visiting from out of town.
• Visiting Erin & Randy and their new baby boy.
• Drank lots of wine, talking and catching up on life.
• Pool Days at Bridget’s House with Nicki, Kristy, Amy, Taylor, and all the little rugrats.  Can’t forget our friend Jeremiah…
• Birthday dinner after birthday dinner.  
• Traveled for a week to New Orleans and volunteered with The St. Bernard Project, rebuilding a family’s home and helping out anywhere we could.  All thanks to my new friend, Jenn, who is one of the smartest, kindest, giving persons I have ever met.  A true inspiration for me!!
• Spent a beautiful Labor Day weekend in Seaside, FL which included a lot of R&R, fun in the sun, fantastic dinners, and silly shenanigans I would have never expected.  Melissa and Tim are the greatest hosts!
• Took a quick overnight trip for Julia’s graduation party for Minnesota Madness Round 2 and a private plane ride home that allowed me to sit in the cockpit, listen, and watch the plane land.
• Yoga, yoga and more yoga.

I can’t believe how long I’ve been home already.  It’s almost starting to feel like a distant memory.  But I don’t ever want to forget.  This chapter in my life will probably be like that guy who just can’t let go of that one football game in High School 25 years ago where he was the star.  Haha.  I just have to keep going through the pictures and reminding myself of all the great memories I made and the amazing things I did and saw. 

So you are probably wondering what I’m going to do next?  I know I promised to share my next steps, but this post is already way too long.  I do have a plan, I do have a job here in Chicago for the time being, I have a new place to stay, but I guess you will all just have to wait for my next post, "The So What’s Next? of Sarah"….