my new sunday

I started this entry on the eve of my last day at work.  Beginning to process what it all represents…fast forward to today, Sunday, March 28.  The day that for some brings to mind ”Sunday blues” or “Woo-woos” (you know who you are) doesn’t have the same meaning to me now.  On this Sunday, I’m revelling in my new status: UNemployed.  And let me say, it feels good.  Liberating, bittersweet, exciting, and relaxing!  Friday marked my last day of work in NYC after 10 years and the beginning of my 6 month hiatus.

Sam and I are now approaching T minus 12 days until our departure.  A brilliant little travel organizer site called TripIt (www.tripit.com) has been a lifesaver throughout the planning of this trip.  Sam might tell you how its algorithm works, but I’ll just say it’s like having your very own personal travel assistant.  It compiles all of your trip details (flight itinerary, hotel confirmations, dinner reservations, car rentals, etc.) into one master itinerary document.  All you do is forward your email confirmations to plans@tripit.com; it compiles everything so you have one document to print-out for your trip.  You can also manually add things like activities, sights you want to check out or other points of interest, phone numbers of people you might be visiting or want to connect with, and even more specifically, mark the days to take malaria (for us, 48).  It also shows the average daily high and low temperatures and what the forecast is in a given location on a specific day (this is my favorite feature!).  In our case, the range is from 38 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.  Anyway, I could go on and on.  It’s brilliant.  Oh, and it’s free.

We spent a lot of time this weekend gathering the items we need for the trip, figuring out the electronics situation (stay tuned for our packing lists) and generally, getting organized for 4 continents, 12 countries and some 30 flights, all in 92 days.

It’s an exciting journey to come but first I am getting acquainted with my newfound freedom and the idea of starting my first new Monday at a decent hour with exercise, coffee, and after that, who knows!

But until then, the apartment packing begins… with dread, I might add.

Berkeley Bound

So maybe it took me longer than the promised two days to write this (sorry!), but I have made the big decision to attend Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.  After talking everything over with my better half, we decided we’re moving to Berkeley in August.  East Bay here we come!!!  I kept trying to talk myself out of Berkeley and into Chicago, but I decided to trust my instincts, follow my gut, etc.  Berkeley just felt right.

I will be forever grateful to Chicago for seeing what they did in me and for their generous offer of admission.  It has been a privilege to get to know people like Rose and Marco.  She a total force of nature — inspiring, tireless, and an incredible ambassador for the Chicago Booth brand.  He contagiously funny, caring and most importantly, very very Italian.  I look forward to keeping in touch with both of them (Ci vediamo a new york quest’estate).

It’s amazing, but I really feel like so much weight and pressure has been lifted off my shoulders.  It feels great to have made a decision and know where we’ll be starting our life a few months from now.  In the meantime, we’re marooned in Florida (rough, right?!) until Wed due to weather and the resulting flight cancellations.  Then back to NYC, lots of dinners with friends, winding down at work, and getting ready for our trip, which is the purpose of this blog after all.  Don’t worry, we’re getting there…24 days until we leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Decisions, decisions…and commitment

Hellooooo cyberspace.  Sam here.  Wanted to share a few updates on our pre-trip goings-on.  As hopefully all of you know by now, Renu and I are engaged!!!

Just a few days ago, we were in the Windy City for the University of Chicago Admit Weekend.  As the literal and metaphorical start to our life together, I thought it the perfect time to show Renu my commitment to her.  While I had, and have, no doubts whatsoever about our relationship, I haven’t had the same experience in deciding on b-school.

Going into the weekend more or less decided on Berkeley, I got the hard sell from Admissions and was thrown into a sea of doubt.  After a few days of agony, I’ve finally made up my mind (for now anyways).  And the answer is…well, you’ll have to check back in 2 days for that one.

beginnings, business school and the blog

With the heady task of packing for 92 days looming more and more each day, our trip is becoming real; it only seemed timely to get this blogging started.  The one minor issue: HOW do I get started?  A complete novice in the world of Blog, this first entry may be trial-by-error as I figure out where in a cyber world it lives after I hit save, who will be able to access our story, and to anyone out there…can we add a mapping feature?  Please note, this naivete is not shared by my fellow travel companion, boyfriend and blogger - read on for more about my other half.

I guess a little background on who we are and why we’re even here might add context to our story.  After a year of planning, hoping and day dreaming, a few twinkly stars aligned and gave way to the opportunity of a lifetime.  I, having lived and worked in marketing in Manhattan since graduating from Penn State 10 years ago, hail from the heartland — West Des Moines, Iowa to be exact.  I met a guy, Sam, who is now not only my boyfriend and travel companion, but soon-to-be co-author of this blog (he’s watching television at the moment secretly finding amusement in my blind exploration through tumblr and blogs of the like…he will make an appearance soon).  Sam, a native of New York City who spent his formative years growing up in Florida and went to Duke undergrad, has lived in the big apple for 6 years.  Having woven his way through art, Italian culture (think leather tannery in Bassano del Grappa, Italy), and cooking, Sam found professional footing in finance.

Notwithstanding our professional and personal gains in a city that has embraced us (we did, afterall, meet and begin our journey as a couple here), it was clear that we desired change and a lifestyle shake up.  After completing the very long and involved business school application process for fall 2010 admission, Sam was accepted and I supportive of a life changing move.  So here we are giving pause, 6 months to be exact, to our life with a personal detour before moving to either San Francisco or Chicago (you will have to check back in a week or two for the big reveal on our final pick). 

Although the adventures of our 92 day trip officially begin at 8pm on April 8th at JFK, I think it’s pretty safe to say that in so many ways our journey has already begun. 

We hope you enjoy our tales of both triumphs and tribulations (!), as we traverse the globe from New York to South America, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China and Japan.