The Rundown

Hey! Thanks for checking out my page! I'll mainly be using this post to provide a bit of background.

For those of you that don’t know, starting September 6th (although I will be traveling before then), I move to Sydney, Australia. I’ll be meeting up with a few friends from Duke to start a year-long Working Holiday Visa. This will allow me to travel the country, as well as pick up jobs in “unskilled labor” to fund it. I’ve wanted to visit Australia for a few years now, and about a year or so ago, I had the idea of spending more substantial time there. Whenever I talk to people or read about it, I’ve heard more positive reviews than I have for most other places in the world. This along with my love of adventure makes Australia a place I want to be. Given I have just graduated from college and have minimal responsibilities, I’m not sure when else in my life I will have the opportunity to live abroad.

In terms of this website, I want to keep you all in the loop. I’ve had so many friends and family ask to stay updated on my adventures, and I’m so excited to use this space to tell you about what I am up to! Close friends and family can attest to the fact that I communicate best via writing letters, and I am excited to mimic and improve upon that skill here. I anticipate posting here every 2 weeks(?) or so, but it will probably be pretty varied. Also one note, I know this website is pretty bleak at the moment; I plan to post some pics (and generally make this site prettier) once I’m there.

Currently, I’m just under a week out from flying across the world. Quick review of the start of my journey: I begin by flying Newark -> LA -> Fiji -> Auckland where I will spend a night before flying to Queenstown, New Zealand. Since I’ll be having double summer this year, I’ve decided to have just a week and a half of winter by meeting up with a friend from Duke to go skiing. The stoke level to ski on the opposite side of the world is, in a few words, off the charts.

As I get my packing in order, I’ve begun to devise a strategy. To be able to move quickly, and minimize my chances of losing things, I’m opting to pack my stuff between a backpack-style carry-on bag and a smaller daypack. As a result, my packing has to be extremely strategic, prioritizing essentials that will be more difficult to pick up once I get there.

None of what I will need to ski in New Zealand falls into the category of “essential” for Australia. For example, it wouldn’t make sense to bring snow pants or a coat because I would either lug them around for a year, pay to ship them home, or leave them behind altogether. I’ll have to put together a somewhat makeshift ski kit once I get there, but I think that’s part of the fun of it.

Anyways, I’ve spent most of this summer prepping for the upcoming year. Between reading various books and online resources, watching youtube videos, and working a few jobs to put money in the bank (including the very washed-up experience of teaching "learn to skate"), I’m doing my best to check off as many boxes as I can to have a successful year. The goal is to have as little as possible to worry about and feel prepared for when I am there. There are lots of adult things to think about like bank accounts and job research and insurance and tax numbers - things I want to take the time to research and complete thoroughly to make sure I don't mess it up.

Living at home for the summer, I’ve had the chance to spend time with family, catch up with old friends, and go to Rhode Island (my favorite place in the summer) more than I’ve been able to in years. After 4 years of college and living consistently a flight away from home, being back in CT for a few months has been very grounding. I’ve greatly appreciated taking a bit of a breather around the people and things I’ve known forever before I pack up to explore something new.