Christmas on Koh ChangThe picture above is one of many sunsets I enjoyed on the island of Koh Chang in Thailand. I don't feel too guilty trying to make you jealous that I spent Christmas week on a beautiful island. It was my first Christmas away from home ever, so I was stockpiling ways to make sure I wouldn't be too homesick during the holidays. It actually ended up being one of the most memorable Christmases to date (sorry mom and dad). On Christmas eve, Pajamas Hostel hosted a huge buffet and gift exchange. Afterwards my roommates and I spent the evening lighting sparklers, drinking buckets of cocktails (actually drinking out of buckets), and dancing the night away on the beach. On Christmas day, we spent some time calling our families and then enjoyed a BBQ on the beach. There were no stockings or presents to open, no egg nog or special roasts, but it was as perfect as a Christmas away from home could get. Goodbye to 2014With Christmas over, it's time to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the New Year which I'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. I spent a lot of 2014 saying goodbye to things that were good, but that weren't part of the story that I want to live moving into the future. The two biggest goodbyes were to my job and the city I loved. For the last three and a half years, I had a job with an amazing team of people, a company that wanted to develop my skills, and where I did a lot of traveling. It was a job that a lot of people would covet, but it wasn't what I saw myself doing for the next 20 years. If I was going to change that, then now was the time to do it. My heart had always been drawn to international people and places, so I left my job in August to pursue that dream. For the last nine years, I lived in Seattle. Seattle is a beautiful place that has all the conveniences of a big city with access to all types of nature from the beach to ski slopes. Seattle holds some of my dearest friends and family. Seattle is also just really cloudy (just admit and accept it). Seattle is also growing very rapidly and in ways that differ from the city I fell in love with. In September I decided it was also time to say farewell to Seattle for...who knows how long. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else feels the same way as I did about 2014. When I share my story as I travel, sometimes I feel really irrational. Why did I leave such a stable job in this unpredictable economy? Why did I leave all my friends and family to travel by myself? Then I remember why. Because those things were great, but I wasn't happy. I had been doing a lot of things that others expected or what I thought they expected of me. I forgot that I used to have expectations of my own. One of those was that I would live, work or volunteer, and travel internationally. I was working a job I didn't see myself in forever, in a city that I was no longer happy in, and had no responsibilities left besides rent and social obligations. It was time for a change. Saying "YES" in 2015I know that saying "no" and "goodbye" to things will be a constant throughout my life. However, moving forward I'm also ready to start saying "YES" to things that I do feel passionate towards. I guess you could call these resolutions, but I'd like to be cheesy and call them my "YES-solutions" for 2015. 1. YES to Where I Want to Go - The last few months of travel have been trial and error of figuring out what I like about traveling and how I want to continue this journey. I've met so many people at home and on the road and everyone has a say on where to go and what to do. I want to use all your advice and knowledge to make the best travel decisions. However, I need to start making my OWN travel decisions. I want to go to places that blow your taste buds out of the water. I want to go to places that will look drastically different in the next 10-15 years than they do today. I want to go to places that I've dreamed of for years but have been too afraid to voice. A complete list of criteria will come in another blog because I also want to say.... 2. YES to Writing - This YES-solution is a promise to myself and to you. I am so grateful for those of you that comment, email, or message me about my blog. Traveling solo is lonely sometimes, and my blog and social media are ways to share my experiences with others when there's no one to share it with. Not only that but writing is also something that brings me a lot of joy and is also really terrifying at the same time. I'm excited to use 2015 to really find my voice, as writers call it. One of my favorite writers, Shauna Niequist puts my feelings about writing perfectly, "Writing wakes me up, lights me on fire, opens my eyes to the things I can never see and feel when I'm hiding under the covers, cowering and consumed with my own failures and fears." Here's my promise to you (and me) - a blog once a week for 2015. There are only two YES-solutions for 2015. I'll have to get used to saying "YES" to things before I start adding more. ;) For now, I wish all of you a happy new year! Here's to exploring new horizons and saying YES to the things you want in life!
Bobbie Allen
12/29/2014 04:04:30 am
Proud of you!!! It's not about being a passenger to where ever life takes you, but taking hold of the wheel and driving. If you want to drive into a high paying job where you do the same thing all the time - that's awesome. If you want to drive/fly over to Vietnam - that's awesome. Just make sure you're an active participant instead of a slave to your own life. It is okay to say "no" to the culturally correct thing to do and realize life is so much more. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Enjoy you're new path and encourage others that are doing the same thing! :)
Klarrisa
12/29/2014 07:17:52 pm
Thank you, Bobbie! You are just the best. :) I love how you phrased it - taking the wheel of your own life. It takes awhile to get it back and there's definitely been some course corrections, but I can't wait to keep going!
James Hong
12/29/2014 04:12:09 am
Glad you're doing well! Miss you. Happy New Year.
Klarrisa
12/29/2014 07:15:56 pm
Thanks, James! Happy New Year to you too! Comments are closed.
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