Away Again

Today I find myself at the airport again. I am heading to London, where Subash is already waiting, having been there the last 2 weeks watching cricket.

We booked these tickets shortly after returning from our trip--it is good we did, because honestly I doubt we would have booked them now. It seems a bit crazy, but I'm taking it as a gift from our month-ago-travel-happy selves. One last hurrah before two years of school.

That being said, I am very excited to be going! 20 days of fancy coffee and free museums and reuniting with trip friends. 

The cheapest flight was from New York, so I made my way here earlier today. It is about four hours from my parents, and after exploring the options I decided to take a van here. Supertrans!

Me and four of my closest strangers made our way from outside Philadelphia to JFK. 

I have gotten pretty good at packing, although I probably brought as many clothes for this 20 days as I did for our whole world trip. It was kind of liberating to throw in some extra things without having to think of lugging it around for months. I also have a small carry-on full almost entirely with presents. I believe very much in the IDEA of never arriving empty handed, but am sorry to say that even despite depending on the kindness of strangers for most of our trip we hardly ever came bearing gifts to show just how much we appreciated what everyone did for us and how much we liked them. I can blame it on a lack of luggage space and funds, but whatever the reason I really regret it. Sorry, everyone! This time, seeing some of our old friends (and depending on their kindness once again) I am ready!

I will try to photograph the luggage at some point, but the breakdown is as follows:

1 x jeans 

1 x shorty shorts

1 x dress that can go either casual or fancy depending on accessories 

2 x tank tops

2 x t-shirts

2 x long sleeved shirts

1 x cardigan

1 x sweater

1 x sneakers (wearing for journey there to reduce packing space)

1 x sandals

1 x first aid kit

1 x giant medical text book and flash cards, required for my program in August 

As for my purse, I took this photo at the airport for your perusal: 

These are all the things I've learned to be most important to have on your actual person when possible instead of packed away. The breakdown here is:

Slightly trashy novel

Journal and two pens

Travel watercolor set and tiny watercolor papers (in the zippered pouch)

Eye glasses

Sunglasses

Eye cover -- I've never used one of these before but have been having some light sensitivity issues lately and thought I'd give it a try

Headphones

Phone charger and UK adapter 

Candy

Make up and deodorant 

I also have on my person a sweater and a fashion scarf, which I have learned by experience always come in handy when traveling. 

They've started boarding now so I should go. I have a D seat which I think means I'm going to end up in the middle, but we can always hope for a miracle. 

I'm off to 7 hours of terrible movie watching and sleeping, and then to the tube and at last our friends' house where Subash and fun times are waiting.

See you on the other side! 

One Year On

In a few days, it will be an entire year since Subash and I last had a space of our own. An entire year of living out of back packs, and more recently boxes, sleeping in other people's beds, and generally relying on the kindness of strangers.

Since returning to the US, that kindness has mainly been my parents'. We've been living in their house, in my childhood bedroom, with piles of every remaining thing we own heaped around the bed. It's not the prettiest, but it has let us get back on our feet and save up for a real apartment. I am forever grateful to this gift of time my parents have given us, at the cost of their personal space.

One of the best parts of coming home has been seeing our cats again. We all quickly resumed our proper places.

I am starting a physician assistant masters program in August, which I am so excited about. I was in a completely different career, working as a quality control chemist, when I decided to make the change. Changing careers is like turning a big ship--you have to make a series of small adjustments and for a long time the horizon looks the same and it feels like nothing has changed, but ever so gradually land comes into view. Between first deciding to switch careers and actually getting accepted to a program was over a three year process, and included volunteering at a hospital on weekends, taking 5 prerequisite courses I didn't get in undergrad, quitting my salaried/benefits "career" for a minimum wage flex phlebotomy position, taking the GREs, and more. All together it seems overwhelming, even from the other side, but one degree at a time the ship was turned, and here I am!! I can't believe it, and I can't wait to get started.

So we are now, finally, preparing to move into a new apartment in a new town so I can start my new program. Our lease starts July 1st and I am so excited to have our own space. Our new apartment has fake wood floors and two windows in the living room, a dishwasher, and air conditioning. Such luxury! I am most looking forward to decorating with the few precious objects I brought back from our trip. Doorknobs from India, masks from Sri Lanka, block prints from New Zealand.

Because we got rid of most of our belongings a year ago, this is also a chance to start over with a clean slate. My tendency is always to accumulate. I have three bags full of pamphlets and receipts from our trip that I've been schlepping around because, even though I don't really want them, I can't get rid of them yet. I've always joked that I'm just one or two tragedies away from being a hoarder, and there is a ring of truth to it. I like clean organized spaces, but I get some kind of strange packrat caveman pleasure from being surrounded by everything I could ever need. On airplanes, I keep my backpack by my feet  instead of in the overhead bin--even if I never open it, I like knowing that it's there.

This is no way to live, though, and I am going to try to use our new apartment as an opportunity to clean out the remaining detritus of my life and start fresh. I read an article that said you should ask every item if it "brings you joy," and get rid of anything where the answer is no. It's a little hippy-dippy, but I'm going to give it a try. 

I learned a lot on our trip about myself and what I want from my life. I am trying to put those things in to practice. I have been cooking more, and I learned how to make a great latte. I solemnly swear to have guest towels in our new apartment. Most of all, though, I have been trying to "stand alone," which is the best phrasing I can come up with for the idea of presenting myself to the world without apologies, or distractions. 

I met a lot of amazing people on our trip who inspired me, especially women. These women knew who they were, liked themselves, and stood alone in it. 

I'm trying to learn from their example, and I'm getting there! One small turn at a time.

Home Again

On March 31st at 6 am we got in a cab, went to the Melbourne Airport, and started the long flight home.

I can't believe our trip is over! We have been home for almost two weeks now and it seems like it should be time for us to move on to our next location, but there are no next location left!

Our flight home was relatively uneventful, with one 14 hour leg and one 7 hour. Our seatmate on the 14 hour flight was a hilarious guy from Tennesee, who, when they forgot to feed Subash and I, snuck in the back and stole us some hotdogs. (Note: airplane hotdogs may not be the best idea). Then they finally came around and gave us more hotdogs, and I ate them all, before having to turn over something like seven empty hotdog boxes to the flight attendant collecting trash. Hats off to you, seatmate guy, wherever you are.

We finally made it to New York, and my parents! It was so nice to see them after all this time. 

My dad took some pictures of us with all of our stuff and when I looked at them later I found this amazing photobomb:

The purple suitcase I bought in a second hand store in South Africa (what could possibly go wrong in a sentence like that) made it to the end, mostly. The handle and wheels were broken off on its first voyage, and the stitching holding all of my treasures inside was giving way, so I had it plastic-wrapped at the Melbourne Airport. It seems to have worked, as all of my souvenirs from our 9 months made it. Plus it was easy to identify my bag at the luggage claim, as that one with the jaggedy plastic shard sticking out at the bottom where a wheel used to be.

For anyone curious about our financials, we ended the trip with about $400 to our name. Accordingly, we have now moved in with my parents! 

My poor parents have already had our two cats all this time, who have been slowly destroying their nice house. One has scratched up their previously flawless couches, while the other chewed off all the pull-cords to their window blinds. 

Seeing our cats again was one of the best parts of coming home, and we have quickly resumed our old positions of taking naps together.

My parents are incredible saints for everything they've done for us, and we couldn't have done this trip without them. We were so jammed for time when we left last July that we basically abandoned all of our remaining belongings on their front porch, which they then had to deal with alone for no good reason. They have been incredible.

So now what! 

The first few days were rough as we dealt with all of the paperwork of normal stationary life. Taxes were due within two weeks of coming back. My drivers license had expired and we had sent back the license plate on our car so we didn't have to pay car insurance while we were away, and the car was also now out of inspection. Our health insurance had to be sorted. A giant box of mail awaited our attention.

I am very excited to say that I got in to graduate school, which I applied to before we left on the trip. I start a two year program in August, and it has been a huge help knowing that there is something set. We drove over to the area a few days ago to see where we should live, and I think it will be okay.

I've been looking for a job. Something, anything. 

I can't believe our trip is over. Not that long ago we were in New Zealand. Even less than that I was surfing in Australia.

How do you keep all of the best parts of who you are when traveling in your normal daily life?

I'll have to try. 

United States Soil

Australia Journal Pages

Ever since I finished my first trip journal / art book, I lost some momentum and haven't been making as much. This book just doesn't feel as cohesive as the last one somehow. Despite that, I am powering through! Here are the pages I have so far for Australia, in the order they appear.

Auckland Food Tour

The title of this blog, "in search of the pomerac," comes from a trip we took to Trinidad about 3 years ago. On this trip, while being driven around the remote rainforested areas, our driver stopped to pick up some pomerac, a local fruit I had never had before. Upon hearing this, he insisted I try, and bought one for me from the roadside stall.

It was red and vaguely pear shaped, and tasted like a mix between an apple and a rose. There is a photo of me eating it--I am smiling, excited, trying something new, and I hope I always look that way. 

This morning, in pursuit of this same adventure, I went on a food tour of Auckland, New Zealand. 

It was hosted by Zest Food Tours of New Zealand, and kindly set up with the help of Tourism Auckland. My tour guide was Kerry Swan, a fantastic and fun woman who I spent the day laughing and eating with. 

We started at the Parnell Market, a Saturfay food market overflowing with fresh produce and delicious offerings. Near one stall, a boisterous man named Terry overheard me say I had never tried passion fruit before and, just like our driver in Trinidad, gave me one to try.

The outside of the passion fruit gives nothing away of the delicious center!

Kerry told me a lot of people use passion fruit as a dessert topping, squeezing the juice over tarts and ice cream. Terry helpfully advised you could also add it to vodka if so inclined.

The passion fruit was just the beginning! We picked up some coffee and wandered the market, sampling so-good-they-look-fake grapes, spreads, pastries, and cheese.

Everyone had samples to share, and there was a band playing soft background music as we wandered the outdoor stalls. 

Eventually we headed out to the CBD--center business district--of Auckland. I have spent some time here, but my tour with Kerry showed me just how little I had scratched of the surface. It was also a good reminder of how touring on your own often means you accidentally miss the best spots. It turns out there is a whole world of delicious coffee and food just off the main drag of Queen street, which I had never seen.

We walked through an old movie-theater-turned-coffee-shop on Imperial Lane. Having just had coffee at the time we continued on our way, but I came back here later on in the day after our tour was over and am actually sitting in one of the tables by the open door as I write this.

Our next stop was at the Devonport chocolate shop, where I was more than happy to sample any and everything they were willing to give me. The woman there have me some background on the company, which makes their chocolates by hand, and I learned there is such a job description as "chocolate polisher," who shines up each piece. I'm definitely in the wrong business!

While we were in the store a woman came in and bought a life-sized chocolate shoe!

My favorite chocolate by far was their salted caramel and dark chocolate mix.

We strolled through the city some more as Kerry pointed out different restuarants and cafés. There are a lot of clever ideas at work in Auckland, including something called "third wave" coffee, involving scientific looking brewing contraptions, and a restaurant that sends you to their neighboring bar if they are full, and calls your cell phone when your table is ready.

There are also more markets! I was amazed to see one right in the middle of the Britomart precinct down town. They are a great way to spend an afternoon, and at the next one I sampled raw honey, fancy granola, and of course more cheese.

At the market they had a stall making mussel fritters, a New Zealand must have, involving chopped up mussels fried with pieces of bread. My photo doesn't do it justice.

After the market we settled in to lunch at a charming little place called Ortolana. It is owned by a couple that also have a farm, and many of their ingredients come directly from their farm to the table, as you can see from this note on the menu:

It is the kind of place where you can just tell the owners love food, and the menu reflects it. I had the crayfish ravioli, adding another food I had never eaten before to the growing list for the day.

I also stole some of Kerry's fish, with couscous.

The restaurant had a completely insane array of desserts, which I took greedy drooly photos of. The desserts are sold in a neat little shop next door, so if you wanted you could just go in and pick something up while out for an evening stroll, or if you are in the restaurant they just go over and get it for you.

They also make their own ice cream bars, which is what I ended up getting. I went for the "Bar Alaska," which is wrapped in a meringue sort of marshmallow coating and flambed.

It was an incredibly delicious lunch. Every now and then I think "how different could one food be from another," and then I have something like this that has been crafted with love and I remember. The depth of flavor is what really gets me--my ravioli was fresh and light even while being made with delicious butter and garlic. 

The prices weren't too bad either, for how fancy the place seemed. My dish was $20, which for New Zealand, I have learned, is actually pretty standard for anything above street food. 

This restaurant is right down town, in an area filled with fairy lights and small shops. 

Kerry and I sat in our cushioned seats eating our fancy handmade icecream bars and chatting about Auckland and life. I really enjoyed my time with her.

When we parted ways she recommended I stop by the Wynyard Quarter, a reclaimed rail line along the harbour that now hosts new restaurants and a Saturday craft market. It was just a short walk away, and I perused the art and clothing on offer, and watched some kids swim in the sea.

I've never gone on a food tour before, and I really loved it. It was such an interesting way to get to know a new city, and it gave me a whole new perspective on Auckland and all it has to offer.

I think it would be most fun to do a food tour like this on your first or second day on a new city, as then spend the rest of the time re-exploring what you learned, and knowing where to go to get the best coffee.

After the tour as I walked around down town before catching a bus back to Epsom, I felt like a new person. I wasn't just a tourist anymore,  I knew what was down those side lanes, and what a flat white is, and how to eat a passion fruit, and now nothing could stop me.

Thanks, Kerry, Zest Food Tours, and Tourism Auckland for helping me find the pomerac once more!

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Book Online at www.zestfoodtours.co.nz

Call Zest Auckland at +64 9 362 0588

Kerry Swan, Director of Zest Food Tours of Auckland Ltd., email at: kerry@zestfoodtours.co.nz