In case you were wondering, I'm pretty sure you know a lot more Swahili than you think you do (at least I did!), mostly from The Lion King. So, without further ado, a (very short) Swahili/English glossary.
Jambo: hello
Asante sana: thank you very much
Caribu: welcome/you're welcome
Rafjiki: friend
Soba: a general greeting
Sawa: all good
Kwaheri: goodbye
Baraka: blessings
And the animals...
Simba: lion
Twiga: giraffe
Chui: leopard
Fisi: hyena
Ndobu: elephant
Also, for any of you who were in choir at ENMS, James was quite excited that we had learned a Swahili song in school (O Sifuni Mungu) and happily translated the whole song (which mostly translated to singing blessings, everyone all together) :).
James also explained that, due to migration, etc. Swahili is a mixture of many languages, with a heavy emphasis on Portuguese and Arabic!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Safari!
Today Jon and I left Nairobi to head to the Masai Mara with our wonderful tour guide, James, from Asili Adventures. James picked us up at the apartment around 7:15 am (which was amazing since I hadn't confirmed our pick-up...) and we set out on a 6 hour drive to the Masai Mara National Park.
Our first stop along the route was at an overlook to the Great Rift Valley. Which was INCREDIBLE.
The valley spans over 6,000 km, all the way into Mozambique. It was beyond breathtaking.
After 3 1/2 hours of driving James informed us that we had 100km to go (about 60 miles) ... and that it was going to take another 2 1/2 hours to get there because we needed to have "African back massages" (read: travel non-paved African roads).
The next 2 1/2 hours (because yes it DID take that long) were like nothing either of us had ever experienced before. The roads dipped and bent, we got stuck several times but fortunately James is quite a skilled stick shift driver and got us out of several jams! It was certainly an interesting ride to say the least and gave us a small glimpse of what we can expect over the next 3 1/2 weeks!
We are staying at a "campsite" run by two lovely expats from Ireland and the UK, Ken and his wife Marie, called Fisi Camp (which means Hyena Camp - it is named that because you can hear hyenas around the area, although we didn't see them on site). I put "campsite" in quotes because while it is definitely a tent, it also has a cement foundation and an attached bathroom with running hot water! Pretty swanky ;-)
After settling in, we ate a delicious lunch of rice and mystery meat (yet delicious) and veggies before heading on our first game drive!
The drive was amazing, although definitely different than we expected. First, it was MUCH greener than we were thinking. This is mostly due to the fact that it is the end of the rainy season so vegetation has been blossoming for a few months. Also, unlike on tv, not all animals are running around all the time. In fact, most of the time they're just chillin with their homies trying get some grub. In addition, there aren't animals everywhere all the time. And lastly, not all the animals are bff. Some of them, like gazells and wildebeests will hang out together, but for the most part, herds are separate from one another and you'll see one species at a time.
When we arrived on the drive, we immediately ran into zebras. Ok, didn't run into per se, but they were in our way on the road! Along the way we saw TONS of animals, and every one was more surprising than the last. We saw.... zebras, gazelles (TONS of them), wildebeests, giraffes (only at the very end far away - hoping to see them more up close tomorrow!), ostriches, anddddd LIONS, A CHEETAH, AND ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you know what happened the moment I saw my first wild elephant? I cried. Hard. It was beautiful. And I loved everything about it. And wanted to roam free with them. Did I mention it was great?
We also saw 2 lionesses with 3 lion cubs which was pretty amazing.
AND we saw a cheetah just chillin. She even struck several poses for the camera! (Sorry - pics taken on my Nikon camera, not my iPhone!)It was a LOOOOOOOONNNGGGG and exhausting day, which is why, when we returned to our tent from our game drive, we immediately ate dinner and got into bed (I'm writing this from bed at 8:40 at night and I couldn't be happier to be headed for Dream Land: Population, The Capozzolas)
Another fabulous day in Africa in the books :).
Jess' highlight of the day: WILD ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!
Jon's highlight of the day: seeing the lionesses and their cubs
Our first stop along the route was at an overlook to the Great Rift Valley. Which was INCREDIBLE.
The valley spans over 6,000 km, all the way into Mozambique. It was beyond breathtaking.
After 3 1/2 hours of driving James informed us that we had 100km to go (about 60 miles) ... and that it was going to take another 2 1/2 hours to get there because we needed to have "African back massages" (read: travel non-paved African roads).
The next 2 1/2 hours (because yes it DID take that long) were like nothing either of us had ever experienced before. The roads dipped and bent, we got stuck several times but fortunately James is quite a skilled stick shift driver and got us out of several jams! It was certainly an interesting ride to say the least and gave us a small glimpse of what we can expect over the next 3 1/2 weeks!
We are staying at a "campsite" run by two lovely expats from Ireland and the UK, Ken and his wife Marie, called Fisi Camp (which means Hyena Camp - it is named that because you can hear hyenas around the area, although we didn't see them on site). I put "campsite" in quotes because while it is definitely a tent, it also has a cement foundation and an attached bathroom with running hot water! Pretty swanky ;-)
After settling in, we ate a delicious lunch of rice and mystery meat (yet delicious) and veggies before heading on our first game drive!
The drive was amazing, although definitely different than we expected. First, it was MUCH greener than we were thinking. This is mostly due to the fact that it is the end of the rainy season so vegetation has been blossoming for a few months. Also, unlike on tv, not all animals are running around all the time. In fact, most of the time they're just chillin with their homies trying get some grub. In addition, there aren't animals everywhere all the time. And lastly, not all the animals are bff. Some of them, like gazells and wildebeests will hang out together, but for the most part, herds are separate from one another and you'll see one species at a time.
When we arrived on the drive, we immediately ran into zebras. Ok, didn't run into per se, but they were in our way on the road! Along the way we saw TONS of animals, and every one was more surprising than the last. We saw.... zebras, gazelles (TONS of them), wildebeests, giraffes (only at the very end far away - hoping to see them more up close tomorrow!), ostriches, anddddd LIONS, A CHEETAH, AND ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you know what happened the moment I saw my first wild elephant? I cried. Hard. It was beautiful. And I loved everything about it. And wanted to roam free with them. Did I mention it was great?
AND we saw a cheetah just chillin. She even struck several poses for the camera! (Sorry - pics taken on my Nikon camera, not my iPhone!)It was a LOOOOOOOONNNGGGG and exhausting day, which is why, when we returned to our tent from our game drive, we immediately ate dinner and got into bed (I'm writing this from bed at 8:40 at night and I couldn't be happier to be headed for Dream Land: Population, The Capozzolas)
Another fabulous day in Africa in the books :).
Jess' highlight of the day: WILD ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!
Jon's highlight of the day: seeing the lionesses and their cubs
An Epic Beginning
I'm not sure Jon and I could have asked for a better first day of our epic adventure. Yesterday was seriously a day for the books!
Our day started off with (what else) a little confusion. As I've mentioned previously, it has been fairly confusing communicating with so many different people from abroad over the past few weeks. It also doesn't help when you give a tour guide the wrong date that you want to take a tour of the city! OOPS! Regardless, the person I had been speaking with, Francis, was able to set up a last minute tour guide, Tony, to drive us around the city for the day.
Tony arrived around 8:30 am and promptly took us to breakfast. Which was good since we were famished after basically only eating airplane and airport food for a solid 24 hours previously. Breakfast was...well... pretty amazing. We stopped at a little cafe which looked a little on the pricy side ($8.50 for omelets)...but that's because we had no idea of the food that would be arriving for us...
I mean. Seriously. About $20 for everything you see here. Needless to say we were no longer hungry!
Our next stop was the grocery store for a few quick items before heading to.... the elephant orphanage!! We arrived at the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage around 10:30 am for an 11 am opening. They only open the center for 1 hour a day so that the elephants don't get too used to having people around. The orphanage can house up to 27 baby elephants at a time, who are rescued from the wild when they are found injured or abandoned. Many of the elephants had clear cuts on their legs from snares, holes from spears, and injuries they had sustained from falling into wells. The orphanage takes them in, cares for them for a period of 5-10 years, depending on when they are ready, and then they are rereleased into the wild. Pretty wonderful :)
I honestly didn't know what to expect upon arrival. They basically had a ring of rope set up and let the baby elephants roam free inside of it. We got to watch them feed from bottles provided by their caretakers, roll around in a big pool of mud, and play with one another. And IT. WAS. ADORABLE.
After a little while, the caretakers brought the elephants around the ring and we got to pet them!! It was pretty much a life goal/highlight for me (for those of you who don't know, elefantes are my FAVORITE animals :).)
Next up was the Giraffe Center, where we got to learn about giraffes and then feed them. Some of us also may have put the pellet in our lips and been kissed by a giraffe! Three guesses on who that was ;-)
I know this is going to be a fairly obvious statement, but MAN giraffes are tall! We saw Rothchild giraffes (which are endangered) at the center, which can grow up to 5 meters, although there are 3 different species of giraffe in Kenya (distinguishable by their markings), one of which, the Masai Giraffe, can grow up to 6 meters tall!
Some fun giraffe facts:
- Giraffes hearts are located between their front two legs and can be about a square foot in diameter.
- Giraffes tibias don't have marrow in them, they are solid bone! We got to hold one and I can tell you they are HEAVY.
- Because of their heavy tibias, their kicks are lethal - which is why most other animals, especially those that hunt alone, tend to stay away.
- Giraffes get most of their water from the leaves they eat. This is because they are most susceptible to attack while drinking water since they need to bend their front legs and extend their neck.
- Giraffes only sleep for 5-30 minutes A DAY, and in 5 minute increments, WHILE STANDING WITH THEIR EYES OPEN. WHAAATTTT. They do this because their brains are still alert and they can tell if predators are coming.
After the Giraffe Center, Jon and I headed to Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya (and I believe all of East Africa). Kenya has a population of about 40 million people, over 1 million of whom live in Kibera on less than $1 a day. When we arrived in Kibera, we were greeted by Victor and Martin, who kindly gave us a tour around the slum, helping us to better understand what we were seeing. Victor explained (in his, and many other locals opinions) that Kibera is a very intersting piece of Kenya in that political candidates use it as a pawn in their election promises in order to get the masses to bring them to power. He took us around the area, pointing out facts about how people live. For example, since no one has running water in their homes, you can pay 10 ksh (which equates in USD to 1/10 of a penny) to use the restroom and 20 ksh to take a shower. Some people will also take buckets of charcoal and, to make it more affordable, mix it with other materials and charge a much lower fee for usage.
Victor and I also talked about the current infrastructure of Kibera and what is needed to make it a better place for its citizens. I asked him what the number 1 thing he would change about Kibera is and he answered without hesitation: housing. If citizens can have reliable housing with running water, it will eliminate a lot of the issues the city currently faces, including rampant littering, which is currently polluting the waterways in the area and leading to high rates of cholera. While we were there, a water pipe to the city had burst and there was water flowing into the street. Children had taken to gathering buckets of the water because it was free. But the water was actually running into the city for the restrooms and was not actually potable. However, because it was free, the children were gathering it to drink. Victor's response also suggested that suitable houses would provide city dwellers with a sense of pride in their homes, and help them to recognize the importance of cleaning up/recycling goods, which would in turn lead to cleaner overall conditions and less disease. He also mentioned that several NGOs have come in to the area, but have been less than successful, mostly because they do not actually work WITH the community to uncover their needs, but rather provide what they think people need. He said that several have started to be more successful recently, providing job training in order to bolster the economic infrastructure and helping residents learn skills, which they can turn into jobs and eventually into small businesses. Overall, it was a really eye opening experience and we're quite grateful to Victor and Martin for showing us a different part of the city.
After walking around Kibera, Victor took us to Paradise Children's Home, an orphanage located in the heart of Kibera. The home houses 45 children between 4 months and 17 years and 9 full grown adults, in THREE ROOMS, which combined couldn't have been bigger than 500 square feet (or, for those of you who are size-challenged like myself, about the size of Mark's apartment at our house on Mickey Court). In addition, for all 54 of those people, there was a grand total of 10 beds.
10 beds. For 54 people. Pretty unreal.
After visiting the home, we headed back into the city to the National Museum of Kenya. The museum houses some interesting artifacts, including one of the oldest collections of human remains...which was pretty fascinating to see. It is also comprised of a snake house, which showed us all the super scary snakes we'll be sure to avoid on safari for the next 3 weeks ;).
After the museum (and basically falling asleep from exhaustion), we went to dinner at Pampa Plaza, a Brazilian restaurant. You're given a card, one side red, one side green, and you flip over the card to green whenever you want more cooked meats brought to you, and red when you have had enough. Everything was pretty good, although I had been told there was crocodile meat, which I was very curious to try, although alas! There was none. Hopefully we get another opportunity to try it somewhere along our journey!
Honestly, yesterday was so much more than we could have asked for for the first day of our travels. Looking forward to 90-something more amazing days!!!
Jess' and Jon's highlights of the day: petting baby elephants!
Our day started off with (what else) a little confusion. As I've mentioned previously, it has been fairly confusing communicating with so many different people from abroad over the past few weeks. It also doesn't help when you give a tour guide the wrong date that you want to take a tour of the city! OOPS! Regardless, the person I had been speaking with, Francis, was able to set up a last minute tour guide, Tony, to drive us around the city for the day.
Tony arrived around 8:30 am and promptly took us to breakfast. Which was good since we were famished after basically only eating airplane and airport food for a solid 24 hours previously. Breakfast was...well... pretty amazing. We stopped at a little cafe which looked a little on the pricy side ($8.50 for omelets)...but that's because we had no idea of the food that would be arriving for us...
I mean. Seriously. About $20 for everything you see here. Needless to say we were no longer hungry!
Our next stop was the grocery store for a few quick items before heading to.... the elephant orphanage!! We arrived at the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage around 10:30 am for an 11 am opening. They only open the center for 1 hour a day so that the elephants don't get too used to having people around. The orphanage can house up to 27 baby elephants at a time, who are rescued from the wild when they are found injured or abandoned. Many of the elephants had clear cuts on their legs from snares, holes from spears, and injuries they had sustained from falling into wells. The orphanage takes them in, cares for them for a period of 5-10 years, depending on when they are ready, and then they are rereleased into the wild. Pretty wonderful :)
I honestly didn't know what to expect upon arrival. They basically had a ring of rope set up and let the baby elephants roam free inside of it. We got to watch them feed from bottles provided by their caretakers, roll around in a big pool of mud, and play with one another. And IT. WAS. ADORABLE.
After a little while, the caretakers brought the elephants around the ring and we got to pet them!! It was pretty much a life goal/highlight for me (for those of you who don't know, elefantes are my FAVORITE animals :).)
Next up was the Giraffe Center, where we got to learn about giraffes and then feed them. Some of us also may have put the pellet in our lips and been kissed by a giraffe! Three guesses on who that was ;-)
I know this is going to be a fairly obvious statement, but MAN giraffes are tall! We saw Rothchild giraffes (which are endangered) at the center, which can grow up to 5 meters, although there are 3 different species of giraffe in Kenya (distinguishable by their markings), one of which, the Masai Giraffe, can grow up to 6 meters tall!
Some fun giraffe facts:
- Giraffes hearts are located between their front two legs and can be about a square foot in diameter.
- Giraffes tibias don't have marrow in them, they are solid bone! We got to hold one and I can tell you they are HEAVY.
- Because of their heavy tibias, their kicks are lethal - which is why most other animals, especially those that hunt alone, tend to stay away.
- Giraffes get most of their water from the leaves they eat. This is because they are most susceptible to attack while drinking water since they need to bend their front legs and extend their neck.
- Giraffes only sleep for 5-30 minutes A DAY, and in 5 minute increments, WHILE STANDING WITH THEIR EYES OPEN. WHAAATTTT. They do this because their brains are still alert and they can tell if predators are coming.
After the Giraffe Center, Jon and I headed to Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya (and I believe all of East Africa). Kenya has a population of about 40 million people, over 1 million of whom live in Kibera on less than $1 a day. When we arrived in Kibera, we were greeted by Victor and Martin, who kindly gave us a tour around the slum, helping us to better understand what we were seeing. Victor explained (in his, and many other locals opinions) that Kibera is a very intersting piece of Kenya in that political candidates use it as a pawn in their election promises in order to get the masses to bring them to power. He took us around the area, pointing out facts about how people live. For example, since no one has running water in their homes, you can pay 10 ksh (which equates in USD to 1/10 of a penny) to use the restroom and 20 ksh to take a shower. Some people will also take buckets of charcoal and, to make it more affordable, mix it with other materials and charge a much lower fee for usage.
Victor and I also talked about the current infrastructure of Kibera and what is needed to make it a better place for its citizens. I asked him what the number 1 thing he would change about Kibera is and he answered without hesitation: housing. If citizens can have reliable housing with running water, it will eliminate a lot of the issues the city currently faces, including rampant littering, which is currently polluting the waterways in the area and leading to high rates of cholera. While we were there, a water pipe to the city had burst and there was water flowing into the street. Children had taken to gathering buckets of the water because it was free. But the water was actually running into the city for the restrooms and was not actually potable. However, because it was free, the children were gathering it to drink. Victor's response also suggested that suitable houses would provide city dwellers with a sense of pride in their homes, and help them to recognize the importance of cleaning up/recycling goods, which would in turn lead to cleaner overall conditions and less disease. He also mentioned that several NGOs have come in to the area, but have been less than successful, mostly because they do not actually work WITH the community to uncover their needs, but rather provide what they think people need. He said that several have started to be more successful recently, providing job training in order to bolster the economic infrastructure and helping residents learn skills, which they can turn into jobs and eventually into small businesses. Overall, it was a really eye opening experience and we're quite grateful to Victor and Martin for showing us a different part of the city.
After walking around Kibera, Victor took us to Paradise Children's Home, an orphanage located in the heart of Kibera. The home houses 45 children between 4 months and 17 years and 9 full grown adults, in THREE ROOMS, which combined couldn't have been bigger than 500 square feet (or, for those of you who are size-challenged like myself, about the size of Mark's apartment at our house on Mickey Court). In addition, for all 54 of those people, there was a grand total of 10 beds.
10 beds. For 54 people. Pretty unreal.
After visiting the home, we headed back into the city to the National Museum of Kenya. The museum houses some interesting artifacts, including one of the oldest collections of human remains...which was pretty fascinating to see. It is also comprised of a snake house, which showed us all the super scary snakes we'll be sure to avoid on safari for the next 3 weeks ;).
After the museum (and basically falling asleep from exhaustion), we went to dinner at Pampa Plaza, a Brazilian restaurant. You're given a card, one side red, one side green, and you flip over the card to green whenever you want more cooked meats brought to you, and red when you have had enough. Everything was pretty good, although I had been told there was crocodile meat, which I was very curious to try, although alas! There was none. Hopefully we get another opportunity to try it somewhere along our journey!
Honestly, yesterday was so much more than we could have asked for for the first day of our travels. Looking forward to 90-something more amazing days!!!
Jess' and Jon's highlights of the day: petting baby elephants!
Monday, December 28, 2015
AND WE'RE OFF!!!
I can't believe the day has come!!! We're currently sitting in Dulles Airport (whatup DC?) awaiting our next flight to Amsterdam before our final flight to Nairobi... and I still can't really believe the time has come.
After some confusion this morning at the airport involving a credit card mix up (don't worry everything is fine), it's crazy to realize that everything we've been planning and waiting for is finally here!
Both of us are beyond excited about this entire experience. I just keep looking at Jon and telling him how grateful I am to have him in my life. Someone who appreciates my crazy (I think?) and is willing to help me figure out how to incorporate my intoxicating love of travel into our lives. I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful husband.
Also, fortunately for Jon, as I mentioned in previous posts, calm "Travel Jess" has set in, so my pulse is finally slowing and my mind is relaxing as we head off for Europe :).
Boarding time - see you on the flip side USA!!!
After some confusion this morning at the airport involving a credit card mix up (don't worry everything is fine), it's crazy to realize that everything we've been planning and waiting for is finally here!
Both of us are beyond excited about this entire experience. I just keep looking at Jon and telling him how grateful I am to have him in my life. Someone who appreciates my crazy (I think?) and is willing to help me figure out how to incorporate my intoxicating love of travel into our lives. I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful husband.
Also, fortunately for Jon, as I mentioned in previous posts, calm "Travel Jess" has set in, so my pulse is finally slowing and my mind is relaxing as we head off for Europe :).
Boarding time - see you on the flip side USA!!!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
PACKING
So many of you have asked me...what exactly does packing for 3 months in 1 backpack look like? A little something like this...
For clothes, I've packed roughly the following....
4 short sleeved shirts
3 tank tops
1 long sleeve shirt
1 zip up track shirt
1 hoodie
1 beach cover up
1 dress
1 short skirt
1 maxi shirt
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of long running pants
1 pair of capri yoga pants
black flats
flip flops
Teva sandals
sneakers
1 rain jacket
1 hat
And honestly, I have no idea what Jon packed... although his pile looks a bit smaller than mine...
but here's hoping the piles we have will get us through our trip just fine (as I'm sure they will)!
For clothes, I've packed roughly the following....
4 short sleeved shirts
3 tank tops
1 long sleeve shirt
1 zip up track shirt
1 hoodie
1 beach cover up
1 dress
1 short skirt
1 maxi shirt
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of long running pants
1 pair of capri yoga pants
black flats
flip flops
Teva sandals
sneakers
1 rain jacket
1 hat
And honestly, I have no idea what Jon packed... although his pile looks a bit smaller than mine...
but here's hoping the piles we have will get us through our trip just fine (as I'm sure they will)!
Saturday, December 26, 2015
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!! Santa (and a few of the Capozzola elves) was VERY good to us this year, bringing us tons of amazing goodies for our travels including a travel backpack for Jon, a GoPro with all the fixings, a nook, and LOTS of other awesome travel goodies (read: sunscreen, Deet, pain killers, bandaids, Pepto, etc. etc. and passport holders (thanks Aunt Marion!)).
We had a great time celebrating with Jon's grandparents (Hi Kurt and Eleanore!), Aunt Marion, her boyfriend, Jason, and Jon's cousins, Alex and Dean (hey all!) We spent time hanging out, playing pool and Cards Against Humanity, and stuffing our faces with pasta, prime rib, potatoes, sweet potatoes (good job, Alexandra :)), and SO MANY COOKIES AND CHOCOLATES. Our meals the past few days have definitely been an excellent send off from US food for a while!
It's been wonderful spending time with everyone but I'm definitely getting SUPER antsy about our travels. It's been hard coordinating with several tour companies and guides and hotels and AirBnB hosts to confirm everything when you have an 8 hour time difference. I know everything will be fine in the end, it's the build up that kills me more than anything else! Looking forward to flying off into the friendly skies in just TWO DAYS!!
We had a great time celebrating with Jon's grandparents (Hi Kurt and Eleanore!), Aunt Marion, her boyfriend, Jason, and Jon's cousins, Alex and Dean (hey all!) We spent time hanging out, playing pool and Cards Against Humanity, and stuffing our faces with pasta, prime rib, potatoes, sweet potatoes (good job, Alexandra :)), and SO MANY COOKIES AND CHOCOLATES. Our meals the past few days have definitely been an excellent send off from US food for a while!
It's been wonderful spending time with everyone but I'm definitely getting SUPER antsy about our travels. It's been hard coordinating with several tour companies and guides and hotels and AirBnB hosts to confirm everything when you have an 8 hour time difference. I know everything will be fine in the end, it's the build up that kills me more than anything else! Looking forward to flying off into the friendly skies in just TWO DAYS!!
Friday, December 25, 2015
Merry Christmas Eve All!
I hope you're all enjoying with family and friends and loved ones galore! The past few days have been INSANE with trying to figure out all the last minute stuff that we need for our trip, starting to (somewhat) pack, trying to upload all the pictures I finally finished editing(!) to both my facebook page (www.facebook.com/focusonjoyphotography) and my website (www.focusonjoyphotography.com), and trying to communicate with our AirBnB host, tour guide, travel agent, etc. etc. to make sure that everything has been set up for when we arrive in Kenya! And all that sans internet, as the internet hasn't been working on our laptop at the house. Womp womp. Needless to say I've been quite stressed...and Jon has been trying his best to keep me calm... I keep telling him - I'm the weirdo who starts to relax once we hit the road...but until then I'm sorry for being a holy terror :-D. Only a few more days til we're on our way!
PS - I've been doing a lot of shopping trips to Walmart. Which watch do you think I ended up with?? :-D
PS - I've been doing a lot of shopping trips to Walmart. Which watch do you think I ended up with?? :-D
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Say Whaaatt?
HOLY HANNAH HOW CHEAP IS GAS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY?! Ok, to be fair, it had gotten pretty cheap in NY (and all over the country as well). But Jon just filled up his tank for $23.18!!! Don't believe me?
Gas was $1.879 a gallon!! ABSURD!!
Just one more perk of settling in the south when we get back from our travels :)
Gas was $1.879 a gallon!! ABSURD!!
Just one more perk of settling in the south when we get back from our travels :)
Sunday, December 20, 2015
First Stop - Georgia!
After saying our "so-longs" to my parents (Hi Mom and Dad!) in New York and starting our drive down south with Jon's dad, Mike, we made it to Georgia in about 15 hours. A NEW WORLD RECORD! Ok, maybe not, but it seemed pretty darn impressive to me! With three of us driving (and let's be honest, me sleeping most of the way down), it pretty much flew by! I was glad we were able to make one short stop at my brother and sister-in-law's house in Richmond, VA (Hi Mike and Jen!) on the way down. It was great to spend a few short minutes with them, see their new home, and grab a quick bite, before completing our journey.
When we arrived, we relaxed and ate dinner with my mother-in-law, Eleanor, and were greeted with a beautiful package courtesy of our Real Estate Agent, Grace!
The basket was gorgeous and such a sweet (put intended) surprise! Grace Bryson was AMAZING with both the purchasing and sale of our home. She was always open and honest, while helping us achieve our dreams of becoming first time homebuyers and sellers. We truly cannot thank you enough, Grace, for helping us be able to go on this trip with the timely sale of our home! If anyone is looking for a real estate agent - give her a call at Coach Realtors in Northport! THANKS GRACE!
Grateful!
A few weeks ago I enrolled in a photography class at the Huntington Art League. I LOVE taking photography classes any chance I get and always enjoy meeting new people through my classes. Like Natalie.
While Natalie and I didn't get to spend all that much time together in class, we shared an avid love of photography and both talked about starting our own businesses. In discussing my interest in engagement photography (you can check out my website here... www.focusonjoyphotography.com ;-)), she mentioned a lens she had that she offered to let me borrow. Pretty amazing. I borrowed it for two weeks, took tons of pictures, and gave it back at the next class. When I told Natalie Jon and I were going on Safari, she insisted I borrow the lens for the entirety of our trip.
Ummmmm whhhaaatttt????
Yes, this girl I barely know offered to let me borrow a camera lens worth hundreds of dollars while I travel around the globe for 3 months, all with simply the promise that I will bring it back in excellent working condition.
In Spanish there's a phrase for people like Natalie - "buenaonda". It literally means "good wave", but it really just means a solidly good person. Natalie - you are buenaonda and I am BEYOND excited to use this lens on my trip. Also, this blog has already been read by several hundred people, so this is my promise to you that I will not skip town (past the end of March 2016, that is), with your Nikon Lens :-D.
THANK YOU!!
While Natalie and I didn't get to spend all that much time together in class, we shared an avid love of photography and both talked about starting our own businesses. In discussing my interest in engagement photography (you can check out my website here... www.focusonjoyphotography.com ;-)), she mentioned a lens she had that she offered to let me borrow. Pretty amazing. I borrowed it for two weeks, took tons of pictures, and gave it back at the next class. When I told Natalie Jon and I were going on Safari, she insisted I borrow the lens for the entirety of our trip.
Ummmmm whhhaaatttt????
Yes, this girl I barely know offered to let me borrow a camera lens worth hundreds of dollars while I travel around the globe for 3 months, all with simply the promise that I will bring it back in excellent working condition.
In Spanish there's a phrase for people like Natalie - "buenaonda". It literally means "good wave", but it really just means a solidly good person. Natalie - you are buenaonda and I am BEYOND excited to use this lens on my trip. Also, this blog has already been read by several hundred people, so this is my promise to you that I will not skip town (past the end of March 2016, that is), with your Nikon Lens :-D.
THANK YOU!!
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Only my Jonathan.
Tonight after packing the last of our stuff, Jon told me that his stomach hurt. Jon rarely expresses pain, so when he does, it sounds the alarm. He promptly told me that he had to go and he'd be right back. Not knowing what to expect I gave him a few minutes before going to check on him in the downstairs bathroom..which is where I thought he would be...
No, he was in the kitchen. Eating my leftover Greek gyro from dinner. Because that's what everyone does when they are doubled over in pain right??!
Regardless, it seemed to do the trick - the Greek food just made all his stomach pains disappear. Or maybe brought him into a food coma. I couldn't really tell.
No, he was in the kitchen. Eating my leftover Greek gyro from dinner. Because that's what everyone does when they are doubled over in pain right??!
Regardless, it seemed to do the trick - the Greek food just made all his stomach pains disappear. Or maybe brought him into a food coma. I couldn't really tell.
FUNEMPLOYED!
Today was mine and Jon's last day of work. Kind of surreal. I still don't think it's quite hit either of us that we're actually following through with this crazy plan that we dreamed up a few short months ago. After all, not many people say "lets quit our jobs and travel!" and then, well, quit their jobs and travel. I think we're both still in shock. And then it came time for our last day at work...
Even after preparing ourselves for this day for several months, it still didn't make saying goodbye any easier. We've both been at our organizations for years - I was at PASE for 4 and Jon at Gannett for 6(?). It's really not fun to say goodbye to coworkers who have grown into members of your family. We both had amazing coworkers and friends who we are very grateful for and who will miss dearly. Today kinda sucked a little bit. Thank you all for everything you taught us - we seriously appreciate your support.
However, that said...I cannot even tell you how happy I was when I got off the train at Huntington. After FOUR YEARS of commuting 3 hours a day to and from the city - I am finally officially NO LONGER A COMMUTER!!!!! And DANG it feels good!!
I am well aware that there are people who commute for decades (looking at you, Dad). I am well aware that four years is not that long of a time to commute... but I also know myself, and I know how much it killed me a little bit every day to waste so much time staring out the window of LIRR trains...and how much it REALLY killed me to have to give them hundreds of dollars monthly for their crappy services. LIRR, I will not miss you. You are the worst. But seriously.
After a long, draining day of saying goodbyes and packing up shop, Jon and I then had to finish packing...let's just say, it's a little past midnight... and I'm hoping we got all our stuff... considering I almost already forgot our passports, vaccination records, and sneakers...
Here's hoping we got all the essentials and will be able to make it out of the country (and safely into the next one!)
HAPPY DAY ONE OF FUNEMPLOYMENT!!!
Even after preparing ourselves for this day for several months, it still didn't make saying goodbye any easier. We've both been at our organizations for years - I was at PASE for 4 and Jon at Gannett for 6(?). It's really not fun to say goodbye to coworkers who have grown into members of your family. We both had amazing coworkers and friends who we are very grateful for and who will miss dearly. Today kinda sucked a little bit. Thank you all for everything you taught us - we seriously appreciate your support.
However, that said...I cannot even tell you how happy I was when I got off the train at Huntington. After FOUR YEARS of commuting 3 hours a day to and from the city - I am finally officially NO LONGER A COMMUTER!!!!! And DANG it feels good!!
I am well aware that there are people who commute for decades (looking at you, Dad). I am well aware that four years is not that long of a time to commute... but I also know myself, and I know how much it killed me a little bit every day to waste so much time staring out the window of LIRR trains...and how much it REALLY killed me to have to give them hundreds of dollars monthly for their crappy services. LIRR, I will not miss you. You are the worst. But seriously.
After a long, draining day of saying goodbyes and packing up shop, Jon and I then had to finish packing...let's just say, it's a little past midnight... and I'm hoping we got all our stuff... considering I almost already forgot our passports, vaccination records, and sneakers...
Here's hoping we got all the essentials and will be able to make it out of the country (and safely into the next one!)
HAPPY DAY ONE OF FUNEMPLOYMENT!!!
Friday, December 18, 2015
Packing...
This past week my parent's asked me to pack up my childhood home so they could repaint the room...which I'm totally down with because 1. I shouldn't still have things at my childhood home (but thanks Mom and Dad for storing all our stuff for the next 3 months!) and 2. because I hate the color of that room. A lot.
Cleaning/packing up your room has its perks, though. Like trips down memory lane...
Senior class physics trip to Six Flags Great Adventure - May 2005!
Cleaning/packing up your room has its perks, though. Like trips down memory lane...
Senior class physics trip to Six Flags Great Adventure - May 2005!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Package!
Jon and I got a package in the mail last week from my brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Jennifer, who live down in VA. While we have no clue where we'll end up after our travels, I think I have a good idea about where they'd like us to be... :)
Monday, December 14, 2015
Good Friends, Good Eats
Last night, our friends, Matt and Lisa, hosted a farewell potluck dinner for us. It was basically the perfect, quintessentially "us" dinner. Many of our good friends from Northport/Huntington, delicious food, lots of alcohol, and tons of stories and memory-sharing.
As much as we are both ready to get off of Long Island, we are certainty going to miss our amazing friends who have helped us through ups and downs, supported us, and made life more enjoyable.
To all of you who already know who you are, we are so lucky to have you in our lives and grateful for your friendship and love. We look forward to seeing you as soon as we're back in the states in March :).
As much as we are both ready to get off of Long Island, we are certainty going to miss our amazing friends who have helped us through ups and downs, supported us, and made life more enjoyable.
To all of you who already know who you are, we are so lucky to have you in our lives and grateful for your friendship and love. We look forward to seeing you as soon as we're back in the states in March :).
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Secret Santa!
This year, (most of) my best friend's from college decided to do Secret Santa. I'm just gonna say it - I had the best Secret Santa who knew EXACTLY what I needed...
Thank you for my kick a** headlamp and caribiners, Heather!! <3
Saturday, December 12, 2015
No Longer Homeowners!
Today Jon and I official became NON homeowners. And I must say, while I had been dreading the entire process up until this point... it kinda actually sorta feels good! :-p
I won't lie, leaving the house this morning was hard. Especially given our time crunch. We woke up at 7:30, had to finish packing all the last-minute stuff, clean out the refrigerator, and clean the rest of the house, all before the new owners arrived at 8:45 for their final walk-through. I had told Jon I didn't want to be there for the walk-through as I thought I'd be too emotional. Turns out, I was actually kind of excited for Dana and Joe to see the house all ready for them. They arrived a few minutes early and as I was cleaning out the fridge I kept yelling out to their car "Do you guys want the soda in the fridge? How about these burgers??" I found it fun to be able to share what we had with them (and I HATE wasting food - so win win!)
As I had told Jon last night, I really think I got out a lot of my emotions once a majority of our furniture was gone. After all, once our couches and tables were no longer there, it didn't feel like Che Capozzola anymore. It just felt like we were living in the shell of our home...and by that point, I was ready to get out.
So this morning I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. First trying to finish clearing out all our stuff, then driving to my parent's house to drop off refrigerated stuff, then going back to the house to finish saying goodbye, then to our closing.
We arrived at closing at 10 am...and kinda just sat there without much to do. It appears that when you buy a home, you have about 2398348572 papers to sign. But when you sell a home? You have about 10. So we watched our buyers sign tons of paperwork until around 11:30 when we were handed two (very large) checks, handed the new owners their keys, and were no longer officially homeowners ourselves. WOO!
Yes, a very strange feeling, but also, like a weight had been lifted off our (read: my) chest(s). While we had a relatively smooth home-sale process throughout, the hiccups and paperwork were nerve-racking to say the least, and I was glad that everything was officially and finally done!
After closing, we headed STRAIGHT to the bank and IT. FELT. GLORIOUS. Seriously. Flipping a house in 2 years? Financially, I highly recommend it ;-). I'm quite happy that my husband was smart enough to see the value in purchasing a home just 2 1/2 years ago!
After the bank, Jon and I dropped off the last of our stuff at good will before heading back to the house to pick up the few boxes we had left, to say our last goodbyes, and to give our well wishes to the new happy homeowners.
Man, was it weird ringing the doorbell on a home we had owned just a few hours prior! Dana and Joe welcomed us to their home with open arms. While I thought I'd gotten out all of my tears, let's be honest, there were still plenty left as I walked from room to room to REALLY say goodbye. We packed our cars and then headed inside to give them one final gift - the traditional Italian housewarming gifts from my favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life:
Bread: that this house may never know hunger,
Salt: that life may always have flavor, and
Wine: that joy and prosperity may reign forever.
After that, Jon and I took the first and last picture we will ever take in front of 4 Mickey Court.
4 Mickey will always be the first home we shared together, with wonderful memories that we will take with us everywhere we go. It was a great house, and it will be missed.
Much love and many blessings to you, Dana and Joe. May you have many many many many many happy years in your new home!
I won't lie, leaving the house this morning was hard. Especially given our time crunch. We woke up at 7:30, had to finish packing all the last-minute stuff, clean out the refrigerator, and clean the rest of the house, all before the new owners arrived at 8:45 for their final walk-through. I had told Jon I didn't want to be there for the walk-through as I thought I'd be too emotional. Turns out, I was actually kind of excited for Dana and Joe to see the house all ready for them. They arrived a few minutes early and as I was cleaning out the fridge I kept yelling out to their car "Do you guys want the soda in the fridge? How about these burgers??" I found it fun to be able to share what we had with them (and I HATE wasting food - so win win!)
As I had told Jon last night, I really think I got out a lot of my emotions once a majority of our furniture was gone. After all, once our couches and tables were no longer there, it didn't feel like Che Capozzola anymore. It just felt like we were living in the shell of our home...and by that point, I was ready to get out.
So this morning I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off. First trying to finish clearing out all our stuff, then driving to my parent's house to drop off refrigerated stuff, then going back to the house to finish saying goodbye, then to our closing.
We arrived at closing at 10 am...and kinda just sat there without much to do. It appears that when you buy a home, you have about 2398348572 papers to sign. But when you sell a home? You have about 10. So we watched our buyers sign tons of paperwork until around 11:30 when we were handed two (very large) checks, handed the new owners their keys, and were no longer officially homeowners ourselves. WOO!
Yes, a very strange feeling, but also, like a weight had been lifted off our (read: my) chest(s). While we had a relatively smooth home-sale process throughout, the hiccups and paperwork were nerve-racking to say the least, and I was glad that everything was officially and finally done!
After closing, we headed STRAIGHT to the bank and IT. FELT. GLORIOUS. Seriously. Flipping a house in 2 years? Financially, I highly recommend it ;-). I'm quite happy that my husband was smart enough to see the value in purchasing a home just 2 1/2 years ago!
After the bank, Jon and I dropped off the last of our stuff at good will before heading back to the house to pick up the few boxes we had left, to say our last goodbyes, and to give our well wishes to the new happy homeowners.
Man, was it weird ringing the doorbell on a home we had owned just a few hours prior! Dana and Joe welcomed us to their home with open arms. While I thought I'd gotten out all of my tears, let's be honest, there were still plenty left as I walked from room to room to REALLY say goodbye. We packed our cars and then headed inside to give them one final gift - the traditional Italian housewarming gifts from my favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life:
Bread: that this house may never know hunger,
Salt: that life may always have flavor, and
Wine: that joy and prosperity may reign forever.
After that, Jon and I took the first and last picture we will ever take in front of 4 Mickey Court.
4 Mickey will always be the first home we shared together, with wonderful memories that we will take with us everywhere we go. It was a great house, and it will be missed.
Much love and many blessings to you, Dana and Joe. May you have many many many many many happy years in your new home!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
THE MAP!
(In case you can't read the font on the map...
Purple = Travel by land/sea
Yellow = Travel by air
Green = Travel stop
Pink = Layover
Man I love maps!
:)
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Reflections
I must say, it is quite a surreal experience to sell your first home. Especially one like hours, which we took from a 60's, bare-bones, shag carpet disaster, to the beautiful, completely updated and renovated home that we created over the past 2 1/2 years. It is both rewarding to see what we have accomplished (along with our own private team of contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters, and day laborers that we kept at the ready (thank you Mom and Dad, Mike and Eleanor, Mark, Matt, Chris, Artie, and all others who contributed!!) as well as bittersweet to know that we will be leaving our first home in just a few short days. It's hard to think about leaving this home, where we spent the first years of our marriage, spent quality time with family and friends, learned so much about adulthood (including taxes (BLAH) and mortgages (EEK) and how much Verizon robs you on phone/cable/internet. But srsly.), hosted our first parties and BBQs, and gained so much experience in home renovation and design.
I am 100% confident that we are making the right decision for us right now. We don't want to be on Long Island and have been thinking about a major change for quite a while.
But it doesn't make it any easier to leave our first home.
The point is:
1. Right now, I'm sad.
2. Packing sucks.
3. It's hard to pack when you don't know where you're (eventually) moving.
4. Apparently no matter how many boxes you buy, you still don't have enough.
5. The pod is big, but our stuff is bigger.
6. See #2.
Three more days at 4 Mickey.
I am 100% confident that we are making the right decision for us right now. We don't want to be on Long Island and have been thinking about a major change for quite a while.
But it doesn't make it any easier to leave our first home.
The point is:
1. Right now, I'm sad.
2. Packing sucks.
3. It's hard to pack when you don't know where you're (eventually) moving.
4. Apparently no matter how many boxes you buy, you still don't have enough.
5. The pod is big, but our stuff is bigger.
6. See #2.
Three more days at 4 Mickey.
Making New Friends
On Friday night Jon and I made some new friends. That is, the soon-to-be new homeowners of 4 Mickey Court :).
The couple who is purchasing our home (in THREE days!!), Dana and Joe, are pretty great. In fact, the minute after our first open house, our realtor, Grace, called and told us that they would be our buyers. Even though we already had another offer from someone else. She just said "I have a good feeling about these people" and clearly there was a reason for that.
On Friday they texted Jon to ask if they (although with her sister and her sister's boyfriend) could swing by and take some measurements for furniture. Thinking they'd only be over a few minutes, we put off our dinner date and stayed home 20 minutes later for them to measure. Or so we thought.
They arrived around 7 (with a bottle of wine - like I said - new friends!) and proceeded to take their measurements. And while they measured, we all got to talking about the house and other things.
Every time Dana walked into the kitchen she would say "I just LOVE this kitchen. I am SO excited about this kitchen. And the paint colors. And the bathroom."
Not only were they incredibly complimentary, they were also more than willing to take many pieces of furniture off our hands so we don't have to move them. Our massive dresser, the hutch in my craft room, and our kitchen table and chairs. WIN WIN FOR EVERYONE!
After reviewing furniture, Dana asked if we had any pictures of what the house originally looked like. BOY DO WE! We then proceeded to sit down for the next half an hour and go through my entire facebook album of pictures (https://www.facebook.com/jessica.barak/media_set?set=a.10100199934426677.1073741832.7606406&type=3), which include the original pictures of our first day in the house, all the way through our construction. Needless to say they were FLOORED with the work we had done. At one point Joe asked, "why on Earth did you buy this house?!" Obviously we are aware of everything we have put into our home...but it's also pretty stark seeing it all laid out in about 200 images back to back.
After 2 hours of hanging out, getting to know each other, and reminiscing on the work we had done, the two of them headed out, leaving us contemplating our upcoming adventures....and quite hungry for dinner...but happy to have had some time to connect with a wonderful couple.
As difficult as it is to think about selling our first home together (more on that in a bit...), it is really nice knowing that both of them love our house as much as we do. And they are excited and happy and grateful to be the new homeowners at 4 Mickey.
Dana and Joe, we wish you many many many years of happiness and love in your new home!
The couple who is purchasing our home (in THREE days!!), Dana and Joe, are pretty great. In fact, the minute after our first open house, our realtor, Grace, called and told us that they would be our buyers. Even though we already had another offer from someone else. She just said "I have a good feeling about these people" and clearly there was a reason for that.
On Friday they texted Jon to ask if they (although with her sister and her sister's boyfriend) could swing by and take some measurements for furniture. Thinking they'd only be over a few minutes, we put off our dinner date and stayed home 20 minutes later for them to measure. Or so we thought.
They arrived around 7 (with a bottle of wine - like I said - new friends!) and proceeded to take their measurements. And while they measured, we all got to talking about the house and other things.
Every time Dana walked into the kitchen she would say "I just LOVE this kitchen. I am SO excited about this kitchen. And the paint colors. And the bathroom."
Not only were they incredibly complimentary, they were also more than willing to take many pieces of furniture off our hands so we don't have to move them. Our massive dresser, the hutch in my craft room, and our kitchen table and chairs. WIN WIN FOR EVERYONE!
After reviewing furniture, Dana asked if we had any pictures of what the house originally looked like. BOY DO WE! We then proceeded to sit down for the next half an hour and go through my entire facebook album of pictures (https://www.facebook.com/jessica.barak/media_set?set=a.10100199934426677.1073741832.7606406&type=3), which include the original pictures of our first day in the house, all the way through our construction. Needless to say they were FLOORED with the work we had done. At one point Joe asked, "why on Earth did you buy this house?!" Obviously we are aware of everything we have put into our home...but it's also pretty stark seeing it all laid out in about 200 images back to back.
After 2 hours of hanging out, getting to know each other, and reminiscing on the work we had done, the two of them headed out, leaving us contemplating our upcoming adventures....and quite hungry for dinner...but happy to have had some time to connect with a wonderful couple.
As difficult as it is to think about selling our first home together (more on that in a bit...), it is really nice knowing that both of them love our house as much as we do. And they are excited and happy and grateful to be the new homeowners at 4 Mickey.
Dana and Joe, we wish you many many many years of happiness and love in your new home!
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The POD Has Arrived!
And. It's. Big. As in, half our driveway big.
Hopefully big enough to actually fit all our stuff! While a lot of boxes are packed and ready to be stored away, we're waiting to talk to the new homeowners to see if they (hopefully) want to buy our couch. Otherwise, we need to decide if we are going to sell it or store it.
Anybody want to buy a beautiful tan microfiber couch with two massive reclining seats?? If so - you know where to reach us!
Hopefully big enough to actually fit all our stuff! While a lot of boxes are packed and ready to be stored away, we're waiting to talk to the new homeowners to see if they (hopefully) want to buy our couch. Otherwise, we need to decide if we are going to sell it or store it.
Anybody want to buy a beautiful tan microfiber couch with two massive reclining seats?? If so - you know where to reach us!
Monday, November 30, 2015
Where Oh Where Will We Be?
When Jon first proposed our trip, he said, "let's go travel for 1 month."
To which I obviously replied, "how about a year?"
"Two months?"
"Six?"
"Three?"
"Four?"
"How about three?"
And I was smarter than to push my luck after that ;-).
My next comment? "I already know where we're going."
"How can you know?"
"I just know - a month each in Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand. Done."
And several months later, that is still our planned itinerary. So for those of you who have been curious about where in the world we'll be in the next few months, we hope you'll follow us on our crazy adventures, starting in Africa on December 27th! Below is a rough sketch of our itinerary. Let us know if you'll be in/around these places as we'd love to see you along our travels!
Kenya (Nairobi, Masai Mara) - December 27-January 2
Tanzania (Arusha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam) - January 2-11
Malawi (Lake Malawi) - January 11-15
Zambia (Luangwa, Petauke, Lusaka) - January 15-19
Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) - January 19-24
Thailand (Bangkok) - January 25-29
Cambodia (Siem Reap/Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh) - January 29-February 3
This is where things get a little...up in the air ;-). From here on out, very little is planned... so we'll see when/where we end up in the following countries...
Back to Thailand (Chiang Mai, Phuket?)
Malaysia (Kuala Lampur)
Singapore
Indonesia (Bali, Lombok?)
Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns)
New Zealand - everywhere!
Fiji - March 19(?)-23
New York - March 24!
We hope to post as often as possible, including pictures!!, along our route and hope you follow along with our adventures! PLEASE let us know if you'll be in/near any of those areas as we would love to see you ;-)
To which I obviously replied, "how about a year?"
"Two months?"
"Six?"
"Three?"
"Four?"
"How about three?"
And I was smarter than to push my luck after that ;-).
My next comment? "I already know where we're going."
"How can you know?"
"I just know - a month each in Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand. Done."
And several months later, that is still our planned itinerary. So for those of you who have been curious about where in the world we'll be in the next few months, we hope you'll follow us on our crazy adventures, starting in Africa on December 27th! Below is a rough sketch of our itinerary. Let us know if you'll be in/around these places as we'd love to see you along our travels!
Kenya (Nairobi, Masai Mara) - December 27-January 2
Tanzania (Arusha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam) - January 2-11
Malawi (Lake Malawi) - January 11-15
Zambia (Luangwa, Petauke, Lusaka) - January 15-19
Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) - January 19-24
Thailand (Bangkok) - January 25-29
Cambodia (Siem Reap/Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh) - January 29-February 3
This is where things get a little...up in the air ;-). From here on out, very little is planned... so we'll see when/where we end up in the following countries...
Back to Thailand (Chiang Mai, Phuket?)
Malaysia (Kuala Lampur)
Singapore
Indonesia (Bali, Lombok?)
Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns)
New Zealand - everywhere!
Fiji - March 19(?)-23
New York - March 24!
We hope to post as often as possible, including pictures!!, along our route and hope you follow along with our adventures! PLEASE let us know if you'll be in/near any of those areas as we would love to see you ;-)
Sunday, November 29, 2015
A Little Background...
For as long as I (Jess) can remember, I've had an innate desire to travel. To drift. To never stay in one place for too long. It may have something to do with growing up in a homogeneous and quintessential small town. Or my insatiable desire to learn more about the world around me. Regardless, I've never had the notion to truly settle down. My parents first took me out of the country at the ripe young age of 5 (a cruise to Bermuda)...and since then I never had a desire to stop GOING. Enter Jonathan Capozzola. When I met my now husband, he was an adorable and shy young man of 15: quiet, sweet, and probably completely confused (and rightfully so) by the crazy lunatic girl who would basically scream "HI JONATHAN" at him every day in our 10th grade English class. Little did we know what was in store for us then.
We began dating at 16 and things really took off. I believe it was 4 months into our relationship when, strolling through downtown Northport on one of our adorable dates where we would inevitably have to get picked up by our parents, I exclaimed "can we get a dog like THAT one some day?" pointing to a ceramic Dachshund in a storefront window. And my dear Jonathan, bless his heart, instead of being freaked out at the exclamation from the starry-eyed girl by his side, rolled with it, and told me it was definitely a possibility.
While I should have known then that he was a keeper, it took me another 4 years, 3 states and a 9-hour drive between us, a break-up and make-up to realize what he had known all along. We are quite different people. Yet we're pretty gosh darn great together. We compliment each other. We keep each other in line. We have similar values. And more than anything, we have fun together. Even when we're mad or upset or cranky or hangry - we find ways to work together and figure it out. I like to think it reflects upon the wise words of my father-in-law: we put each other first. We communicate. We share. We grow. We love. I'm in a pretty sappy mood right now. Can you tell??
So this innate desire to move and drift and wander and basically be a nomad? It doesn't quite work for my pragmatic, engineer husband. You see, as I mentioned before, 2 things. 1: we're quite different and 2: we compliment each other. So while I have dreams of travelling the globe and working paycheck to paycheck (and had relatively little understanding of stocks and bonds and mutual funds and 401K plans), Jonathan helped me to see the big picture. To think about our dreams for our future together and how we can achieve them...while still be able to travel and live our lives to the fullest in the process :). He's so smart!
Since Jonathan and I got married in October 2012, I've tried to convince him to move abroad. Pretty much every day. I lived in Guatemala for a year after college (you can read about my time in Parramos here (http://www.jbarak.blogspot.com/) and absolutely LOVED the experience except for one thing: Jonathan was roughly 3,000 miles away. When I came back to the US, I was thrilled to be back with my fiance, but also slightly sad to be back in America. And so began the daily barrage: "Let's move away." "Have you considered moving to a hut in Africa." "What if we just moved off the grid?" "Let's just get up and go!" Lucky for Jonathan, it didn't take me long to find a job I loved and we both settled into life on Long Island. Yet every few months the conversation would arise again. In December 2014, after finding out he had passed his Professional Engineering exam, I asked Jon if he would consider moving to Australia. The response? "I might be able to get behind that." WHAT?!?? It took me 2 years to realize that every time I mentioned moving out of the country, it was always to a hut in Africa! For the next 4 months, we researched jobs, locales, transportation, housing, and cost of living in dozens of cities across the world. While I knew that Jon was apprehensive about making such a huge jump, we continued to search for job openings and to consider our options.
Then, in June 2015, I had an interview for a job in DC. Jon and I had long talked about moving down to DC and were excited about the prospect, but also unsure of where our journey would take us. If I got it and had to move, we'd be paying our mortgage on Long Island until we could sell the house while paying rent on an apartment in the city. When would we see each other? Where would our cats live? So many questions and so much anxiety...especially since I wasn't quite sure if the job was the right fit for me. For weeks I went back and forth about the options - stay in NY, in a place neither of us really wanted to be? Take a job that was potentially the wrong career choice? Decisions Decisions and anxiety as far as the eye could see.
That's when Jon suggested: if you get the job, we sell our house and move to DC. If you don't get the job, we quit our jobs, sell our house, travel for a bit, and head down south. Where did this come from, you ask? Honestly...I still have no idea...but the fact that my husband suggested it still shocks me now. I mean, have you ever heard anything more romantic? Not only were we moving off Long Island (HOORAY!) but no matter what, we had quite a big adventure waiting for us.
Needless to say, I didn't get the job. And I could not have been happier about it.
Next up...a bit more about our journey!
We began dating at 16 and things really took off. I believe it was 4 months into our relationship when, strolling through downtown Northport on one of our adorable dates where we would inevitably have to get picked up by our parents, I exclaimed "can we get a dog like THAT one some day?" pointing to a ceramic Dachshund in a storefront window. And my dear Jonathan, bless his heart, instead of being freaked out at the exclamation from the starry-eyed girl by his side, rolled with it, and told me it was definitely a possibility.
While I should have known then that he was a keeper, it took me another 4 years, 3 states and a 9-hour drive between us, a break-up and make-up to realize what he had known all along. We are quite different people. Yet we're pretty gosh darn great together. We compliment each other. We keep each other in line. We have similar values. And more than anything, we have fun together. Even when we're mad or upset or cranky or hangry - we find ways to work together and figure it out. I like to think it reflects upon the wise words of my father-in-law: we put each other first. We communicate. We share. We grow. We love. I'm in a pretty sappy mood right now. Can you tell??
So this innate desire to move and drift and wander and basically be a nomad? It doesn't quite work for my pragmatic, engineer husband. You see, as I mentioned before, 2 things. 1: we're quite different and 2: we compliment each other. So while I have dreams of travelling the globe and working paycheck to paycheck (and had relatively little understanding of stocks and bonds and mutual funds and 401K plans), Jonathan helped me to see the big picture. To think about our dreams for our future together and how we can achieve them...while still be able to travel and live our lives to the fullest in the process :). He's so smart!
Since Jonathan and I got married in October 2012, I've tried to convince him to move abroad. Pretty much every day. I lived in Guatemala for a year after college (you can read about my time in Parramos here (http://www.jbarak.blogspot.com/) and absolutely LOVED the experience except for one thing: Jonathan was roughly 3,000 miles away. When I came back to the US, I was thrilled to be back with my fiance, but also slightly sad to be back in America. And so began the daily barrage: "Let's move away." "Have you considered moving to a hut in Africa." "What if we just moved off the grid?" "Let's just get up and go!" Lucky for Jonathan, it didn't take me long to find a job I loved and we both settled into life on Long Island. Yet every few months the conversation would arise again. In December 2014, after finding out he had passed his Professional Engineering exam, I asked Jon if he would consider moving to Australia. The response? "I might be able to get behind that." WHAT?!?? It took me 2 years to realize that every time I mentioned moving out of the country, it was always to a hut in Africa! For the next 4 months, we researched jobs, locales, transportation, housing, and cost of living in dozens of cities across the world. While I knew that Jon was apprehensive about making such a huge jump, we continued to search for job openings and to consider our options.
Then, in June 2015, I had an interview for a job in DC. Jon and I had long talked about moving down to DC and were excited about the prospect, but also unsure of where our journey would take us. If I got it and had to move, we'd be paying our mortgage on Long Island until we could sell the house while paying rent on an apartment in the city. When would we see each other? Where would our cats live? So many questions and so much anxiety...especially since I wasn't quite sure if the job was the right fit for me. For weeks I went back and forth about the options - stay in NY, in a place neither of us really wanted to be? Take a job that was potentially the wrong career choice? Decisions Decisions and anxiety as far as the eye could see.
That's when Jon suggested: if you get the job, we sell our house and move to DC. If you don't get the job, we quit our jobs, sell our house, travel for a bit, and head down south. Where did this come from, you ask? Honestly...I still have no idea...but the fact that my husband suggested it still shocks me now. I mean, have you ever heard anything more romantic? Not only were we moving off Long Island (HOORAY!) but no matter what, we had quite a big adventure waiting for us.
Needless to say, I didn't get the job. And I could not have been happier about it.
Next up...a bit more about our journey!
Friday, November 27, 2015
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to our new blog - The Cap's Epic Adventure!
There's so much to say and so much to do, but first thing's first. Thank you SO MUCH for visiting! For those of you who don't know us, we're Jess and Jonathan Capozzola, originally from Northport, New York. High school sweethearts, we've been together for 12 years (WHAATTTTT???), including 5 of long distance (both across states and then countries). Three years into our marriage, we are really just getting started along our lifelong, epic adventure together. While we've created this blog primarily to document our upcoming adventures (more on that later!), we hope to use it over time as a way to document our lives together - the ups and downs of our journey along this road that we call life.
We are so grateful to have each other, happy to have the support of loving family and friends, and thrilled that you would like to join us along this journey...on what we're calling "THE CAPS EPIC ADVENTURE" :).
Welcome and enjoy!
So much love,
us
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