Endings and Beginnings

Today is a thoroughly lazy day here in Le Havre, sunny and chill, no agenda whatsoever. But it feels momentous, emotionally: it's our very last full day in Europe.

Tomorrow evening we board the freighter ship Coral and embark on a 10-day trans-Atlantic adventure, before landing in New York on the 15th of November.

It feels very final, boarding this ship. It feels like the end of our journey, and in many ways it is. Since February, we have journeyed through THIRTY countries, and after this we'll be in the USA building a business - so this is the last foreign soil under our feet for a good while. The end of our nomadic life... of staying in hostels & Airbnbs... of constantly planning for trains, planes, and ships. I'm genuinely going to miss all of that (to a degree), as well as the absence of work duties and the pleasure of expansive freedom laid at our feet.

But this is the beginning of so much, as well!:

1. We're about to experience 10 days of internet-less existing: days to mentally prepare for reverse culture shock after almost 5 years living abroad. Days to compose our reflections from the past 9 months and write them down with pen and paper. Hours to fill exercising, planning, star-gazing, conversing with captain/crew/co-travelers, and being blissfully unaware of American politics.* At least, that's what we're imagining! I'll be sure to write a full post of our trip after the fact, full of legitimate details.

*We didn't plan it this way, but I'm fervently grateful that we'll be literally in the middle of an ocean on Election Day. We voted from abroad a week ago so we've done our part, and when we land in NY on the 15th, 'Murica will have a new president. From our cozy cocoon of cargo crates, I plan on not 
worrying about the fate of my country for hours on end.

2. We have family and friends waiting in NYC, NY state, CO, and Atlanta that we're eager to see and spend time with again. The traveling doesn't really end until December 20th, which means we have an entire month+ ahead of us as nomads, still! This return to the USA is the beginning of renewed relationships and in-person hugs, which are my favorite.

3. And the most exciting and terrifying of all, this is the beginning of our next stage of life as we approach business ownership. We have a lot of work ahead of us, currently fueled by dreams and studies and plans and earl grey tea, but I am ready for it.

Leaving Europe will be bittersweet, but far more sweet with the prospects ahead of us.

Before I sign off for two weeks, I have one little gift for my mom. You asked for a photo of
Carcassonne, but I may have gotten a little carried away. ;) Let's go there together someday!

(http://youtu.be/F2rREMbazkkp)

Carpe cargo voyages,

Anna

P.S. Just want to throw out a thank you to all of you for reading through this. I hope you're enjoying this adventure even half as much as we are! ^_^