update
I've officially moved into my apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina.
And I've spent 32 hours trying to purchase a bathroom mat. That's an exaggeration but only slightly. There's so many options! After 23 years of constant travel, trying to set up an apartment on my own is a daunting task.
I feel as if I'm 18 years old and trying to figure out how to survive in the world for the first time. Never in my life have I had to buy furniture...or bathroom mats...or utensils...or a mop...for an apartment that I'll be living in. Never.
It's been an interesting week as I slowly make progress. But progress is indeed being made and hopefully within another couple of weeks I'll actually have an apartment that would be considered livable!
And then I'll continue...next up will be getting a car. I don't even want to think about that right now :)
As a result of this move, one of the most common questions I'm getting is whether or not I plan to keep traveling.
Absolutely! I will definitely keep traveling. By having an apartment in the US, I'm not giving up the travels or 'settling down'. I'm simply creating a comfortable home base where I can leave my stuff, return to when needed and that helps me create some connection to one place.
It's time for that. And so far, I think I picked a really good spot to make that happen.
With that said, I won't be traveling anywhere in the very near future. The main reason is - my passport is full.
In 5 years, I managed to fill up a 52 page passport. I only have 1/2 page empty which means I can't travel. It's generally a requirement to have at least 2 full empty pages in your passport in order to enter a country.
So, I'll begin the process of applying for a new passport this week. Once the new one arrives, not only will I be able to travel again, but I'll also feel calmer overall. It's a VERY strange feeling not being able to leave the country, a feeling that I don't think I've ever had before.
Usually, I get a new passport at a US Embassy or Consulate overseas. This is a great option because, if you choose an Embassy or Consulate that is generally not too busy, it can take less than a week to get the new passport.
But I haven't been in a place long enough to do this lately. And that's why I'm now in the US with a full passport and unable to head out of the country!
