Let's Go, Jane!

My gap year has officially started! Suddenly it feels both like I have all the time in the world, and like every moment is precious. You know how they say youth is wasted on the young? I think gap years are wasted on the young too. How can a 17- or 18-year-old possibly appreciate the significance of stepping outside of their life plan for an entire year? It feels like such an incredible gift. I’ve essentially borrowed a year from my retirement, only I get to enjoy it now when I’m still relatively young and healthy. I am determined to make the most of it. To suck the marrow out of every single day.

It feels good to have a break. I worked really hard in graduate school, earning fifteen As and an A minus, for a final GPA of 3.984. I did not recognize myself as an A student. Where is the girl who dragged herself through high school and college, earning Bs and Cs? I still have to study for the licensing exam in 2 ½ weeks, but I’ve been spending an hour or two every day going through material and practice tests and I’m pretty confident that I will get the 70% I need to pass.

Now that school is over, I’ve started off my year with a trip to Florida to see Carey. Sunshine, good food, great company. A bike ride, a new Costco. We may hit the botanical garden or explore a citrus grove or go line dancing. It doesn’t really matter what we do, we always enjoy doing it in each other’s company.

I’m hoping, now that school is over, I can get back to reading fiction. I was such an avid reader before grad school, and I’ve really missed it. I pulled out my old Kindle the other day and charged the battery. I’ll get back to reading for pleasure soon, I’m sure of it. I’m also instituting a daily nap. Naps are one of life’s most underrated pleasures for adults.

As for the next few months, I currently have 15 flights booked between now and the end of September. I’m really impressed with myself for booking such affordable travel. The first trip I booked was for August, with flights from New York to London to Helsinki to Amsterdam, a train back to London, and a flight to New York. Four flights and a train came to $721 and 24,000 points (the equivalent of $961). But the really impressive trip happens in September. I’m flying from Boston to London to Barcelona to Lisbon to Athens. That’s four flights for a total of $291 and 22,000 points (the equivalent of $511). Being flexible on dates helps tremendously when it comes to booking affordable travel.

The overall itinerary continues to shift, with Brazil replacing Chile, and Malaysia replacing Indonesia. I’m weighing Turkey against Ethiopia and finding myself unable to choose. I will continue to solidify my plans, starting with October. I’m trying to keep the pace slow, but there are SO many places I want to visit, and only so much time in which to visit them. I know I will have opportunities to travel after this year, but not like this. Not for weeks at a time, really immersing myself in the feeling of a place. I can’t wait for the real journey to begin.