JE United

We are at the airport, and our first flight of three boards in 16 minutes. We got here extra early (which Jess usually hates doing having honed her airport process down to a tight 60 minutes) so we could check our bags. In a strange twist, we each got two free checked bags, but would have had to pay for gate checking if anyone questioned whether our backpacks weighed more than 17.5lbs.

Preparing for this whole, multistage adventure has required a bunch of getting our belongings where they belong. Travel clothes in backpacks, bicycles and camping gear in Boston, for May, most other things in family storage in PA, except work clothes for our last few weeks of work. Then at end of December, move rest of work clothes to CT, but leave behind a wedding outfit in Boston… So, lots of moving things we own here and there.

The news is out that we are leaving our jobs for a year to explore the world together and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. One of Eric’s coworkers told him if anyone tried to talk him out of it, the coworker would punch that person for him. While we don’t think violence is necessary, we appreciate the sentiment. And we don’t think anyone is going to try to talk us out of it. Sure, some people have expressed concern about our safety, our health, and our hygiene, but they aren’t saying, “don’t go”. In fact, many are saying, “I wish I had done that”, which makes us feel even better about this seemingly crazy plan. Continue reading “Reason to Go”

One month before our departure for a year of summer, we are in full preparation mode: packing for the first leg of our trip, gearing up for the bike trip, setting aside clothes for a friend’s wedding and figuring out what is left to put in storage.

Preparation takes many forms beyond packing. On Saturday, we conducted an experiment to find out whether Eric was allergic to the Acetazolamide we were prescribed to prevent or reduce symptoms of altitude sickness. Eric recalled having an anaphylactic reaction to a sulfa drug when he was an infant and has avoided sulfa drugs ever since. The doctor at his travel clinic said, “Acetazolamide isn’t really a sulfa drug. It only has one sulfa ring.” We, of course, have no idea how many sulfa rings are important for an allergic reaction, but she suggested he take two doses in Boston where we would be close to medical care if something went wrong. Apparently, altitude sickness is concerning enough that this experiment is a reasonable idea. Continue reading “Preparation Mode”