Category: travel blog

This Is It

OCTOBER 20, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

This is what I have most likely concluded: I am just about two weeks away from walking away and stepping into my new uncertain schedule. I am excited and deeply nervous. Notice the two weeks or rather the two-week notice.

Will I work? I would say I am interestingly unprepared because I have very little lined up for stability aside from some very interesting prospects which I developed on my side hustling detours.

My calculation: Being nomadic with one or two home bases. That is ideal.

One note about the objective: I have already learned a lot about myself and my process when it comes to working for myself. It is both encouraging and scary.

The question is how will I sharpen my skills and finally turn into the leisure traveler and volunteer, who has big plans but a fairly open agenda.

Nothing is written in stone. Thank goodness. Will I be back to an orthodox life? I hope not. My goal may change, and I welcome new knowledge. My goal may become a variation on a theme.

Okay, but truly how vague is this blog entry going to get? 😊 You know the key elements: freelancing, nomadic, traveling-when-it-is-safe-to-do-so, and a pending notice to give up my current work life as I have known it. I am so accustomed to working a certain way, I sense life will be odd, yet I cannot ignore a growing excitement.

Right now, I also have my eye out for the gigs which are most supportive of me, as my true self, as my new lifestyle is growing. I need the support of all things less draining and which actually fill me with energy. I can tell the difference. This drive compels me, and I feel less washed out. I feel like I can work longer or like I do not always need to work so hard, and rest comes much more naturally. These days it sometimes just feels like exhaustion and I suspect that to be more so from the mental gymnastics.

For now, this is it. I laid out a lot in my related posts below but just as much as I do not know the details of what is next, I am leaving this open.

– except to say thanks to you.

Your time is always appreciated.

*image: Canva designed + Cassandra written

Almost

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Time to appreciate where I am now and where I am heading. This weekend, I get to experiment.

Since I have been inundated with work, spilling into the weekends, I am taking this weekend back for me, and not in a traditional way. I aim to be working harder, which is not always tempting when there is finally time for rest. I have got some freelancing to do and I am encouraged to focus on this for a while.

I simply must answer to me but in a way much less like myself as the worker bee with little flexibility. The preparation is for a steady transition. I understand steady may not happen. Mainly, I get to enjoy my work and share more of it as well.

I get to do this and plan for my next trip. With my vision aimed towards more travel and community, I am now looking at Helping Hands in Puerto Rico or a similar organization. Perhaps almost exactly one anniversary away from the time I volunteered with IVHQ will be the perfect timing. I was recently reminded by the posts of a temporary roommate and co-volunteer I met there. The various comments and his vivid pictures remind me. Our objectives seem similar. We wish to keep seeing the world, being of some service and enjoying the life we have to share.

*Pixabay images

Adding Up

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Organizing for work on Saturday reminded me I can do more of this for myself at home. Streamlining my day was first on my agenda on Monday, my first true workday after a weekend.

Some tasks are excessive, I am realizing. I need to unravel them. I may just be used to extra challenges in a so called “hard working day” when the struggle is not always so necessary. The words are red tape, endless paperwork, and protocol to name a few.

The overanalysis and fear of outcomes can take a step back as well.  I desire so much for all of us to be okay, but the control I have is mainly with me. There has been a rewarding shift towards my own passions and creativity, such as translating and writing. Traveling is to be continued soon hopefully😊. Looking forward to meeting more of the world and sharing it accordingly.

continues tomorrow:

More to Explore

AUGUST 30, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Image: Canva.com

Interesting at a moment when I am feeling significant and recognized in my current space, I know the place to no longer be quite congruent with me. My work has been to help others in various ways, but I am moving from one venue of assistance to another, to work on rebuilding.

I will continue back to places I have ventured to intermittently and within new ones. I post, not fully organized, but so full of assurance that my nervousness is excitement.

Plans are sometimes meant to be uncertain (expanding along the way) but as I noted before, I sensed I would soon be back in Puerto Rico for a while. The idea has been circling since last November’s trip and there will be more details to share – seeing if it is the very next place and what is necessary to navigate with the most safety and responsibility. Your time is always appreciated. Thanks for spending some of it with me. 

Related Posts:
Organize Me
Pleasantly Surprised
Gracias and Viva: Hasta La Próxima
Time to Think
Can We Do This Together?
Spontaneous Suggestion for February 20, 2020
Puerto Rico is Next

Introspections: What I Discovered in a Side-Hustling Detour

AUGUST 29, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON

Canva.com image

I have added several, (perhaps too many additional tasks) that translate into potential income. The last few weeks have given me the opportunity to sort through some obstacles and create a few more as well.

Not only did I discover a bit more regarding my objectives, I also unraveled some more of my own psychology when it comes to transitioning from a basic standard work life to a more freelancing nomadic one.

Allowing for a scenario which would enable me to volunteer more broadly in addition to traveling leisurely has not been hard on the imagination at all. My efforts were intense.

My conclusions were quite intriguing.

  1. Turns out, I am one person (albeit energetic).

Easily matching my passions for traveling, my culture and many other cultures is my interest in translating. However, suddenly combining freelance assignments with already required work threw me off balance for a bit. How would I reconcile my time with what I had been conditioned to believe sustains me versus taking a chance on a freer style workflow? More freedom could also mean more risk. Alternatively, there might be more opportunity than what is currently available.

Fortunately, my random juggling did not end in the easy temptation to give in and set my new attempts aside. Strange that life would seemingly be simpler if I stay with what appears certain. However, the bigger challenge has been staying and wondering.

The challenges of freelancing can be grueling yet exciting. Perhaps there is less stability. What about the possibility to gain much more? Self-direction and choosing the most appealing projects speak to freedom once again. The path becomes clearer. The outcome may do the same. Eventually.

I digress and return to my first clear lesson of seeing myself operating as one person. I can pull off a certain amount of work in a particular time frame. I should keep up the work but not overextend myself. I can draw from considerable resources, including other professionals and enhance my process.

2. Accountability Leads to Greater Efficiency: As I delved into taking on more, I saw how much more I was capable of doing. Prior to being given multiple projects (outside of my day job), I would unwittingly stall, carefully trying to pick the perfect project or some otherwise perfect side gig. Too carefully.

Reaching out, submitting my credentials, and suddenly being connected with a different kind of company caused me to work readily and be more accountable. My natural work ethic would drive me to fulfill their requirements as well as those of the end clients.

Still, more lessons were to be learned. The tools and techniques I can incorporate into my future process have been noted and I know there will be more to come.

The encouraging side note was seeing the many existing opportunities and the increasingly better ways to prepare for them.

The workflow would have also been more than reasonable without previous obligations. I have to wonder about those obligations not being there and if I am impeding some of the steps along the way.

3. Self-Acknowledgement Is Needed: The best reminder to give myself credit is the encouragement I receive from family and friends and it is my pleasure to offer the same.

A motivating factor in going forward is self-reflection. Looking back and enjoying the present with all the attempts made and the objectives reached means we all can be strong messengers for ourselves. Challenges can be daunting and recognizing what has been accomplished reinforces our drive.

Following my all-nighters, I remembered the importance of credit for just the attempts. If we can recognize the diligent work of others, we can see our own hard work as well. Getting some parts right and getting some of them wrong helps the process. Turns out, we are capable of so much. Thank goodness for a detour. Thank goodness for the opportunities outside the box.

New York, New York, New York

JULY 31, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
Image by Bev from Pixabay

As part of an outing with a D.C. tours and events group, I spent Thanksgiving weekend (just a few months after my Cuban immersion) in New York. I decided to momentarily do something a little less than traditional, though there was talk of a big dinner on the first evening we arrived. The plan was tentative, following introductions of our multi-city group and our walk through the Chelsea High Line.

The hearty group dinner did become quite void and shifted into much more of a scene of us getting caught up in the tour, discussing our interests and backgrounds, and splitting off to wherever our food cravings guided us.  

No matter the derailment. Welcome the spontaneity which plays off the organized schedule. I am reminded some of the best outings grow out of these elements. The first night’s highlight was the High Line. The rest of the weekend would consist of a considerable number of stops, including eclectic eateries, art museums, a couple of historical museums, and some shopping on the last day. (I ducked out about a day early, however.)

This abbreviated trip coincidentally came right after an almost magical blast from my past, those lovely days of living and volunteering in South America when I was not preparing but forewarned of what would be my reverse culture shock. Two former co-volunteer friends, now a lovely couple, were visiting the U.S. Now they were on the east coast (my current home). I was back in town so there was nothing imaginable to stop me from seeing this German-Peruvian duo, whom I adore and meeting their adorable sons. Nothing could stop me, but my very post-Cuban jet lag would make getting there somewhat more interesting. Jet lag was very real for them as well, compounded with the commendable attention of keeping up with their boys.

Laughably, I look back. I seriously underestimated the time it would take for me to rent a car and get through traffic from D.C. to Central Park. We were able to meet and catch up before they headed to their flight… fortunately. However, with such an overdone underestimation, I did, in fact manage to miss the first couple of spots we planned to meet.

The weekend Thanksgiving trip to New York was quite different. My non-thinking (not so organized) plans from just a few months prior caused me to smile, as I realized I was glad I had not been thinking all that much. I may have thought I would not make it before they had to go. I may have convinced myself not to try. They completely understood though we were all excited at the possibility of seeing one another.

What I knew more was if we were so nearby (at least technically without traffic) this made sense for me to swing by in a way. Otherwise, we were now living so far apart. I think of this and I am glad my thoughts were ‘Of course’.

I am glad for the times I do not give myself an overabundance of time to think unnecessary thoughts and relieved I am not at times transforming hesitations into inaction.

I do hesitate with certain questions, like I imagine many of us do. How completely understandable, but perhaps our truest answers come in an instant. We barely need to ask.

Life after Cuba

JULY 22, 2020 BY CASSANDRA JOHNSON
  • Vinales, my favorite town in Cuba
  • more Vinales;)

Wanderlust is very real and I got my first tastes during and after life in Peru and Bolivia. Life after Cuba hit me quite starkly as well and it is not so much that I don’t greatly value my everyday non-traveling days. Quite the opposite. It is only that I acknowledge I have a thirst for more exploring and being immersed in some different energy from time to time. I like to mix it up and be in some different environments, getting to see how different we are and how much we are mostly alike.

Desires and necessities are overarching and at the same time, there are these beautiful landscapes, natural and human-made masterpieces, languages, cuisines and countless customs. Traveling from state to state and city to city houses its thrills as well. Getting to San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlantic City and on and on were the goals just as the literal and figurative steps along the way were the objectives as well. Exhilaration. The travel journey has layers and the recognition is in the present moments we enjoy in getting there and being there. There’s some thrill in meeting the obstacles as well and conquering them or maybe not so much😊

Being in the sky, on the road and being in transit within destinations equals our journeys and the very presence we are spending in places, with people or in perfect solitude is our power and our fortune.