So summer 2017 ended and I was unemployed for the first time in my adult life.  I was not scared because I would be staying with my Mum in Boston until something came up and I was believing that I would find an opening mid year.  Honestly, while I was grateful to have time to spend with my family and friends, I was not excited about being in Boston for an extended period of time because it had been 16 years since I lived there.  I had left because I wasn’t particularly fond of Boston or the winter weather so I was dreading it 😛😛.

So how did I choose to deal with my new found freedom without getting depressed? I decide to travel because I needed a break from Boston and #wanderlust #travelistherapy😏😍🤗

In September I spent 3 lovely weeks in Barbados mostly at the beach aka #myhappyplace🤗🤗, hanging with friends and spending time with Gran who now didn’t remember me very much and often thought I was my cousin.  It was bittersweet but I was grateful for any time I got to spend with her.  This woman had taken care of me as a child and so it was the least I could do to sit and watch tv with her.  In October I spent 2 weeks in the DMV area where I was happy to hang out with old friends, catch up with previous AISK students,  see Solange in concert and eat at some of my old favorite places.  I really loved living in the DMV and I loved being back there for a visit. One of the highlights of this trip was that I got to spend two days at the National Museum of African American History and Culture to witness the wonderful, amazing job they did collecting and commemorating the different facets of the black experience in America😍.

In November I went to the DR to visit Adam, it had been 5 years since I had been there and seen him in person.  It was nice to see the school, witness all the improvements and hang out with some of the folks who were still working there, I had a great time and spent many days at the beach🤗.  Bless my Mum she probably thought I was losing it because here I was unemployed and I couldn’t sit still for more than 3 weeks at a time. I’m sure every time I complained about the cold weather she rolled her eyes. I hate cold weather y’all 😂😂 but on a positive note I was home for my niece’s 16th birthday party.

In December I went to an ISS job fair in Atlanta where you experience the intensity of signing up for interviews one day and doing interviews the next day.  If you’re lucky you can leave this fair with a job offer.  I was offered a job in the Philippines but I chose to decline because it was not the right fit and I didn’t want to make that mistake again or chose something out of fear.

Right before I left to go to the DR, I was on the Black Travel Movement facebook page and saw the post about a trip to Cuba in December.  Cuba had been on my bucket list for years and I had missed an opportunity to go when I was living in Jamaica.  So I decided  to go to Cuba with a bunch of strangers  and get assigned to a roommate 😛😛😛 #steppingoutofmycomfortzone🤔.  Cuba was amazing 😍,  I loved the culture, the warmth of the people, everyone in the group was great, my roommate was so sweet and we had a great time despite the fact that I was disappointed by the mojitos because they were basic not as good as the ones I drank in NY and DC 🤣🤣.  I experienced so many beautiful surprises in Cuba 🤗🤗 and I plan to go back next time for a longer trip to see more of the country.  Traveling with BTM was much more fun than I expected and I came away with a new motto/hashtag for my life  #mylifeisDopeandIdoDopeShit thanks to Reggie 🤗🤗.

I spent the months of December, January and February applying for jobs, doing interviews and traveling. In February I went back to Barbados for 3 weeks to escape the cold because why not get more beach time and time with Gran 🤗🤗 and then back to the DMV to celebrate DC CAP and hang out with some of my favorite people.  And just when I had given up on the idea of finding employment for the year the unexpected happened.  At the beginning of March all my hard work paid off, I was offered 4 jobs but the one in Cairo wanted me to start in April which was an unexpected blessing🤗🤗.  So, I said yes! I was ready to get out of Boston and to return to work, it was time. 

#BlackExpat #DopeLife #Travelismytherapy  #travelismytherapy #mytraveljourney #blackandabroad #blacktravelculture #wanderlust #Blackwomenwhotravel #blackwomenwhoblog

Next post..here I go again starting over in a new country