Travel Diaries
An excerpt and expansion from “From Layoff to Self-Discovery: My Journey of Resilience and Personal Growth.”
How does one challenge their perspective? Well, traditionally (for me anyway), it was through copious research and conference / career-aligned engagements with others in the field. This time, it was a bit more immersive. I decided to travel off and on as I was applying for jobs.
The first environment shift was an easy one from San Francisco to Sonoma, California. I learned so much about the history of the area, agriculture, and what it takes to craft a delicious red wine. The second was Portland, Oregon. I learned the value of the weird and bizarre to the point of celebration. I threw snakes with the locals and lived to tell the tale, twas a grand time.
Overall, Portland has a very accepting culture and incredible vintage shopping. These two places, albeit close, encouraged me to expand my opportunities. Travel further, try more new things, really get out of my comfort zone.
Then, I tried pottery. Pottery taught me patience. I have a newfound respect for those who utilize the wheel to create magnificent vases, sculptures, and other objects. Y’all, it is not easy — I am not as artistically inclined as I had hoped. With patience came the next lesson, foresight.
In March, I was a lucky lass, we scored tickets to Taylor Swift’s ERAs Tour in Phoenix. Visiting my alma mater and a place I once called home nearly a decade later was surreal. It was all the same but it was all different at the same time. In true Arizona fashion, the stadium where Taylor performed was far far away from mass public transit, we had to use uber or lyft. We ordered a car to pick us up after the concert and I’m so thankful we did. Saved us money, time, and cortisol.
From there, I went to Mexico. At first I was fearful, reading the warnings on the government websites, hearing it from my family but it turns out — all of those were so wrong. Puerto Vallarta was a place I felt safe, safer than I do in San Francisco. This taught me that, you can have all the perspective on a particular environment or culture but until you experience it firsthand — you’ll never know. I met some of the kindest humans from all over the world in one of the happiest parts of North America.
New Orleans was a challenge. The people-remarkable, the food-delectable, the music-engrossing, the weather on the other hand — unpredictable. My last day there was torrential downpour with thunderstorm, I left the french quarter festival in a rush to get to the nearest oning. While stuck there, musicians started to play as the road in front of us turned into a river. It was a true silver lining, the weather prevented us from going anywhere so we continued the festivities right then and there. Afterward, many flights were cancelled, including mine, and I eventually returned to San Francisco on 2 hours of sleep 3 days later.
This was the most challenging experience for my emotional intelligence that I’ve had yet. Unable to sleep or catch a flight home, I was at wits’ end. I called a friend, she asked why I was letting the airline fix the problem — she pointed out that I had a choice. Sure enough, after extracting myself from the run-around, I found a flight home — sooner than anticipated by utilizing Google flights, 24-hour free cancellations, and hope.
Most recently, I explored Montreal and Quebec City — mere hours before the smoke from the fires engulfed Montreal, I left. As someone allergic to dust, I got lucky. The city was also one of the safest I’ve ever experienced, safer than Mexico, San Francisco, and my childhood environment — I walked around a park at night! Montreal was gorgeous, lots of foliage, kind people, and a bit of French-immersion. While Montreal had some of the best poutine I had ever tried, Quebec City had the architecture. The last walled city in North America delivered. The libraries were quaint, visually stunning, and served any beverage your heart desired. There wasn’t much more a solo-traveler could ask for.
There was one incident, beyond the flight cancellations, in Toronto during a layover. I was waiting for my boarding call and watched how customers, one after another, berated the gate attendant for better seats on a full flight. After the cancellations I was running on 56 minutes of sleep, I wondered what I could do to support this angel against the ‘Karens’ of the North.
Nothing. I could do nothing.
I had to standby and watch as they yelled and screamed at a person who can do nothing in their power to alleviate the situation. She handled it with grace and I learned about customer service hell. It made me want to work for an airline — to streamline organizational effectiveness to benefit the frontline employee. It reminded me of my personal mission, to support those around me, to support my greater community in development and career progression.
Lessons Learned… so far
- Embrace Difference
- Patience, Respect, and Foresight Forward
- Encourage New Experiences and Challenge Assumptions
- Find Silver Linings and Adapt
- It all comes down to empathy and personal mission.
Overall, these experiences have taught the importance of embracing new environments, challenging assumptions, adapting to unexpected situations, and aligning personal missions with professional aspirations. They have deepened my empathy, expanded my cultural understanding, and reinforced the value of resilience in navigating life’s challenges.
You can read more about how these lessons have been applied here.
