Meg in Transit

8 June 2023

Exactly three weeks ago, I stepped onto a plane and my life was forever changed.

And that, my dear reader, is how one might start a novel about a summer abroad. I, for one, cannot take that line seriously. The thing is, I know that my life has changed but writing a sentence like that, at least in any sort of serious way, makes me feel uncomfortable. It has taken me three weeks to give myself permission to write about my travels thus far, because I felt embarrassed to share experiences that I know many people may not ever experience. It feels obnoxious and privileged to wax poetic about three months of international travel.

The defensive part of myself makes me feel like I need to justify the money I am spending, the time away from work, and, to repeat myself, the privilege of it all. So, let me state: I recognize that I am incredibly lucky and I am overwhelmingly grateful. I have unwavering support from my family and friends who have helped me to make this happen, whether with planning advice and budgeting tips, assistance with clothing and home item sales, dog sitting, a place to stay, kind gifts, or simply through words of encouragement. Many ~given circumstances~ have afforded me the ability to do this.

This past winter, as I was forming my plans, I continuously joked that this was my “Eat, Pray, Love,” in spite of never having read the book or seen the movie. Earlier this year, I borrowed the audiobook, narrated by the author, and as I was listening, I started to think… “Do I hate this book? Do I very much dislike Elizabeth Gilbert?” Just in case you also missed the Eat, Pray, Love phenomenon, it is Gilbert’s memoir with the explanatory subtitle of “One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.” I think my feelings on this book, and movie*, which I eventually watched, can be summarized by these excerpts from Eat, Pray, Spend- Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream: “The book could easily have been called Wealthy, Whiny, White” and “a perfect example of the genre of priv-lit: literature or media whose expressed goal is one of spiritual, existential, or philosophical enlightenment contingent upon women’s hard work, commitment, and patience, but whose actual barriers to entry are primarily financial.”

*It is important to note that I will always love Julia Roberts and the movie is possibly worth watching/skipping through for the Italy section because of the food. Also, I did enjoy reading one of Gilbert’s novels, City of Girls.

Though there are many differences between Gilbert and myself, I think an important difference is my “why.” I did not decide to do this to run away from something, or to ~heal~ myself. I sort of already did those parts. I am in the part after those parts, mostly. I am not actively on a quest for self discovery, or for romantic love. At least, not in any sort of epic or life defining way. I already have a few drafts saved for my spin-off series entitled “Love Letters,” which is dedicated to all sorts of love; family love, sister love, friend love, niece love, etc. But you’ll have to wait for that. Initially, I applied for a summer acting program in London and was accepted, but my sister and her partner wisely advised me, as they so often do, to use the money I would spend on the program to just travel. I have always wanted to live abroad, so why not just do that, right? And so, here I am.

I’ve touched on the “how,” and the “why,” so here is more of the “what” in list form:

• Just over three months. 95 days to be exact.
• Itinerary includes: work on a farm, vacation with my mom and sister, possible trips with friends/family, a whole lot of solo travel.
• Countries planned (so far, subject to change) in alphabetical order, not travel order, because safety:
  • Croatia
  • Czechia/Czech Republic
  • England
  • Greece
  • Ireland (Republic of & Northern)
  • Italy
  • Malta
  • Netherlands
  • Scotland
• Also considering: Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Wales

Before I sign off, I will tell you that I have already been to Ireland, though I’ll be going back, and Croatia, and I will post about my first three weeks over the next few days. Because my sister and mother arrive in roughly 18 hours, you can know that I am typing this while sitting on a tiny balcony, listening to birds chirping during a beautiful golden hour in Greece. I just poured myself a glass of wine. I also ate fresh bread from the bakery across the street with olives and cheese for lunch AND dinner. I can already tell that this chapter of my summer will be the “Eat” chapter.

I know, I know, but I couldn’t resist. Until next time.