In 2015, I was offered a job to teach English in Japan. During my time in college, I’d been studying to become certified in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and I was convinced no other path awaited me after I graduated college (what little I knew then about life!). The interview for that job, which consisted of a panel of three or four people with me sitting at a table across from them, was the strangest and most intense interview I’ve ever gone through, and I walked out of the room figuring they’d never offer me anything.

Well, they did. 

I turned the job down. 

My younger sister reminded me of that and how it’s kind of funny or fateful or whatever you wanna call it that a little over 10 years later, I’m leaning into the offering this time. 

Opportunities like this – where you can pack your life up and travel- don’t happen every day and I feel so lucky that the universe opened up another shot for me to pursue what I’ve always wanted to. As I sit in the Hong Kong airport, waiting to board my last flight to Kathmandu, I feel overwhelmed by all that’s ahead, all that will happen, all that I’m going to do and see. The gravity of this decision feels heavy. I know I can always come home but home feels very far away right now. And then I remember that this second chance was gifted to me for a reason, I believe that this is all happening for a reason, and I’m filled with gratitude. 

I have a hunch I’m going to be feeling all kinds of contrasting emotions throughout this trip. For example: three days ago (or is it four? All these time zones make me dizzy), I cried in my car after saying goodbye to the guy I’ve been dating since March 2025. Talk about a gut punch. That one hurt. Don’t even get me started about what it was like to say goodbye to Magnus (I’m still processing that one). The next morning, I could hardly contain my excitement at the fact that we were off to the train station in Portland.

So there ya go! Those are my jet-lagged thoughts as I burn off the last few hours of my 12-hour layover (I apologize in advance for any typos; if I stare at the screen too long words start to get squiggly). 

Just before this, I bought lunch – chicken, rice and veggies – and they only gave me chopsticks and a soup spoon. Guys, I’ve tried many times to learn how to use chop sticks and I just can’t get the hang of it. So, I ate my rice and chicken with a soup spoon. I stick out even more now. In general, I’m learning that you have to laugh at yourself sometimes because life is just not that serious, and I can guarantee I’ll be laughing at myself A LOT during this trip. 

The Hong Kong airport is large and confusing and apparently the showers are only available before you head through the transfer gate and security. Oops. And the iMax is closed, like, indefinitely. Boo. I had all these grand plans to go do shit in the city between flights but you wanna know what I’ve done instead? Walked around the large and confusing airport and watched Friends on my laptop. Do I regret it? Partly— not regret, more just like a feeling that I missed out on something cool. But also I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted and my brain needed a break. So I think I’m glad I did it this way.

That’s it! Off to watch more Friends and eventually find my gate. I am almost to Nepal.