Tag Archives: Leaving

May18

Leaving the United States, and the travels afterward.

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Wednesday, 01-May-2024


Everything I’ve been writing has led up to this point.

Everything I’ve been generally planning for the last 5 months, and specifically planning for the last 2 months, was in preparation for this singular moment.

Planning, preparing, making ready and laying the groundwork for one simple action – stepping out of a car, hefting some bags, and walking up to a plane.



Let’s start at the beginning, a bit of a recap.

In 2021, I gained my dual citizenship between the United States, and Austria.

In 2022, I applied to various universities around the world for their MBA programs. I was accepted to Trinity College in Dublin, and deferred my admission until 2024.

Around October of 2023, I gave my manager at Raytheon an ultimatum – I get promoted by the beginning of January, or I leave.

In January of 2024, I still hadn’t gotten a promotion.

In mid February of 2024, I turned in my 2-weeks notice. This was somehow a complete surprise to my manager.

March and April of 2024 are spent relaxing and preparing for my imminent departure from the United States, for at least a year but likely longer.


Now, what exactly is my itinerary? Well, I’ll be visiting:

  • Nuuk, Greenland
  • Reykjavik, Iceland (and the rest of Iceland, via camper-van)
  • Oslo, Norway
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • Helsinki, Finland
  • Tallinn, Latvia
  • Riga, Estonia
  • Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Warsaw, Poland
  • Krakow, Poland
  • Prague, Czechia
  • Vienna, Austria
  • Marseilles, France
  • Cassis, France
  • Zermatt, Switzerland
  • Stuttgart, Germany
  • Brussels, Belgium
  • Dublin, Ireland


Each country and city will have a different amount of time that I’m there – for now, I’ll keep that as a surprise for those following along… but it varies between a two evenings in some places, to two weeks in others. There’s a sort of method to my madness, regarding duration, though I’d have a challenging time fully explaining it in retrospect.

The key is that I spent time confirming it, and until I have reason to doubt my previous self… well, I have a simply massive document detailing where, when, how, and why I’m going to each place. How to get there, where I’m staying, what I’m doing (in some cases). Mostly, I’m excited to explore and decompress. To let myself stretch out, explore new places, and meet new people.

It will be glorious, but the first step is the simplest.

I stepped into the airport.

May12

The process of leaving – Part 9

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April, 2024

Closing out the store is almost like a ritual. Shut off the lights, shut down the equipment, sweep the floors and clean the counters, and lock the doors.

Closing out my apartment was a bit less of a ritual, but it felt a bit more somber.


I took it slow and steady, as I’ve done with pretty much everything else in preparation for this trip. I packed my things. I cleaned as I went. The international movers came, and took my most important things with them. My friend and I rented a uHaul, and took everything that I was going to sell out from the apartment. I brought the remaining middle-ground things to the storage unit. Lastly, the disposal folks came by and we threw out everything remaining.

I went through each utility, line by line. I called, cancelled, and told them that I was moving internationally and wouldn’t be able to transfer service. It went smoothly, and kept me busy enough that (for the most part) I was able to focus on the tasks at hand.

It was emotional in between the tasks.

I’ve mentioned, but seeing my home turn into a generic apartment was really tough on me. The photos coming down was the hardest part, and lasted the longest, but that didn’t mean the rest were any easier. I rode the emotions as best I could, keeping my to-do list in mind and making sure to grind through it as best I could… while liberally reaching out to friends and family when I started to sink into deep sadness.

Friends and family helped a lot – when going through emotionally tumultuous times, I absolutely reach out to the life rafts around me.

What else to say about this?

I cancelled the utilities one by one. I worked with the apartment management company to ensure everything went smoothly, thanking everyone profusely for the amazing home they’d helped me maintain for these 3 years and 11 months. I was friendly and grateful, and in turn they helped me make sure everything went smoothly… and even helped me ensure I didn’t get caught in a few common traps that they knew people oft-times would.

I’m sure I missed one or two things, but I’m cautiously optimistic that they won’t be too challenging to fix on the road. Time will tell, but I can cleanly say that I felt a strong wave of closure and loss when I locked that door and gave away the key for the last time… but that sadness was strongly flavored with optimism and hope for the next grand adventure.

May8

The process of leaving – Part 8

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April, 2024

I’ve made comments on the emotions of leaving – how sad I am to be walking away from an amazing life that I’d built in Oregon, and how hard it is to un-anchor myself and float free on the tides of this emotional rollercoaster we call life.

It’s been hard for me, taking the steps to move on, but I would be remiss is I didn’t mention the upcoming mental hurdles that I expect to face… getting on the road is a huge step, but it’s not the end of the story by a long shot.

Years and years back, when I left Massachusetts for Venezuela and the New Zealand, I was giving a great piece of advice by a fellow adventurer, “You’ll get homesick sometime in the first few weeks. It’ll hit you like a ton of bricks, and will break you if you let it. Prepare for it – Have some memorabilia from home, find a way to watch some cartoon, and stay inside for a day. Let the emotions wash over you and pass through you, and you’ll be fine.”


In preparation for that, I have some options that I’ve packed and prepared.


I’ve brought some snacks along for the ride – coffee, snacks, that sort of thing. Keep me fed, keep me happy, even if I can’t get access to the infinite cafes that I’m sure I’ll find.

I’ve uploaded some movies and shows for myself – Adventure Time has been my stalwart companion throughout all my adventures, and I’ve finally found a complete box set. I uploaded it to my laptop, and I’m ready to go.

I have my music – I’ve confirmed that Spotify works abroad, and even if it doesn’t I’ve got some various songs downloaded just in case. I have two pairs of headphones (one big, one small) so I can keep the tunes coming.

I’ve some some workout gear, so I can keep myself moving even when I’m not walking all around a European city. I’ll be away from the heavy weights that I’ve been focusing on for the last few years, so this will be a great chance to keep the muscles fit while embracing a lifestyle away from a desk of a set of weight plates.

Lastly, I have a stuffed puppy. A beanie baby that Bri gave me as a gift when I had my wisdom teeth removed.