… And just like that, two weeks have come and gone.

Hello and Happy New Year to you, my loves! Or rather, Howzit?

This year — already — has been full of surprises, new experiences and nearly-missed flights.

I’ve traveled 9,000 miles, sold (or donated) most of my belongings, showered with a bucket, climbed a mountain, danced into the late hours of the morning — both of which I was very sore from — learned a local language, broadened my cultural awareness, and befriended a handful of humans that I’ll be calling family four months from now.

At the moment, I’m writing to you from my apartment balcony in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.

///

No, I didn’t move here… Well, not permanently.

(“Howzit!” is a general South African greeting — and “Lekkar!” isusually the response, which can mean anything along the lines of great/dope/awesome/perfect/ideal, etc.)

///

For the next four months — at least — I’m traveling, living and working in a different country every month through a program called Remote Year.

You may have heard of it (Jess just finished a program in South America), but in case you’re unaware: Remote Year is a company that curates a unique opportunity to travel, live and work remotely across the globe — in four and 12 month stretches.

My four-month Remote Year program is called Kuungana, and from now through April, I’ll be living in Cape Town, Marrakech, Lisbon and Valencia — each month, respectively — with plenty of impending side trips, no doubt.

My first of which is coming up this weekend, actually — I’ll be just outside of Johannesburg on a four-day Safari!

To say it’s been a whirlwind would be a vast understatement. So here’s a quick video to give you the run-down on my first few days with Remote Year thus far:

///

As you’ve likely noticed, I have been offline a lot lately.

… And by lately, I mean the last, like, seven months. But as we’ve chatted about, it’s okay to disappear for awhile. Taking some time off is really just taking care of yourself.

I’ll tell you more about when, why and how I decided to do Remote Year in an upcoming post — but for today, I just wanted to check in, send some love and share some photos.

Feel free to ask any questions or make content requests via the comments below — and I’d love for you to join me for the journey through Instagram.

… This is my life now!

///

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude, excitement, uncertainty and humility as I embark on the next chapter of my life with Remote Year. You guys are the reason I’m able to experience a journey such as this and I can’t thank you enough for that.

So bring it on, 2019… The good, the bad and, yes; even the bucket showers.

Here’s to 12 new chapters, 58 new family members, 365 chances to explore — and one hell of a fresh start that’s already off on an incredible foot.

More to come…

///