Highlights for those who want to skim:
I’m telling you about my travels from January to now, with updates on work & my summer plans.
Books I’ve read & travel reflections.
A callout for anyone who may be interested in traveling with me after the summer.
I love hearing feedback and thoughts from you — you’re all my life guidance counselors! Hope everyone is doing well, and please share your updates back by replying ☺️
Where I’ve Been
January
I spent a few days after my last post enjoying the snow, working, and celebrating my birthday on the mountain. It was a quiet birthday but I enjoyed the calls, messages & time outside.
February
Justy rejoined the Utah house and we had a few more friends join in (s/o to Zoe & Lydia for adding some top-notch vibes to Utah). We spent time on the slopes, checked out the NBA all-star game, went to the mountain health clinic a few too many times, and had relaxed days hanging in the house. I lightly concussed myself snowboarding and spent the last few days in Utah recovering & wearing sunglasses to avoid any bright lights.
In mid-February, Justy and I drove back to San Diego where I spent some time with friends and family. I went to a fungi fair (where I learned tons about how to grow mushrooms, an important part of my mushroom project!), climbed & surfed, and prepared for the next section of my trip.
I updated my work contract to be part-time starting mid-March, so I could better appreciate my travels in Europe & Israel. San Diego was cold & rainy.
March
March 2: I arrived in Philly and stayed with Aracely for 2 weeks, preparing my team for my part-time work and enjoying the (continued) cold weather. I hiked, went to house concerts, played games (s/o to Carmen for giving me a game that everyone loves to play), met some new Jewish friends that match my vibe (they call themselves “granola Jews,” which suits my lifestyle nicely), and enjoyed my time with friends.
March 15-16: I left Philly for a quick 24 hours in NYC with Sarina to get ready for my flight from JFK. We talked about jobs & life, I bouldered in Central Park, and I met up with Eitan to catch up over hummus (a person and a food that both make me happy). I arrived late to JFK & checked in (toting my backpacking pack, work pack, ukelele & a huge tub of kraut) for our flight to Berlin.
March 17-22: My 13-person friend group created an awesome itinerary across Berlin and I was along for the ride. We found great bars, clubbed until dawn, and checked out awesome museums (I recommend seeing the Futurium, which blended new technology with hard decisions & human lifestyles). I can’t eat wurst and don’t eat unkosher meat, so I mostly lived off bakery items, coffee & beer.
March 23-26: After most of the group left, I took a train from Berlin to Rotterdam (4 trains total). I stayed with Carmen & Remi who were the best tour guides, taking me on bike adventures (s/o to Rotterdam for great bike infrastructure and the Maastunnel), and taking me on an authentic Dutch pancake boat. We went to Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Antwerp together, meeting their friends & family and experiencing amazing hospitality at each stop.
March 27-April ?: I arrived in Israel and am staying with Maya (at TLV Univ.) and Edden (in Ramat Gan), along with other family friends (and new friends along the way). I’m working a bit during the day, exploring random places (including the ANU Museum, highly recommended to anyone exploring their Judaism and everyone curious) and seeing friends. I’m aiming to fly out near the end of April, but still need to figure out my plans. I’ve gone backpacking, had some amazing home hospitality for Seder & several Shabbatot, frequented the beach, joined a couple of protests (text me on WhatsApp to learn more about the situation in Israel), and run into some familiar faces by accident. Hoping to continue the random activities moving forward!
Thoughts & Feelings
☃️ Everywhere I traveled this year, everyone pointed to the same weird weather pattern: winter was pushed back a month this year, from San Diego & Vancouver to DC & North Carolina all the way to The Netherlands & Israel. Finally, I’m in Tel Aviv and feeling some warm weather (people are saying ~60F is cold, but I’m rocking my flip-flops and my ~25-40F attitude). Our wacky winter will soon turn into a simmering summer, please be careful this summer!
Note: Since writing last week, we’ve started experiencing heat waves (along with some storms & cold fronts).
✈️ I’ve enjoyed this year of travel so far (currently on month 9), but there are definitely drawbacks. I wanted to discuss some things I’ve appreciated (and want to keep in my life), some things I’ve disliked (and looking to change), and some questions (which I’d love advice on):
What I’ve loved:
When I arrive in a city, I’m there to experience everything — the fun activities my host & I have planned, the small daily chores my friends have in their lives, the people who fill their lives now, and the drama or difficulties they face. Tiny spats with life partners, work frustrations, feeling lost in life, looking for passion & excitement, working through tough decisions — I’m there on the couch/air mattress through it all. I’m incredibly grateful that my friends let me in their lives for all the moments (fun and challenging), to listen and to remind them they aren’t alone. I feel bad for not being placed in one location and helping some people through everything, while happy I can be with more friends as they go through specific moments. Please know that (as my friend/family!) I’d love to be there for you. Reach out, no matter what.
I get to live different lives frequently — from backpacking to working to enjoying new recipes to lots of yoga — which makes me feel a bit like an explorer. And the types of conversations I have with people! I love how curiosity is so appreciated by others while traveling. Travel has been awesome to put life into perspective and learn so much about the different things people care about (and very often, the similar lifestyles we’re all living).
What I’ve disliked:
I feel terrible about my carbon emissions. Although I rarely drive, I’ve flown 10 times since August (6.7 metric tons of CO2 emitted, the equivalent of consuming 754 gallons of oil). The best ways to improve this are to reduce my traveling, drive a car, or take the train/bus. All have downsides to my happiness, unfortunately. But that’s the cost of living in a sustainable future that I’ll need to determine for myself, as everyone needs to determine for themselves. Until I enact a better reduction strategy to avoid travel emissions, I’ll offset and support others in reducing their footprint.
I love spending time with friends, but each time I move I feel like I start over a bit — another person to update on my life from scratch. I miss having someone who sees the whole thing — all of my moments — and gets to share it all. I’m looking for a travel buddy — all inquiries are enthusiastically accepted. Here are my criteria:
Enjoys traveling and being in others’ company.
Good conversationalist. Everyone can define this as they’d like.
Appreciates spending more on experiences than possessions. Tries to save cash on things and is willing to stay on couches over fancy hotels.
Curious. Super important. You need to have a deep need to understand others.
What I’m thinking about:
I’ve enjoyed traveling to see my friends, but the city explorations have been less interesting to me. Spending a short amount of time in each place means you see very little from each, and often the same things in different places. Although fun to try out, I’m not as interested in learning how to use public transport (unless you use it all the time), learning a language in a week, or seeing your art museums. Instead, let’s meet your friends & see what life is like for you each day, let’s cook together and see things you want to see that are unique to the area. I’ve enjoyed being with friends more than the places they live in.
At my age, my parents moved to a new country to learn a new language and live out their life purpose. I feel like I’m missing a bit of that purpose in my life. Although travel itself hasn’t given me that purpose, I hope it helps me understand what I care about and the ways I can live them out. I journal extensively about what I yearn for as I move around, and have started to see the blurriest of images about what I want to do.
I have plans from now until September/October, and (with my new work schedule) I can’t keep traveling like this forever. I’m trying to figure out what needs to change (working full-time, living in 1 spot, etc) and what I want out of this next stage of life. I have no idea what the next stage may entail: paying rent in a city, starting a new project, going back to school, living at home for a bit, who knows! It’s constantly on my mind — what do I want out of life next, and how do I try it?
What I’ve recently read
I can’t remember everything I’ve read since writing last, but here are the most recent reads I’ve enjoyed:
Disobey by Frederic Gros — a dry philosophical read, it discusses the many reasons we may have to stand out against the norm or law of our time. I resonated with disobedience being an important democratic tool to advocate for niche community needs and a great way of encouraging others to see a new vision of how we can live.
Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer — Krakauer is a master of providing core historic details while painting a narrative. He details a murder in Utah by explaining the religious history in the region, moving back and forth in time to teach you all the pieces necessary to understand why the murder occurred. His ability to write biased nonfiction and still put you in each character’s shoes is phenomenal.
Letters From Jerusalem, 1947-1948 by Zipporah Porath — a student from New York studied abroad in Jerusalem in 1947 and sent letters home about her experience in Palestine. As the Partition Plan is confirmed by the UN and war slowly breaks out, she writes about her participation, the lifestyle, and the ethos of life in Israel’s creation. A very fascinating view into life at the time, and a reminder that at any age and moment in time, we may be asked to be part of a greater collective to support change and community.
Links to check out
📊 This model (I just found a minute ago) gives you a quick sense of what we can do to reduce the effects of climate change. Even with mild changes, you’ll see we’re far away from reducing temperature changes and stopping an extinction event. Play with the model yourself and see what lifestyle changes humans can make to reach an emissions level you’re satisfied with.
💁 If you haven’t played with ChatGPT yet, you’re missing out. The free AI tool (currently in open research) can hold full conversations, write code & poems better than I (in both categories), give good advice, and draft helpful documents. I’ve used it in my work to draft project plans, vision statements & requirements; others have used it to write essays and analyze articles. Make sure you give it a strong prompt to get the most value.
🪙 A history of Basic Income projects across the globe. Worth a run-through to see how long this has been a concept!
🍺 Here’s a guide to make your own kombucha (a tasty & extremely healthy drink full of probiotics). All it takes is a big jar, some tea & a $3 kombucha to start, along with 2-4 weeks to leave it be. Make it once and you can keep going forever!
Get excited for Spring!
-Nadav