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learninginlifewithlily · 3 months

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Learning to move to the other side of the world - in the middle of a pandemic

How I packed my life up in two days notice and moved to the other side of the world with nothing but two suitcases and a dream.

2020 was a tough time for everyone. It was also a confusing nightmare logistically, especially in terms of international travel. Prior to the pandemic, I had my life all lined up. And of course that plan was flipped on its head come March. I was meant to be attending Keiser University in the fall to continue my academic journey and swimming career. However, due to Australia's tough lockdown restrictions, I faced many issues when acquiring my visa to enter the US - to the point where I had to defer my degree to instead start in January. It was already September of 2020 and I was frustrated, watching my meant to be teammates begin their college lives in West Palm Beach. My life was flipped on its head again on September 3rd when I unexpectedly got a call from the US embassy in Melbourne, to come in for a visa appointment the very next day. Three days after that, my visa arrived in the mail and I was on a flight to PBI. With next to no notice, I shoved all of the clothes that I could into 2 suitcases, said goodbye to my family, and hopped on a 16 hour Qatar airways flight - that had to first go to Qatar due to covid rules. From there I had another 16 hour flight to Dallas, followed by one more 3 hour flight to PBI. It was exhausting, and took over 40 hours, but I made it.

When people ask me the question, 'how did you prepare to move to the other side of the world?' I'm not sure how to answer. Because it felt like I didn’t prepare. Or at least it felt like the time between getting the phone call and landing in the US was so short that I didn’t have time to plan, and instead I just had time to do.

However, leaving my home to start my new life so quickly taught me quite a few lessons in a short time.

I was forced to learn how to go with the flow. Never quite knowing what was coming next, I had to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I had to become flexible, and adjust my plans just as much as my plans adjusted me.

I also had to learn to deal with circumstances that were out of my control. As an anxious person, I found this quite difficult. But I can't control many things. I can't control covid, the weather, if my visa comes in time or if my flight gets cancelled. I just have to trust myself that I have the skillset to get through a problem if it arises, and to not worry about it unless it happens. As they say, 'lets cross that bridge when we get to it'.

Lastly, I had to learn to embrace the adventure. I had to remember who I was and who I wanted to be as I entered my new life and new adventure. I didn't want to let anything hold me back, and so I had to practice diving in head first and giving everything my all.

The transition period from leaving my home to beginning my new life in West Palm Beach was a crazy time of my life, that brought me many valuable lessons, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

#movingoverseas #covid #covidtravel #internationalstudent #college #studentathlete #australianinamerica #expat #movingawayfromhome #learninginlifewithlily

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nycgalnx · 1 year

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Tap-Ped Out in Nice

SEPTEMBER 3 2021 Not the plan, but a happy surprise To say this journey began with a rough start is an understatement. We left the house at 4:15 am. I missed my flight to Newark International (EWK). The train was my only option to make my flight to Marseille. Now I would have to cancel plans to lunch with friends during my layover. 6.5 hours later, I arrived at EWK. My first trip with Air…

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#single-woman singlelady singlegirl sinlgeladies independentwoman blackgirlmagic blackwomenabroad travelblog generationx genxabroad #AirPortugal #Aix #Aixenprovence #Covid #Covidtravel #delays #France #iau #InstituteofAmericanUniversities #nice #studyabroad #TAP

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ywebusiness · 1 year

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DO YOU WANT TO APPLY FOR VISIT VISA..? 30/60 Days SINGLE ENTRY, MULTIPLE ENTRY 𝔽𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ===== 971 55 127 2700 971 55 386 5051 #visitingvisa #studentvisa #canadavisa #visa #usavisa #canadaimmigration #dubai #pdsoverseasvadodara #singapore #studyinsingapore #hyderabad #abroadcounsellors #immigrationcounsellors #singaporestudentvisa #immigratetocanada #pdsoverseas #valmikiimmigration #ukstudent #newzealandstudyvisa #vietnam #visitdubai #covidtravel #cspsquare #expo #valmiki #canada #uaediaries #vietnamvisa #burjalarab #visitvisauae (at Burj Khalifa & Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp10vBQrgNx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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inlovelyblue · 2 years

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Argentina | Visa Extension and Renewals

There are two ways you can renew or extend your tourist visa for Argentina. Here's my experience of both methods of Argentine visa extensions. #Argentina #covidtravel #travel

There are two primary methods for renewing your Argentina tourist visa. For most visitors to Argentina the tourist visa is often sufficient and offers 90 days on arrival. However some visitors to Argentina find themselves wanting more than 90 days. Here are the two main ways to extend or renew your Argentine tourist visa. And what you should be aware of when using either method. (more…)

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#Argentina #Visa

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withabackpackandcamera · 2 years

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October 14th, 2021

Day 13: A Day Full of Castles and Museum

This morning, the only reason we woke up earlier than 10am was because we wanted to make it to the hotel breakfast. Otherwise, we would’ve just slept in to recharge our very low batteries despite all the plans we had made to wake up early to get an early start. Sometimes, waking up early when you’re weary is just not realistic. Anyhow, the hotel breakfast this morning was OK. It was a continental breakfast with a little more variety and stuff than usual. Once we were done at breakfast, we headed out for the train station to buy our Swiss Travel Flex Pass for use on 8 nonconsecutive days.

Once we had purchased our passes, we changed the plans we had originally settled on yesterday evening. Instead of taking the Gornergratbahn today to the top of the mountains and hiking, we decided to get out of Zermatt and explore another nearby town and its museums to make the most of our train pass for the day. The original plan was to visit Sion and see all of the museums there that offered free admission with our Swiss Travel Pass. But because it was a nice day and we had unlimited free train rides today and Cynthia really wanted to check out the Chateau de Chillon (even though we had originally decided to skip Chateau de Chillon because of how far it was from the places we were planning to go), we changed our mind and took the train far past Sion to Veytaux to see Chateau de Chillon, the picturesque medieval castle sitting on the edge of Lake Geneva.

It was funny that I found myself back at Chateau de Chillon because it was actually my second time seeing this castle. The first time I saw the castle was back in 2013 when I was backpacking through Switzerland as I made my way through Europe. At the time, I didn’t have money I was willing to spend on a castle visit so I never entered and, instead, looked around the outside castle walls and took photos of the picturesque dock right outside of the castle (a photo that now hangs on my apartment wall as a canvas). So it was nice to return to Chateau de Chillon and actually enjoy the experience of exploring the castle, its architecture, and its history. And it was awesome roaming through the halls and staircases of the surprisingly large castle for a good two hours and reading all about its history, its tenants, and its importance to the area.

We could’ve spent much more time at the castle but because we still wanted to make it to Sion in time to see some museums there, we rushed through the end of our castle tour in order to catch one of the infrequent trains back to Sion. We arrived in Sion around 4pm. With the museums that we wanted to visit set to close around 5pm, we ran from the train station through town to the nature museum first because it was the closest of the museums. Because all of the infographics and information placards were in French (and because I didn’t realize that I had been handed an English pamphlet translating all of that information), we breezed through the museum and its different animal exhibits in about 15 minutes, giving us plenty of time to hit up the art museum located right around the corner. Again, with very little time (about 30 minutes to be exact), we sped through the 8 or so different floors and exhibits of art, taking some time every now and then to enjoy and appreciate the art installations and paintings. Whew, what whirlwind museum stops today! But luckily, we saw what we needed to see and made the most of an activated travel pass day!

After the museum visits, we strolled through the streets of downtown Sion and enjoyed how different this town looked and felt compared to Zermatt. A nice addition to the day’s random itinerary. Before long, we got very hungry. We walked around looking for affordable places for dinner and ultimately stopped at La Regal’ette Creperie Bretonne. Though expensive, the crepes we ordered (the Crepe Armen (scrambled eggs, cheese, ham, and mushrooms) and Crepe Bigoudene (mozzarella, spicy salami, tomatoes, and basil)) were pretty good.

The rest of the evening was spent taking the train back into Zermatt. Once we were home, we called it a night with plans to get up at a reasonable hour tomorrow to give ourselves enough time to enjoy some mountain adventures.

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. During the Savoyard epoch, the Chillon region was rich and populated. The local population would pay the lord at the castle taxes and dues and usually these taxes were paid in the way of food items and drinks, especially wine. Because of its great and strategic location, the castle itself served as a crossing point and trading post for many. For example, it was an important tollgate on the route between Lombardy (in northern Italy) and France. Many merchants would cross through this area and pay their tolls and taxes in order to transport their goods, which consisted of anything from wool and linens to metal and wax objects to dried herring and salt.

2. In Chillon Castle and other medieval castles, the primary function of latrines was for the disposal of human excrement and other waste matter. At Chillon Castle, there were two types of latrines: latrines with an internal outlet and bay-window latrines. Each had its advantages and disadvantages in case of an attack on the castle. Latrines with an internal outlet had the advantage of being completely concealed within the thickness of the wall and only offered minimum weak points for assailants; however, its disadvantage came from the possibility of it being used as a means of entry for enemies who were brave enough to climb through poop and waste to get into the castle (Chillon Castle didn’t have this issue since the outlets led right into the lake waters). As for bay-window latrines, their advantages came from its usefulness in providing a firing position for those within the castle; however, it was also a weak point in the castle’s defense system because it provided enemies with a foothold for climbing the castle walls and made for an obvious target for bombardment.

3. Different types of body protection and armor for soldiers changed with time based on what people were hit or shot at with. For example, chain mail armor and mail hauberk were helpful against arrows and sharp-edged weapons but became obsolete once people figured out how to fire stuff at you with gunpowder. Yeah, I can see how gunpowder could spark a change in fighting fashion.

4. For the Swiss Travel Pass, in order to get free admission into the museums that allow free entry with the Swiss Travel Pass, you must go to the museums on a validated or confirmed travel day. So if you plan to use it on a day you don’t plan to travel around, you either can’t go to the museum for free or you’ll use up a travel day. Be careful with your planning so that you can maximize your dedicated travel days without wasting any opportunities.

5. Sometimes, the train guy (maybe he’s the conductor?) stamps holes into the date you wrote down for designated travel. That’s probably how they keep track of what days you’ve used on your Swiss Travel Pass if you have a non-electronic, paper ticket.

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finkenfunk · 2 years

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All Cats Are Beautiful ;). . . . #catsofkophiphi #catcontent #oddoneout #vgntrvls #welovecats #kophiphi #covidtravels #thailand #tropicalisland https://www.instagram.com/p/CYUR5oivvYe/?utm_medium=tumblr

#catsofkophiphi #catcontent #oddoneout #vgntrvls #welovecats #kophiphi #covidtravels #thailand #tropicalisland

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havekiddoswilltravel · 4 years

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Early morning hotel work vibes when traveling with kids. Being a multitasking mami requires me to be up at 6 am to get the work week organized and my school module completed while the kids recover from yesterday’s beach day. Are anyone else’s hands really dry from constant hand washing and hard surfaces disinfecting? #covidtravels #ontheroadwork #familylife #familytravel (at Eastham, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCBT7MTgdXL/?igshid=175w51khbr9hi

#covidtravels #ontheroadwork #familylife #familytravel

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qaleesea · 2 years

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🍁Distillery District Christmas Market🍁 also known as Distillery Winter Village.

It’s pretty much the same on the other side of the world. With covid, festive seasons came to a halt. It’s no different during Christmas here last year, I was told.

Mad love for Xmas Markets. My favourite still the ones in Europe but this was just as nice. Sorry no glittery xmas light up because I visited before it got dark and was home by nightfall.

#distillerydistrict #xmas #toronto #canada #covidtravels

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harisghole · 3 years

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This event was probably the only good thing about Peshawar. I want to visit Peshawar again in order to change my mind about the city. There’s nothing to do or much to see. It is so sad that a capital city of a province in our country can be ages behind. Part II of our Peshawar vlog will be uploaded soon on my YouTube channel. If you haven’t subscribed to my channel, you should. It is the only right thing to do at the moment. . . . . #peshawar #lahoretravel #sofiakaif #pakistantravel #dentistlife #dentistry #dentisttravels #travellife #covidtravels #covidmemes (at Pearl-Continental Hotel Lahore) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU5fhpLBhWH/?utm_medium=tumblr

#peshawar #lahoretravel #sofiakaif #pakistantravel #dentistlife #dentistry #dentisttravels #travellife #covidtravels #covidmemes

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orebic-travel · 3 years

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Travel to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands during Covid 2021

Fellow wanderers… We hope you enjoyed our videos from our recent trip to the U.S Virgin Islands! This is our first video for USVI, which means, SUBSCRIBE so …

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#Couplesthattravel #Covidtravels #GoPro #Mavic2Pro #StJohn #thewanderers #USVI #4K #dji #drone #Travel

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clakry · 3 years

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Breakfast is served

#coronaproof #covid #COVID-19 #covidtravels #covidtravel #travel #travelling #portugal #azores #island #islandlife #saomiguel #breakfast #hotel #breakfastisserved

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thepiousapostate · 4 years

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Goodbye #summer ...

Hope to see you in the new year with the nightmare of COVID-19 behind us..

#covidtravels #minnesota #wisconsin #willowriver #summervibes #covidyear #winteriscoming

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withabackpackandcamera · 2 years

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October 7th, 2021

Day 6: The Fairy Tale Landscapes of the Dolomites

The first stop this very early morning was Alpe di Siusi, also known as Seiser Alm, a unique UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the largest high-altitude alpine meadow in all of Europe. Getting there was a pain because there are restrictions that don’t allow private cars to drive into the area during most of the day (10:00am-5:00pm) and restrictions preventing outsiders (people not staying in hotels there) from driving in.

So, to visit Alpe di Siusi as outsiders for sunrise, we had to wake up at the ungodly hour of 5:30am and get out by 6:00am. It took around 30 minutes to get to Parking Lot #2 in Compatsch (free access and parking before 9:00am) where we left our car and completed the trip to the meadow on foot. It was pretty cold and windy as we hiked in the dark alongside some other photographers to Alpe di Siusi. The hike to the meadow took much longer than I expected, around 45-60 minutes, likely because I was carrying my camera gear and because there was some uphill hiking involved. And because we were tired.

By the time we arrived at the meadow viewpoint, the slightly cloudy skies had become cloudy, snowy skies. Snow flurries were flying around us and it was pretty cold. In the hour that I spent up there (with Cynthia spending a little less there because she was cold), it was heavily cloudy with a brief period of partially clearing skies. But the sun never really peeked out from the clouds. And the picturesque fog never really rolled through. As a result, I had to work with suboptimal conditions to try and make the most of the photos of the otherwise gorgeous scene in front of me. Because Cynthia was cold and because she wanted to make it back to the hotel for a hot breakfast, I didn’t spend too much time up at Alpe di Siusi. And it was a good thing I didn’t because the weather continued to worsen as I hiked back to the car. Before, of course, it started to get better. Sighs.

I got back to the car around 9:15am, at which time we started our rush back to the hotel. And we were lucky to get there in time to be the last ones seated for a delicious hot breakfast. Score! Always a treat to begin the morning with a big, free hot breakfast on any trip! The spread had everything from delicious croissants to other breads to fruits, yogurt, milk, eggs, bacon, cereal, etc. So good! And so good that we had a food coma after the meal and found ourselves napping for a good two hours before waking up, much more refreshed than we were before the nap.

It took a while for us to finally get going again after our much-needed post-breakfast nap. While slowly getting up from our comfortably warm bed, we started making plans for the day. We also spent time making changes to the plans we had previously made for the trip to accommodate the nice weather forecasted for the next couple of days. So we mixed-and-matched parts of the itinerary we already had and moved things around to make the most of the beautiful mountain weather. And even made a last second decision to stay an extra day in the Dolomites and add on an extra rental car day. Of course, with these decisions, we had to spend more money than intended (pay extra for a new AirBnB rental, lose money on one night of a reservation in Florence, and pay for one more day of a car rental, which was actually pretty cheap at 37 Euros). But I definitely think that it will all be worth it in the end.

Once we had figured out the extra day we would be staying in the mountains, we then figured out how we wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening today. Instead of doing Seceda this afternoon (because the weather was cloudy and suboptimal and because it was a bit late to start exploring up there), we decided to check out the gorgeous Val di Funes instead. It took a little longer than expected to drive out to Val di Funes but once we got there, parking was pretty easy and it was then a matter of hiking to the two main attractions in the area: the picturesque and lonely Chiesetta di San Giovanni and the beautiful Santa Maddalena village and church nestled beneath the epic Odle Group peaks.

We didn’t stay long at Chiesetta di San Giovanni once we hiked there because there wasn’t much to see. It’s a neat little church in the middle of a big field with the mountains towering over it from behind. Cool to see but hard to get a unique photo from the observation platform. Once we were done, we hiked back to where we came from and toward the panoramic viewpoint of Santa Maddalena church, where I found a spot to set up for sunset. It was pretty cloudy but for a moment, all the other photographers and I had a little hope that the sun would come out from behind the clouds and create a colorful spectacle. Eventually, the sun did come out and create a beautiful sky… except it was on the wrong side of the sky, the part of the sky that wasn’t hovering over the mountain and village. Sighs. So much for that. But despite the lack of a perfectly placed sunset, the view was still really pretty.

After sunset, we drove back to Ortisei and dropped off our stuff at our room before finding dinner nearby. We decided on trying the highly-rated Mauriz Keller Restaurant and Pizzeria located just across the way from our hotel. The restaurant was in an old cellar and was very warm and welcoming. A really neat atmosphere. It took a while to order something because we were so hungry and there were so many delicious items on the menu. We ultimately ordered the Linguine with Lobster, the Margherita Pizza with Ham, and a glass of Chardonnay white wine. My goodness, this was an amazing meal! SO SO good! The lobster pasta was excellent and so was the pizza! And adding the Chardonnay was a nice little touch. We were ABOUT to order their dessert to finish off our nice dinner experience but they had just run out of good options so we said nevermind.

We took a short post-dinner stroll around town after dinner to work off the calories we had just ingested. Because we were tired, the walk didn’t last long before we turned back toward the hotel. What a nice day today was. The weather held up, for the most part, and the sights we saw were so pretty. Can’t wait to check out some more tomorrow now that we have an extra day in the mountains!

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. When you zoom out and really look at it, Alpe di Siusi kind of looks like a giant golf course with all of its green patches interspersed with trees and forests. Kinda cool.

2. In the Dolomites mountain region, there are, oftentimes, two names for places. One is an Italian name and one is a German name. This all stems from the extensive history of the Dolomites and the groups of people who have lived in this region over the centuries. In some places, the primary language spoken and primary language on signs is German.

3. The cows here in the Dolomites have large bells tied around their necks even though they are fenced in. I wonder why…

4. Everything in the Dolomites, from fields to buildings to homes, are so clean in appearance. Everything looks like something you’d see in a miniature model of a town or countryside village. Spotless. Model-like. Like everything was just recently built and painted. And not to mention the pretty and well-taken-care-of flowers that accompany many of the windows of these beautiful buildings. So pretty and so clean.

5. Pizza in Italy is never cut into slices. So strange and so very annoying!

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finkenfunk · 2 years

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On and around Ko Phi Phi. Rocks, Sea and Sand.. Tropical Bliss… . . . #scubadivinggalore #vgntrvls #covidtravels #kophiphi #thailand #bidanok #bidanai #phiphiley #mayabayfromfaraway https://www.instagram.com/p/CYRwnOkBcqY/?utm_medium=tumblr

#scubadivinggalore #vgntrvls #covidtravels #kophiphi #thailand #bidanok #bidanai #phiphiley #mayabayfromfaraway

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edgar-2020 · 4 years

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@whitehouse look who had a new passport coming in the @usps.official #covidtravels el DF aver si mi deja la mujer. #brownsugathepodcast #mexicocity (at Mexico City, Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEA6B4qlEYJ/?igshid=io442d0jb207

#covidtravels #brownsugathepodcast #mexicocity

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havekiddoswilltravel · 3 years

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#HappyPlaceFound @sundayriver with the kiddos. We're being #hosted for the next 3 days and can't wait to share our adventures on the blog. We use to ski here with our siblings, niece and nephews and were quickly reminded what we love about Sunday River. We're beyond excited to be back to experience the resort during a pandemic! So far, we are loving what we're seeing. We checked in, got our RFID ski passes, checked our skis at our ski in - ski out lodging and are making dinner. Make sure to follow along in my IG stories, as I'll be posting more frequent updates there. #ad #familyskiing #covidtravels #maine #skitheeast (at Sunday River) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhoz__AdnD/?igshid=gna7526fdg6r

#happyplacefound #hosted #ad #familyskiing #covidtravels #maine #skitheeast

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