I cannot believe it...but in a few days I will departing for Mumbai, India! Why? How? With Who? Whaaaat? These are the questions you may have, as everyone who hears of my plans has been asking me. Well hopefully I can answer a few questions here before I depart...
It all started about a year ago. I was in the midst of working towards my Master's degree in Recreation and Tourism when I obtained a job in the Recreation Department at the Ritz-Carlton in my hometown of Half Moon Bay. I met a charming young man named Travis, the Tennis Pro on site at the hotel. One day we bumped into each other and sat down to a simple lunch in the employee dining room. We chatted about this and that, and soon the subject turned to travel. I asked him where he wanted to visit most in the world, and his reply immediately caught my attention. He said why would he limit his response to just one place, when he wanted to see the world. As a person who values travel as an extremely important facet of my life and growth as a person, I was immediately intrigued. I have an immense wanderlust, and it seems I had met my match.
Soon after this fateful lunch, Travis and I grew into best friends and much more. We traveled to St. John in May, and had an amazing trip that only wet our appetites for more.
In August we were faced with a bit of a shock, Travis's company wanted him to take an important assignment in India. Whoa. The decision had to be made quickly, and after much stress and deliberation we decided this was our chance to follow our dreams of travel. While I still had to take my exam to fulfill my degree requirements, we decided he would go ahead to India and I would fly out to meet him in December. I also wanted to stay for Thanksgiving and have a special goodbye with my family.
Fast-forward to now. I have passed my exam and obtained my Master's degree (Wooopeee!!) and had an amazing few months with family and friends. Now the adventure can begin! Travis has been in India for the past two months and is having an amazing time, he is teaching advanced juniors at the Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai. We are eager to begin the adventure together. Our apartment is located in an area called Breach Candy, which is an affluent area located by the ocean and the US consulate.
The plan is to be in India until the assignment ends in April, then spend a month traveling in Thailand. During this time, it is my hope to gain international resort experience and expand my knowledge of the industry I have been studying. While there is no Ritz-Carlton in the area, I have made a connection at the Four Seasons Mumbai that looks promising.
I hope to blog throughout the trip, as I want to remember my experiences down the line and share them with my loved ones. I know I will miss my family and friends deeply, but this kind of opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime dream I could not pass up. I truly believe travel expands our minds and enriches our souls, and I am excited to experience a culture and way of life completely different then what I know. So far there is no internet in our apartment so I am unsure how often I will be able to blog, but hopefully we will have access soon! Below are some pictures of our apartment (NOT a grass hut), enjoy!
Namaste!!!