We are glad to be back in the USA! We traveled for about seven weeks, and it was an amazing time. We visited 12 European countries and dozens of cities and towns within! It is an experience we will never forget, and if you feel the need to travel, I strongly recommend it. And what was even more incredible than the trip itself was that we got to have these experiences together as husband and wife, as a team. We have so many special memories and joys that are ours alone.
I think perhaps a few people are wondering why we came home when we did---in other words, why we didn't stay longer. Although our family thought we were gone a little too long, it is a legitimate question. There was no time frame on our trip, and, as you know if you've been keeping up with our blog, no set plans. Yes, if an opportunity arose where we could stay for longer and work, we may have explored that, but the longer we were there, the more we realized that this would prove harder than we thought. There is tons of red tape involved if you want to make a living in a foreign country, even if you're in the healthcare industry like Joey. From what I gathered, the easiest way to work overseas is to already have a job before you get there (like from an American company that has foreign reach, for example), which is a task in itself. Alternatively, it's easier if you are there to go to school. Neither of these options applied to us.
The only real plans we made were involving the amount of money we were going to spend on this adventure. As you know, we both quit our jobs to do this, and we did so with a travel budget set aside, separate from our savings. Although we did take a risk in quitting our jobs and planning this trip about a month before we went, it was very important that the financials were in place. And they were. Not everything we do is fly by the seat of our pants :) And so a budget we would follow, and once that ran out, we would either come home or would have plans for a job in some country (anywhere but the Ukraine, right Joey? haha). So...after about 7 weeks, our travel budget was indeed spent, and since we did not have prospects to stay and work, it was time to come home! Did I mention that Europe is insanely expensive??
Although budget was the main reason, there were several factors that nudged us homeward. One is that my sister is moving home for the winter months!! I am beyond excited. My sister is my closest and most precious friend, and it has been over 5 years since we have lived in the same city. The move is only temporary, so I knew this was something I did not want to pass up.
Secondly, Europe is a little crazy right now, I'm not gonna lie. We were all set to look at apartments in Paris, when the news of the terror threats targeting Paris among others began to circulate through the media. Security was visibly amped up in popular tourist sites. President Obama urged American tourists to register with the U.S. embassy if they were in Europe. Scary stuff. Many of you emailed us out of concern, and we asked for your prayers. The truth is that there would be nothing we could really do to protect ourselves; we were fully relying on God for protection. He is sovereign, and He did protect us and everyone else while we were there. I pray that He continues to do so. Also to add to the chaos of Europe, there were strikes and riots in most of the countries we visited over different issues. It was craziness. I think just about if not all of our flights within the continent were delayed due to some strike or another. I really don't know the politics or the situations concerning the unrest of the working public so I'm not really qualified to comment, but something is going on. I do remember riots of sorts during past visits overseas, but I don't remember there being so many. But then again, I've never traveled for this long and seen this many countries in one trip. So maybe it's always been this way, or maybe things are worse right now. I'm not sure. But suffice it to say, although we adored traveling, we weren't sure if we wanted to stay here long term.
The truth is, we live in a great country. Despite its hefty list of problems, it's a wonderful place to live. For me, I know there are things I take for granted everyday at home, and it caused me to appreciate things a little more after being away. Like ice. Many other things too of course, but that's just one small example :)
So yes, we are back and have no regrets! We look forward to seeing our friends again soon, we missed all of you! During our short time home, our time has been consumed with various family issues such as the death of a close family friend and of course the homecoming of Maya. But we hope to get to see you all soon!
Thank you so much for taking an interest in our travels, we really appreciate everyone's encouragement! As you know, just because we're not traveling anymore doesn't mean that the adventure of life ends! So I do plan to continue blogging, as I have greatly enjoyed doing so. Hopefully Joey will make a cameo and do a "Joey's Take," as everyone seemed to enjoy them!
So I guess the question we need to answer transitions from "where are y'all going next?" to "what are y'all DOING next?"
