Seeking Adventure and Finding Me in 2023

Seeking Adventure Finding 2023 sits at the heart of this DG Speaks story, where culture, travel, food, and personal reflection meet.

I started my nomad journey in June 2022 with no idea of what life would have in store for me. All I knew was that I was longing for radical change. I had given 18 years to motherhood and felt now was my time to check off all those bucket list boxes. The first few months, I never left the United States.

Why Seeking Adventure Finding 2023 Still Matters

I spent time visiting my relatives and seeing the sites around my home state of North Carolina with my son. However once he checked into his dorm in September, I took the leap, grabbed my passport, and went off. I left the day after I dropped him off at school and landed in Costa Rica.

Sadly, I didn’t do much planning and spent a month sequestered on a property with no way to leave. I had no phone, the taxis were price-gauging me, and I admit the whole experience left me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

After that month in Costa Rica, I returned to the US to attend my favorite natural foods convention, Expo East with my homegirl. Once that finished I set off to work with farmers in Zambia. Now, this was my first real taste of living abroad in a long time. I absolutely love being in-country and working directly with food producers and so, for the first time, I felt like I made a good decision.

The Story Behind the Moment

I started 2023 with a project working in Guyana. This also was a wonderful experience and gave me the sense that for certain I was moving in the right direction. Now, I had been to 3 countries that were new to me, Costa Rica, Zambia, and Guyana. I wanted to see what more the world had in store and started searching for more contracts, both paid and volunteer.

This took me to Uzbekistan, Turkey, Ecuador, Germany, Austria, Czechia, Greece, Malta, and Portugal. All except Germany and Portugal being new places.

I took on volunteer projects, picked up new clients, spoke at both Samarkand and Tashkent Universities, was featured in a Podcast by Food Tank, was interviewed by Digi Nomad, and was featured in an expose by Her Network. The year gave me a sense of purpose that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It also gave me a sense of pride in how far I had come.

What I Took Away

I met so many amazing people that I can even count. The groups I volunteered with at Englischhausen we incredible. I specifically chose to volunteer at this program because I thought to myself how often would an opportunity come to just hang out and talk and get to know German people. And I must say it was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I walked away from that program having developed solid bonds with many of the participants and other volunteers.

In between working and volunteering, I took time to just explore. I’m a huge art junkie and was able to visit the

Keep Exploring on DG Speaks

Keep exploring on DG Speaks with more DG Speaks travel stories, my Camino de Santiago reflections, and my practical Camino packing list.

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