Skip to main content

An introduction

Any time I tried to start a diary, I would immediately relinquish all the vital details of my current life.

"Dear Diary, my name is Sophie Wallerstedt. I am 11 years old and in the fifth grade. I live in Louisburg, KS with my mom and dad, my sister Jane and my brother Max, and five cats, a dog..."

I never got very far. I ended up boring myself with my own mundane details, and as a result I have multiple journals tucked away in various boxes and bookcases, only the first few pages used.

But blogs could be different, right?

This trip is going to be long, and I want to keep track of it, but I'm horrible with writing things down long term (unless it's MyFitnessPal- I have 2014 in my back pocket).

So every time I told someone about my big trip, I also said, "you can follow me on my blog!" The more I said it, the more I believed it.

Accountability, friends. That's what you're here for. Hopefully you'll also be entertained.

Here's the skinny: last year I became fairly obsessed with food and cooking. In June, I had the realization that I wasn't tied to much (my job was ending in November) and didn't want to wake up twenty years later and regret that I didn't make more of my time as an un-tethered twenty something. I should go to Europe and explore the food! I should go WWOOFing!

Almost a year later, my plans are modified, but the general premise is still there: go abroad. experience new things. especially food. 

I fly out of Minneapolis on June 28th and will spend July and August as a counselor at American Village, a network of English immersion camps scattered across France.

In September, I plan to go to Italy to WWOOF, or work on an organic farm in exchange for room and board. I haven't found my location yet (on my immediate to-do list), but I am looking for a place that emphasizes cooking, so I can continue practicing my culinary skills and discover new dishes.

My last day in Europe- Budapest, Hungary- Sept 2013
October, November, and December will be spent outside the Schengen Area, since I'm legally required to leave the area after 90 days, for at least 90 days. I'm not sure yet where I'll go, but on my list is Croatia, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. After those three months, I think I'll head back into Western Europe, but I'm leaving it up in the air for a while.

That's it for now, but I hope to update further as I make more plans, buy more things, and feel more secure in my decision to leave the country and go on this slightly intimidating solo adventure.

Sophie

P.S. You can sign up to receive my blog updates by typing in your email address on the upper right hand corner!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My farmstay in Hotnitsa, Bulgaria: A chance to be vegan, getting back on a bike, plus a recipe from yours truly!

“Here,” he said, handing me a pair of latex gloves. “You might need these.” It’s my first night on the organic farm in Hotnitsa, Bulgaria , and my host Rodo is warning me of the spiciness of the chili peppers he gave me. “Seriously, don’t touch your eyes or nose after you handle them. They’re dangerous.” Part of the farm on a foggy morning Earlier that day, Rodo gave me a tour of the farm, stopping ever so often to pile more veggies into my arms. Green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, and the aforementioned chilies , Rodo’s specialty. Rodo, originally from France, has been in Hotnitsa since about 2008. A former investment banker, he gave up consulting and bought a homestead in a small village outside of Veliko Tarnovo. He grows strictly organic, sells his produce in markets, and does his best to give back to the land. Average day on the farm I met Rodo online through Workaway , an organization that connections volunteers with hosts worldwide. In exchan...
5 comments
Read more

Cluj-Napoca: Proof that friends can be found anywhere, and that I still love polenta.

Last Monday, October 5 View on the way to Cluj My alarm goes off at at 5:45am, and I ready myself for my longest train ride in Eastern Europe to date. Six hours barreling through western Romania into Northern Transylvania, arriving at Cluj-Napoca in the early afternoon. What could be bad about that? It turns out, nothing, save for the moment I allow myself to leave the carriage to go to the bathroom, and find myself in a developing country, smells and sights included. I resolve to limit my water-drinking on travel days from now on. For those of you who know I have a constant sidekick in my water bottle, this is easier said than done. However, I arrive in Cluj on time and relatively unscathed. Lucia, my CS host, patiently guides me  over the phone from station to bus to bus stop to apartment, and before I know it I’m in her living room, drinking coffee (my first of the day! how did I survive this long?) and chatting about couchsurfing, international politics, and fr...
1 comment
Read more

My first day in Yerevan, Armenia: lots of stairs, lots of apricots, and plenty of pictures

Jet lag has never been a huge issue for me. I’m usually so tired from traveling that I’ll crash as soon as I’m in bed that evening. With the 9-hour time difference, though, I was a little worried that I’d have a hard time falling asleep, or worse yet, waking up. That scene in Frances Ha where she sleeps through almost her entire weekend in Paris is my own personal nightmare. I tried not to sleep too much on my second flight (five hours in the air, 2 on the ground, yikes). I arrived at my hostel around midnight, took a melatonin pill, read one page on my Kindle and crashed. I woke up a few times in the night, and slept about 45 minutes past my initial alarm this morning. I still made it to the free hostel breakfast early, made an instant coffee and fixed myself a plate of cucumbers, tomatoes, Armenian cheese and bread. I chatted briefly with a Norwegian-American journalist who regaled me with his Eastern European travels from 15 years ago when you could get a Belorussian visa at th...
1 comment
Read more