Off to Amorgos

On Deck 7 of the Bluestar Ferry Naxos. Wind is blowing. The endless blue sea in front of me is broken up only by dottings of white caps on the water and another sailing vessel barely visible on the horizon. We’re passing by the Greek island of Kea to my left and soon we’ll be skirting the shores of Kithnos to my right. I’m on an 8-hour ferry from Athens to the island of Amorgos where I’ll be staying for six days with David and Mameaw, friends I met while teaching in Munich. They have since moved on to Bergen, Norway where David works as a teacher in another international school. They are already in Amorgos, and will be waiting to welcome me to a place they return to each summer. It should be a great time.

The last few days in Madrid have been good. Some time to be a tourist again in the city, some time to meet up with friends from other far off places, and some down time to refuel and replenish before the next adventure.

As luck, or fate, would have it, some friends from elsewhere were also visiting Madrid the same time as me. Maaike and David, friends also from Munich International School, were also there - still are - celebrating their wedding anniversary by going back to the place they first met and taught together. Kenia and I met them for a “tapas crawl” Saturday evening. They took us to some cool “stand at the bar” places they remembered from their days here where you order a drink and you’re actually handed - at no cost - a small tapa (portion) of food. Anchovies and tomatoes on small pieces of bread - that kind of thing. It was really great to catch up with both of them and have some laughs together as we strolled through the back streets of Madrid’s center.

In addition to Maaike and David, it turned out that a friend of mine from Eden Prairie High School was also in Madrid. Mariela, a Spanish teacher back home, is working on her master’s degree and will be spending the next three summers coming to Madrid to complete it. Rough, right? Kenia and I met Mariela in Plaza Mayor for a pitcher of sangria and, again, some great conversation. Mariela is originally from Puerto Rico, who’s engaged to a Minnesota boy and who has one of the best, biggest belly laughs you’ll ever hear. Really great time with Mariela. She then joined our whole family for dinner at a “cuevas” (cave) restaurants in the center. It was one of the best meals of the trip, in my opinion. We were squished together in this little cave alcove, drinks were flowing, music from a two-man band was coming loudly through the speakers above us, and we couldn’t keep the table cleared quickly enough to make room for the tapas that continued to appear before us. It also happened to be the last night my whole travel group would be together. Maddie was set to head back to Minnesota the following day, I was also leaving the next day - for Greece - , and Eva and Kiernan will also have returned home before I head back to Madrid. So it was a chance for us to spend one last evening together, enjoy one last Spanish meal and to say our “goodbyes.”

That brings me to Greece and the next part of my travels. I’m in Europe through September. Or at least that’s the plan for now. I’ll be taking a leave of absence from my teaching position in Eden Prairie and won’t be returning to the high school in the fall. The decision to take the leave wasn't easy. The deadline to request it was sometime back in the spring, sometime smack dab in the middle of Tricia and me trying to figure out our relationship and what would be coming next. I really didn’t know what to do. I knew I needed a break from teaching. I knew I couldn’t do it forever. Over the past several years I’ve gotten pretty burned out and I’ve been struggling to enjoy teaching or a feel a real passion for it. With another 10-15 years in front of me, I knew I had to figure out something different or I’d start slowly dying inside. My initial instinct told me to come back in the fall, teach one more year, then take a leave the following year. This would allow the process between Tricia and me to fully reach a conclusion and would give me stability - and cash - while I was dealing with the fallout of a potential divorce. It seemed like the sane, rational choice.

But then my gut got involved. Just a week from the deadline, I began to seriously question the instinct to do one more year. I wasn’t sure I could do it. Going to work each morning had become drudgery. And I worried that teaching one more year - during a period of grief for our lost marriage - would depress me and only compound feelings of sadness I would have on the heals of a potential divorce. A leave for the upcoming school year quickly seemed to become the best and right idea for me. I could travel. I could write. I could spend time at the cabin. I could immediately begin making decisions that would impact my life moving forward. I could do it soon. I wouldn’t have to wait. It felt like the right decision. So, I did it. And here I am.

I haven’t regretted that decision since the day I made it. I certainly haven’t regretted it while on this trip. I’m blessed and fortunate to be able to have this adventure, and I’m proud of myself for taking a bit of a leap of faith.

Greece - Amorgos then Athens - is what’s next. Then back to Madrid for a couple weeks, then Bavaria for a few. After that I have a slight hole in my itinerary. I think I’ll fill it up with a week in Croatia, but I’m not sure. My tourist visa allows me to remain in the Schengen (mostly EU countries) region of Europe for 90 days out of every 180, so I have to leave for a few weeks if I want to stay in Europe through September. With a long walk on the West Highland Way in Scotland with friends from Minnesota already booked in early September, I just need to figure out one more week somewhere. Scotland - all of the UK - is outside the Schengen zone, so I could feasibly spend all three weeks there, which I might do. I could, however, take that opportunity to explore and visit another non-Schengen country, namely Crotia, the one at the top of my list so far. It’s fairly easily accessible, it’s gorgeous from what I’ve heard, and it’s relatively cheap compared to a UK country. Time will tell. After Scotland I’ll scurry back to Bavaria to enjoy time with friends, with Santi, and with lots of 1 liter beers at Oktoberfest. I’m looking forward to that! Then, it’s back home.

But, for now, home is a very distant thought. And actually, home is pretty nebulous for me right now. Home will probably be the cabin until I’ve had a chance to figure out, and follow, what’s next on the horizon after all this. I’m also thinking a fall visit to DC to see Sammie, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to visit my friend Kris in late fall, perhaps several months volunteering somewhere in Central or South America during the winter, and then maybe back to Europe next spring and early summer. But, none of those trips are as yet booked, so plans can definitely change.

Greece is the thought for today, and the next few weeks. Hoping for some sun, lots of hiking on Amorgos, relaxing with David and Mameaw, dips in the Mediterranean, and taking in the historical and cultural sights of Athens with Frankie at the end of the week. It oughta be great.

Oh, and now here I am. The view from my room. Not too shabby. More to come...