I’m moving to Europe!
Hi! I’m so happy to have you here. 💛
As some of you may know, I was laid off last month (March 2025) from my role in Technical Project Management.
Brief background: I graduated in April 2022 from Ohio University with BS in Energy Engineering and moved to Madison, Wisconsin in July 2022 to kickoff my tech career. In October of 2024, I purchased a cargo van and renovated it into a tiny home on wheels, in hopes to spend more time traveling while working remotely.
It’s quite stressful to be dropped from your career with zero notice - s/o to “at will” employment! I have van payments budgeted around my lost income, not to mention travel to fund and a life to live! I looked into a magnitude of diverse opportunities, hoping to find one that would resonate enough to appease the capitalism guilt that arose from sitting around being unemployed for a few weeks. From remote tech jobs to local lifeguarding positions, somehow nothing was moving forward. I suddenly remembered that a friend had found a job abroad through an app called Workaway. I decided to sign up and started browsing through hosts. I sent a few messages to families that seemed kind and welcoming of Americans, then I went to bed. Honestly, I felt hopeful about the future again, and I needed that rejuvenation more than anything.
I woke up in the morning to a notification from a woman named Lisa, inviting me to spend the summer with her family in Liguria, specifically Imperia, on the coast of Italy! After discerning that Lisa is in fact a real, good intentioned person (by reviewing her profile and the feedback given from other workawayers), we set up a call and realized it truly is a perfect fit. I bought my flight a few days later and could not be more excited to spend the summer in Italy with her family! Lisa has three children, and I will spend 2 hours a day (4-6pm Monday through Friday), giving them rides and/or helping them with their English, in exchange for my own apartment and a weekly food stipend.
My dreams of international travel somehow became more attainable than my dreams of American vanlife, and I am gratefully accepting the change of course. I love to make plans and be proactive, but my ability to pivot and practice resilience is arguably an even more valuable quality. I am so thankful for my journey, for what’s been cleared away and for what’s to come from here. This redirection has reminded me of the joys of embracing the unknown and the mystery of our existence. Instead of getting wrapped up in expectations for my future and moving like I’m already there, I’m now, once again, aiming to focus fully on the present moment. I’m focusing on each intentional step forward: the act of choice. I’m taking ownership for where I’m headed and how much joy I feel. From my perspective, audacious action (if it creates no harm) is fruitfully rewarded. Authenticity, bravery and courage bring blessings as well. Even if the only fruit is personal fulfillment and self esteem - that’s more than enough for me. I’m really proud to be standing where I am, unemployment and all.
I often like to say that cliches are cliches for a reason (because they’re true!), and “when one door closes, another one opens” comes to mind as the best description for this life event.
Circling back to the move to Europe - I’m bringing my sweet little Dorothy, a two year old muted tortie cat, along for the ride. Wish her luck on her first flight. She’s muscled through many an eight hour car ride, so she’s prepared and ready to take on this adventure! Lisa (my host mom) is a veterinarian, hence the utterly perfect fit for Dot and me!
We’ll be living our euro summer dreams from late April to late July, but that won’t be the last of our international adventures! We may or may not be returning for a visa appointment in Chicago to take on Spain in the fall, so my title isn’t entirely clickbait. 😉 I suppose you’ll have to stay tuned for what’s to come; thank you so much for reading!
Take care,
T 💛
