Wow Zefan, this is officially my favorite post from you, it’s so beautiful and personal. Congratulations on all that you have accomplished this process. You are not who you were before, you have laughed, loved, cried, anguished, shared smiles and experiences that have transformed you. I’m so excited to see you make this next big step.
Wow Stanley I really appreciate this 🥹 Thank you, and thanks for being a part of this journey. It’s amazing having met you in the past several months and being able to take you with me into the next chapter.
Stunning writing as always, and congratulations on the job! As an aside, please let me know if you ever make it down to Portland, OR. I'd love to buy you a coffee.
So nice! I'm always so happy to see my country through foreigners eyes. I lived in Floripa for two years and I miss it a lot. Great place to be. I hope you can take back home the calmness you have found there. Good luck with the job! :)
Such a beautiful place! Seattle has some great hikes too, but Floripa is special. And thank you, I hope so, too! And can’t wait to be back and explore more of Brazil, I can’t believe how much I have loved it.
Thank you for this 🙏🏽 And I feel you! I was terrified of this as well, and I kept telling myself that the worst thing that could happen is I spent 6 months between Brazil and Argentina 😂 it helped deciding to be “stuck” in a place I had loved.
Thank you! And wow, incredible praise, I have so much joy for my posts being able to resonate so continuously. Excited to start sharing my “reintegration” here!
Congrats on the new job and safe travels and good luck with the move! I’d love to hear more about your job search since I’m going through something similar now, applying to jobs after taking ~7 months off (a shorter sabbatical). Curious if you shared the sabbatical on your resume or cover letters? I haven’t but not sure if it’s something employers wonder that prevents interviews (I mention it in interviews, but don’t always get there haha)
Hi Maria, thank you so much! If you want to give me a follow on LinkedIn, I actually just shared a popular post reflecting on my job search. One of my tips was, yes, I put my gap on my resume and even included bullet points. People seemed to really resonate with my suggestion, so it’s on my list to expand on that (over there) in the next couple of days!
No no, wait, go back. So you're telling me, that on an island in Brazil, the full moon looks like a glowing, fiery, mini sun-ball??!! THE MOON??!! I would've believed you if you told me that was the sun. Sweet salted caramel. Ya see something new everyday.
Also, I seriously love your writing. It's easy on the mind and pleasant, with lovely imagery and captivating stories/scenes. And who says we can't feel lost at home and feel found in a place we're only passing through.
Good luck with moving back to Seattle, and keep these posts coming! Even if they have nothing to do with being lost. Just keep writing. And take a break when you need to. I'm sure you know all that already.
Side question, how do you navigate in countries where you don't speak nor read the language? I had a tough time with Russian in Uzbekistan when I went, but I was with a friend for most of the trip so I was fine. Having food allergies is not good when you can't read the ingredients list lol.
Yes, the moon was incredible!! (I just texted a local friend to confirm that it always looks this beautiful, and *yes* it does!)
I appreciate your feedback so, so much. Really made my day. I know I have a few more months of travel reflections in me, but also know that my publication will have to evolve as I do.
And good question, it’s what my friends worry about the most too 😂 In places where I have zero knowledge of the language (like Eastern Europe), I relied on google translate a lot (download it for offline use), as well as a few common phrases (where is…) and nonverbal communication. It’s not easy but I think it gets easier as you do it, and if you’re in touristed areas, they’re used to helping people this way. If I were you, I would translate a sentence before I go, like, “I’m allergic to x, y, z. If I eat it by accident I will get very sick. I want to make sure my food does not have it.” and save this translation on your phone notes and/or a piece of paper. Also, depending on where you’re staying, style of accommodations, etc, it might be easier to find English speakers than you might think! Besides South America, I have felt that if I *really* needed to find an English speaker somewhere, I could.
This was so beautiful, and so relatable. I am only at the beginning of my sabbatical but I already fear its end. There are so many things I love about being in one place, and so many I fear.
I feel you — I know I’m not someone who could do this for years, but I kept pushing away the ending. I’m so glad you can relate to it; it’s comforting that it’s a shared experience!
Congrats on the job!! Totally get the feeling of being lost when you’ve come back from “being lost.” But I hope that you also discover that you’re also somewhat found :)?
Thank you!! I’m so excited but at the same time nervous about closing this chapter. I think I’ll be spending some time trying to balance feelings of being lost and found!
Wow Zefan, this is officially my favorite post from you, it’s so beautiful and personal. Congratulations on all that you have accomplished this process. You are not who you were before, you have laughed, loved, cried, anguished, shared smiles and experiences that have transformed you. I’m so excited to see you make this next big step.
Wow Stanley I really appreciate this 🥹 Thank you, and thanks for being a part of this journey. It’s amazing having met you in the past several months and being able to take you with me into the next chapter.
Good luck on your next chapter, Zefan! Looking forward to following the developments of VERY LOST.
Stunning writing as always, and congratulations on the job! As an aside, please let me know if you ever make it down to Portland, OR. I'd love to buy you a coffee.
So nice! I'm always so happy to see my country through foreigners eyes. I lived in Floripa for two years and I miss it a lot. Great place to be. I hope you can take back home the calmness you have found there. Good luck with the job! :)
Such a beautiful place! Seattle has some great hikes too, but Floripa is special. And thank you, I hope so, too! And can’t wait to be back and explore more of Brazil, I can’t believe how much I have loved it.
Congrats on multiple job offers! That’s amazing! Although I fear going back, I also fear not being able to find a job? Such a weird feeling.
I am wishing you a smooth transition. You won’t be going back the same person, so be kind to yourself and take it slow.
Thank you for this 🙏🏽 And I feel you! I was terrified of this as well, and I kept telling myself that the worst thing that could happen is I spent 6 months between Brazil and Argentina 😂 it helped deciding to be “stuck” in a place I had loved.
That's amazing, I'm happy for you and thanks for sharing your knowledge with us :)
Congratulations on the new job, hope that the setting up of the new journey goes well and the the Portuguese lessons improve exponentially.
I loved reading all your posts, sometimes I would go back and read them again, as I was living vicariously through them.
Hope to hear from you as soon as you are settled in to your environment.
Respect and good wishes
Thank you! And wow, incredible praise, I have so much joy for my posts being able to resonate so continuously. Excited to start sharing my “reintegration” here!
Congrats on the new job and safe travels and good luck with the move! I’d love to hear more about your job search since I’m going through something similar now, applying to jobs after taking ~7 months off (a shorter sabbatical). Curious if you shared the sabbatical on your resume or cover letters? I haven’t but not sure if it’s something employers wonder that prevents interviews (I mention it in interviews, but don’t always get there haha)
Hi Maria, thank you so much! If you want to give me a follow on LinkedIn, I actually just shared a popular post reflecting on my job search. One of my tips was, yes, I put my gap on my resume and even included bullet points. People seemed to really resonate with my suggestion, so it’s on my list to expand on that (over there) in the next couple of days!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zefan
Thank you! I’ll check out that post
No no, wait, go back. So you're telling me, that on an island in Brazil, the full moon looks like a glowing, fiery, mini sun-ball??!! THE MOON??!! I would've believed you if you told me that was the sun. Sweet salted caramel. Ya see something new everyday.
Also, I seriously love your writing. It's easy on the mind and pleasant, with lovely imagery and captivating stories/scenes. And who says we can't feel lost at home and feel found in a place we're only passing through.
Good luck with moving back to Seattle, and keep these posts coming! Even if they have nothing to do with being lost. Just keep writing. And take a break when you need to. I'm sure you know all that already.
Side question, how do you navigate in countries where you don't speak nor read the language? I had a tough time with Russian in Uzbekistan when I went, but I was with a friend for most of the trip so I was fine. Having food allergies is not good when you can't read the ingredients list lol.
Yes, the moon was incredible!! (I just texted a local friend to confirm that it always looks this beautiful, and *yes* it does!)
I appreciate your feedback so, so much. Really made my day. I know I have a few more months of travel reflections in me, but also know that my publication will have to evolve as I do.
And good question, it’s what my friends worry about the most too 😂 In places where I have zero knowledge of the language (like Eastern Europe), I relied on google translate a lot (download it for offline use), as well as a few common phrases (where is…) and nonverbal communication. It’s not easy but I think it gets easier as you do it, and if you’re in touristed areas, they’re used to helping people this way. If I were you, I would translate a sentence before I go, like, “I’m allergic to x, y, z. If I eat it by accident I will get very sick. I want to make sure my food does not have it.” and save this translation on your phone notes and/or a piece of paper. Also, depending on where you’re staying, style of accommodations, etc, it might be easier to find English speakers than you might think! Besides South America, I have felt that if I *really* needed to find an English speaker somewhere, I could.
That's smart, actually. And wow, seeing a moonrise is a new and bizarre thing on my wish list.
This was so moving to me 😭 Wishing you so much freedom and possibity 🩷
This was such a beautiful wish — because it’s these things you fear losing when you settle, isn’t it? Thank you 🫶🏽
Totally, and I've really come to believe they're always available for us and look quite different to what we imagine 🩷
This was so beautiful, and so relatable. I am only at the beginning of my sabbatical but I already fear its end. There are so many things I love about being in one place, and so many I fear.
I feel you — I know I’m not someone who could do this for years, but I kept pushing away the ending. I’m so glad you can relate to it; it’s comforting that it’s a shared experience!
Congrats on the job!! Totally get the feeling of being lost when you’ve come back from “being lost.” But I hope that you also discover that you’re also somewhat found :)?
Thank you!! I’m so excited but at the same time nervous about closing this chapter. I think I’ll be spending some time trying to balance feelings of being lost and found!