#babyremote
Hello all and welcome back to another glorious edition of the life and times of my overseas adventure.
This week I have a new term or rather hashtag for you all, #babyremote.
A #babyremote is a remote just starting out on the Remote Year journey, just a few weeks in, one who is just trying to focus on basic needs. Basic needs being very similar to what you needed as a baby: eat, sleep, poop and in the Remote Year world you need to throw in work as well.
I have spent the past few weeks talking about the glorious advantages and privileges I feel being on this program, but I have also had to take a step back and really look at where I am. Look at where my life was just a little over 3 weeks ago. The journey it took to get her. And the journey over the past few weeks.
I am not going to lie it hasn’t been all rainbows and butterflies…moving to a new country, shifting to 100% digital work, working late into the night while simultaneously going on adventures during the day, meeting a whole new group of people, not fully knowing a country’s customs, getting sick/dealing with constant fatigue, affording this whole experience, trying to figure out how to turn on the tv (still haven’t gotten that one yet, South African Comcast please give me a call) and just trying to find small comforts from home. And to realize all of this has happened over a 3 week period…….I still have 11 months and 1 week left.
Now don’t get me wrong this journey has also been amazing up to this point, but balance is needed. And in this beginning phase in order to keep sane most of us remotes are still in the #babyremote phase, where we are focusing on figuring out the basic needs before jumping into the #toddlerremote phase where we may start #remoteteething (syncing our teeth into this whole experience).
But we can’t stay babies forever, so last week we started to lay the groundwork for the transition into the #toddlerremote and eventual #kindergartenremote phase. One of the RY staff gave a presentation on the #newnormal — adjusting to and figuring out your life on Remote Year. The one-and-a-half-hour exercise (which could have lasted longer) really focused on identifying problems you’re currently having adapting to Remote Year and strategies for how to combat those problems in the future.
It ended with an exercise where we all had to create a “vision” or “vision board” for ourselves where we answered a series of questions aimed at making us accountable for the next year. Setting goals and accomplishing them. And also making time to revisit them every month. Then everyone was paired with a “shoe” buddy. Why “shoe” buddy? Well you had to hand over your right shoe and then it was placed with another shoe, that “shoe” buddy will be who you check in with every month to see if you are connecting, growing and hitting the goals that you set for yourself.
If you had told me to do this one year ago, heck one month ago I would have told you that you were crazy. Vision boards, come on. But going through the exercise for the first time it really made me think about why I’m here and where I want to be and who I want to be when this whole experience is over. It made me take my #babyremote self and think about what I want my #adultingremote self to be. It’s like as if I was given the chance to push reset on my life and forge a new path or continue the one I’ve already chosen, but either way I am now afforded that opportunity. And I even have a built-in check-in system, a “shoe” buddy to help keep me on my path and I to help them.
I continued to think about my #remotetransition into the next day when I went on a Tracks event (these are curated events for Remote Year participants to get a more in-depth feel of the city and culture we are in for a month) in the township of Khayelitsha. The townships around Cape Town are full of lovely and vibrant people who love their township, but in Western standards we would define this area as a poor, impoverished area. Just witnessing life in Khayelitsha was a reality check for me to see up close a life so starkly different from my own, which made me continue to think about my goals for Remote Year.
Do I factor in more time and money into giving back? I think so…I emailed family and friends immediately afterwards to ask for donations to help buy supplies to paint the Philippi Township (a part of my group’s Positive Impact — giving back project for our month in Cape Town). Thank you to all that donated.
But the growing, learning, and connecting continued that day in Khayelitsha when I (along with a few of my fellow remotes) were invited into the home of a traditional doctor. By traditional doctor this gentleman does not practice western medicine and rather diagnoses, and treats based on traditional methods passed down to him from his ancestors. Traditional doctors in Khayelitsha are called to/chosen for this job and spend many years training before treating.
Originally, we were just given a tour of the traditional doctor’s shop by our tour guide, but then he asked if anyone wanted a consultation. One of our group said yes and what transpired next was completely amazing. Side note: I was born and raised Catholic, but never felt completely connected to the religion. I am of the belief that you believe what works for you, so a traditional doctor in Khayelitsha may seem odd to some (including myself), but hey you do you.
The doctor proceeded to read/consult my group member and his reading was eerily accurate. He could sense connections to her past, ancestors, difficulties and struggles in her life. And this man had never met my groupmate, there was no survey taken before the journey, frankly there was no way he could have known any of what he read about her.
And while the reading was accurate, seeing him connect with his ancestors and call for what I can only attribute to as spirits was mindboggling to witness. I remember saying to myself multiple times, where am I? And what am I experiencing? And how lucky am I to be able to do this?
I reflected again on that experience with the traditional doctor and made another goal — open myself up to new possibilities and experiences even if they seem insane.
So now I had two goals:
1. Give back — whether it be time, money, advice
2. Open myself up to new possibilities and experiences, no matter what they are
And I even have an accountability partner, “shoe” buddy to help me achieve these goals.
This #babyremote has started to take her first few steps to being a #toddlerremote, waddling along just like the adorable penguins that we got to see on Sunday (see below).
Until next time my lovelies.
