I hope that everyone had a wonderful day yesterday and are not working today, but if you are, I hope it goes by quickly! Here are a few more answers to some of the questions people have asked me lately.
What will you eat? I answered that here and here.
What do you do in bad weather? Cry. Just kidding! I just keep peddling. When I was riding the Tour Divide, we would say that in the voice of Dorrie from Finding Nemo. In case you have not seen the movie, “just keep swimming" was the necessary action to accomplish the large feat of crossing the ocean, but more abstractly, it was how they coped with the improbability of the task. This quote also helped them move forward without thinking too much about it.
Do you speak any foreign languages? I can get by with Spanish and French and can say hello, thank you, bathroom, beer, "do you speak English" and "I don't speak ____" in all of the languages of the places I have been to. I try to always learn at least that.
How will you communicate with people in Europe if you don't speak their language? An app? If I don't speak the language and nobody speaks English (which is fairly rare in most big cities in Europe), I can use Google Translate. If you have not used it, it is great. You can download the language for use offline and then the person can either type into or speak into your phone and the app will translate it, and then you can type or talk and it will translate back. I have also found that hand guestures, body language and facial expressions will work wonders.
Will your phone work in every country? Yes, I have Google Fi (I talked about that here), which works internationally. In some countries you have to pay per minute for phone calls, but texts are all included in the plan, and if and when I need extra data, I have an e-SIM (through Airalo) where I can load up data onto my phone for whatever country or region I am in.
Are you worried about people being anti-American? No. There are always people who are anti something, but I am not going to let that ruin my day. Also, for the most part, I have found people to mostly be curious, not negative. I had a great conversation with two Swedish people in Thailand about why we had voted for Bush. Actually, in all of the places I have been, I have never had anyone be rude or mean to me due to my nationality.
Also, you've said that you have stomach issues when you're not exercising hard - is that correct? I'm wondering if you'd talk more about that? Woof. This could be a whole post. The short answer is that I did have a lot of bloating, like 5 months pregnant, tight, aching belly and since I have been on the bike every day, it has been a lot better, as in only a couple of times have I noticed it. I did a ton of testing before leaving the Bay Area and bottom line is that it is probably SIBO, which can be treated with antibiotics, but also can return over and over. So, I currently try to stay away from beans, cruciferous vegetables, onions, garlic and wheat, but it is definitely not a cure all.
M asked about my major being Kinesiology and how did I get into finance from there? I got my BS in Kinesiology and then went to travel the world and reflect, and when I came back home, I had spent all of my savings and took the first job I could get, which was as a financial analyst on a contract with the DHS. In the meantime, I also volunteered at a PT clinic, which was what I had thought I wanted to do, and I didn't like it. I ended up doing the analyst job for about eight years before deciding to travel again and when I came back home, I got a job in insurance, which I hated, and then a job in financial services, which I loved, and have been doing ever since!
I think that is long enough! Now it's your turn!
Is the job that you are currently working (or worked in the past) related to your major in college? Do you speak any foreign languages? Have you ever encountered rudeness or meanness in a foreign country due to your nationality?
There is still time! If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my next ask me anything post!!This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here.