Although born and raised in Southern California, I (Jillian) ended my time on the island of Oahu just shy of 6 years; the same amount of time I spent in any one California city. “Hey, this is Jill…my friend from Hawaii”, is now the standard introduction I am subject to (awkwardly enough, another way I’m categorized off the island is by the lack of grace I exude when taking off a wetsuit – having learned to surf in 84 degree weather, my ease is lost in anything more than a t-shirt and two-piece).
What possessed me to leave behind the warmth and transparency of Hawaii’s ocean is far more than the promise of a new beginning. During the summer of 2009, I received my first taste of a completely new world. Floating on board an eighty-foot Phinisi traveling off the Western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, the Mentawai Islands is a reality which I have yet to wholly let go of.
That summer I spent 12 days breathing in the distinct smells of a tattered third-world country devastated by numerous earthquakes and record-breaking tsunamis. But amongst the chaos, I spent those days melting into a culture which I am now determined to call my home. I’ve left behind what most people consider to be paradise – temporarily trading my bikini for a wetsuit – all for the surety that my next step won’t leave me awkwardly peeling off neoprene. The awaiting adventure, beginning in just a few short months, will lead me toward a new paradise – Bali, Indonesia.
As the travels begin, I humbly invite you to become my sea mates; accompanying me across the oceans and into dynamic cultures which will surely strike your every sense. For if you cannot wake up to a salt-sprayed morning you can join me here and we will roam the world together.
I’ll be SEAing you.
