A new chapter begins
If you have been following our journey, you know that I (Hugh) was seeking new employment. After some contract work and interviews, the search is over.
As I start a new position a week from now, it is a good time to reflect.
What did I do right?
Relentlessly researched.
Studied countless job boards and services.
Explored a couple of the premium contract service platforms and launched my services.
Poured over my resume and worked with others to improve it
Trained in various areas.
Applied for jobs with incrementally improving cover letters and custom resume summary sections
And I persisted in some mix of these activities when I became weary.
I was organized and confident.
What did I do wrong?
As time carried forward, I allowed my confidence to wane. It is human, but I knew it was also unfounded.
Nothing had changed in my experience, my personality, or my ability to work with people. Yet I allowed time to erode some of that confidence in what I offer.
Confidence in what you possess is almost as important as the giftings themselves.
A change in travel patterns.
We also have many new country restrictions that come with the new job, which is causing us to completely remake our travel template.
Change is the only constant, and adaptability the greatest skill.
Here are the big restrictions impacting us.
All of the non-schengen countries in the Baltics including Turkey are in the do-not-travel list. The standard schengen-shuffle will not work.
Several EU/Schengen countries including Portugal and Croatia are also restricted, limiting our European options overall.
California is the only state in the USA that I cannot work from, making visits to Rachel's family restricted for me to just vacation time, and it means Rachel's longer visits require that we have separate plans for a bit.
Response? Let's get creative!
We can go to the UK, Ireland, Morocco, Georgia, and possibly others for time outside the schengen area while remaining in the region.
We can mix in some visits to Mexico and other parts of the Americas after visits to the USA, which we planned to do eventually anyway.
We can work within the rules to make new paths forward.
The biggest challenge is of course cost.
Most of the countries we have been restricted from are the ones that allowed us to balance lower costs with higher costs in other countries.
It will take much more planning, much more effort, and much more determination to make it sustainable.
But if it was easy, everyone would do it.
Thank you to those who encourage and pray for us. We appreciate you and feel your strength under our arms, and will use that extra strength to press on to a new phase of our life and travels.
Until next time, have a good one.
Those are some interesting travel challenges for sure. Praise God you have work.
You and Rachel are always in my prayers.