Friend #2 - Erica

A group of American tourists in Bulgaria decided to plan a day trip.  There were three destinations on their agenda but as they were looking at the map, they realized these locations were slightly farther apart than they had, at first, realized.  This meant the trip might require more daylight hours than fell in a single day.  They heard there was a lodge on the top of a mountain at the final destination but it worked on first-come-first-serve accommodations, which meant they may or may not be able to stay the night.  Deciding that it was worth taking the chance, Erica and a few of her friends packed small overnight bags, preparedness for the possibility of what was to come.

The day wore on and after two stops, the group finally parked below the huge mountain, home to their final destination.  They asked the parking lot attendant in broken Bulgarian if she knew if the lodge at the top of the mountain was full for the night.  She indicated that she did not know.  The hikers then asked if the rental cars would be safe for the night if they decided to stay.  The Bulgarian woman said she thought so, the words coming out in broken English.  Erica decided the woman was not much help, after all.  Nevertheless, the group carried on.

Two-by-two they took chairlifts to reach the start of the trail.  Just as they were loading, they noticed the clouds shift and a fog overtook them as they rose through the air.  At one point, the fog was so thick they could not see the chair in front of them.  Erica looked at her watch.  It was 4:30.  The lift closed at 6:30.  The hike was three hours.  She worried if the lodge was full, they would not have time to finish and get back to the lift before it closed for the night.  She looked at her cell phone.  The battery was almost dead.  Then, Erica and her seatmate noticed two familiar faces floating down in the opposite direction.  A few people had broken off from the group earlier in the day, deciding to skip the monastery and go straight to the hike above.  Erica waved to them, and they yelled that two others were still on the hike.  After a thumbs-up, the pair disappeared back through the fog and the chairlift crept steadily up the mountain.

Erica’s group was deposited in a clearing.  The mysterious lodge hovered nearby.  Exiting the trailhead, Erica saw the two missing members of their group.  They smiled.  The women hugged.  The men shook hands.  Everyone was full of tales of their adventures from the day.  Together, they all went to make inquiries at the lodge, whose architecture was of the traditional Bulgarian style.  It was unique to foreigners and such that has rarely been seen in American photographs since the area has only recently lost the daunting stigma of Communism and opened itself back up to tourism.  Because the lodge, itself, was so magnificent and upon hearing that sleeping arrangements could be made for everyone, the entire group made the decision to stay including the pair who had just finished their hike, who had not thought to pack an overnight bag.

That night was filled with laughter as the group of American tourists gathered around the crackling fire in the main room, listening to the stories of some of the local Bulgarians, who were also staying at the lodge. They drank the local wine.  They dined on local cuisine.  Erica said it was the most fun she’s ever had. 

And just like her trip to the mountain, with a little preparedness, Erica has managed to maneuver through uncertain times and live, what many would consider, an adventurous life.  And that was never more evident than when she sauntered into the coffee shop to meet me, fresh from yoga, with her hair tied up in a messy bun.  She greeted me and asked, “So what’s this all about?” 

A mutual friend had facilitated the match up via social media with apparently, little explanation on either side.  We were just two girls, meeting up, unsure of where the meeting would lead.  I immediately liked Erica’s openness to whatever the world brings.  We are alike in that respect.

Where we are not alike, is that Erica has traveled all over the world.  I asked how she was first bit by the travel bug and she said she met a couple of Brits while attending a friend’s wedding right around the end of her college term.  These gentlemen were on their gap year, which is a time period between university and the beginning of one’s career that young adults use to travel around the world.  The Brits told her stories about backpacking through India and Thailand.  At the time, Erica didn’t even realize those were places one could visit for fun…and she was fascinated. 

She told a friend from work that she wanted to take a gap year.  Of course, she said it as she was trying to work out the details in her head.  She confided to this friend that she was thinking of working a year and then taking her gap year immediately after.  Her friend shook her head and said, “Why don’t you just go now?  If you don’t go now, other things will come up and you will never go.”  And Erica knew she was right.  So she thought about it more, really dove into the finances of such a trip and realized she had enough money saved to live abroad for three months.  The following day, she excitedly told her friend of her plans while they were at work and as they conspired, Erica’s boss happened to walk by.  “Does this mean you’re quitting?” he asked.  It wasn’t until later that night Erica realized she had actually just quit her job.

It wasn’t that she was without fear but the more people Erica told about her trip, the more real it became.  Every person that knew propelled her to take the next step and before she knew it, she was spending three months traveling through Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia.  On her way back, she had her choice between a layover in Sydney or Hong Kong.  She chose Sydney, Australia because, well, that’s another continent she’d never visited.  And if she was going to have an eight hour layover anyway, she might as well stay the night there.  And if she was going to spend the night, she might as well stay a couple of days.  Apparently, one adventure begets another.  And then that becomes the new normal.

Erica did come back to Phoenix.  She found a job she loved with co-workers she considered like family.  And then one day, after many years, her beloved company was sold…and the layoffs were fierce.  As a graphic designer, Erica knew that freelancing was a possibility but that meant losing the stability she’d built, the steady paycheck.  She worried her income would take a hit and she mourned because life, as she knew it, was now over. 

This isn’t a woman who is superhuman.  She has cried.  She’s had heartbreak.  She has been afraid.  The difference is she feels the emotions, accepts where she is and like moving up that fog encased mountain in Bulgaria, she finds a way.  Sometimes that way leads her into more adventure.  After Erica lost her job, she found a way to work as a freelancer and once again, travel the world.  And sometimes Erica’s way leads her back home.  Right now, she focused on home improvement and is developing thicker roots in her community.  Hers is a life that hasn’t been crafted with cookie cutter expectations but one that has been created with a little preparedness, a will to find her way and a sense of adventure that takes her wherever the wind blows.