Hello, folks.

It’s been a while since I last updated you on life (last December, to be precise), and while I usually do my “Life Updates” during the last month of the year, I won’t be able to fit one in this year due to the number of scheduled posts I’ve already set up to be published then. Sounds a bit Type A of me (haha), but I also do have some news to catch you up with anyway. Hard to believe that a lot can happen in nine months!

Let’s start with travel. As the title mentions, I plan to travel internationally later this year. This will be the first time out of the country in over three years, and honestly, I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I just put in my deposit for the trip and booked my flights a couple of weeks ago, so until then, I will be sitting and waiting in anticipation. This trip will be a few weeks long– definitely a big one. I’m incredibly excited and anxious: I know that COVID remains an imminent threat, so fingers crossed that everything turns out all right before, during, and after the trip. I won’t tell you where I’m going, so you’ll just have to be surprised later!

As for travels I’ve already done so far this year, I’ve done a couple within my home state: I went to central California in March for my birthday and to San Diego in June. Although the trips were short, I had an incredible time– just simply getting out of the house and out of town did wonders for me, to take a break from work and to travel just a bit somewhere. I plan to write about and publish them next year, so look out for them!

…in addition, I will be publishing my adventures from last year’s road trip (across Arizona, Utah, and Nevada) starting next month. There is a lot to cover from that trip, so expect for that to take this blog until the rest of the year– it’ll be a long series, that’s for sure!

Segue to work: I’ve now been at my job for over two years now, and frankly, I’m sick of it. I’d thought I could stick this out for several years, but at this point, I’m ready to move on. The job isn’t difficult, but it’s having to take verbal abuse from clients and having to adapt to sudden, last-minute administrative changes that it all starts to take a toll on you. Plus, the constant commute to the office (despite putting in my request to telework many times) has proven exhausting and frustrating. I continue to apply to jobs wherever I see an opening, especially within the government, so until then, I can only hope that 1) I don’t lose my mind and 2) I get to telework.

As for other things going on in my life, I’ve been continuing to enjoy my weekends (and days off) with trying restaurants all over Los Angeles. From hot, Nashville-style chicken sandwiches to Mongolian cuisine (and no, I’m not talking about Mongolian BBQ!), it’s been fun trying new food places close to home. I’ve also hung out with my friends a few times, whether it’s to meet up for lunch and/or do puzzles together. We keep it simple, given we’ve known each other for almost 25 years at this point– just being in each other’s company is all we really need.

I’ve also been really busy this summer, and unexpectedly so. For one, my friend got married, which is a huge milestone! Spent time hanging out with her and attended their reception in Orange County, which was absolutely beautiful. I’m happy for her, as she married the man of her dreams; I wish her nothing but happiness in the years to come.

20220805_194030Wedding reception by the water (so beautiful!)

…and speaking of love, apparently, I’m in a relationship?? It’s still early on, but I’m very happy. We’re communicating well, and I’m just letting all of this unfold as we continue to get to know each other and see how this progresses. So far, so good!

There you have it– my life update! There are still a few months left in 2022, but it’s still wild to see that the year has passed so quickly. Although COVID continues to be omnipresent (and I even think the US has regressed in improving the situation), at this point we’re just living our lives while making sure to be careful as best as we can. I’m still taking precautions whenever I go out, wearing masks and avoiding staying too long in crowded establishments (e.g. restaurants, museums, etc.). And since getting COVID back in January, I hope not to repeat that, although at this point, it’s inevitable…At the very least, if I do get it again, I hope it won’t be severe and that I won’t give it to others. That said, I’ll continue to live my life, but cautiously so– after all, this is the new normal.

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I hope you have a wonderful (and safe) day! 🙂

— Rebecca

Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

59 thoughts on “Life Update #16: Traveling Internationally, Job Satisfaction, and much more…”

  2. Some great news, Rebecca! I am happy to hear that you have a romantic situation unfolding and wish you two all the best. The work situation sounds so very familiar. I had work fatigue set in after a year or two no matter what the job. Makes you wonder how so many people managed to go on working for the same company in the same position for decades, practically their entire professional lives. Hopefully, as you say, something will change for the better (commutes are the worst). Exciting travel and blog news! You know I will be following the road trip through Utah, Arizona and Nevada closely. Wherever you are planning to go, it will be amazing after such a long period of abstaining from trips abroad. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you so much for the support, Leighton! Things are still fairly new in the relationship, but so far so good! As for the work situation, I’ve especially found peers in my generation to be the most-likely to job-hop than others, due to the fact that we don’t care about loyalty to companies as much anymore, given how unstable everything is these days…I do plan to stay within the public sector, but perhaps in a different department…or at least to telework! Travel this November will be a big one for me in 3+ years and I’m anticipating it more and more each day. Fingers crossed for the best! 🤞 Have a wonderful day, and keep on adventuring!

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  4. Verbal abuse? Oh heck NO! Leave! LOL…
    I’m so excited about you upcoming trip. Yes, don’t tell us where you go, surprise us. I have a feeling France is one of your stops.😆
    Looking forward to your posts about this trip.
    Happy labor day!

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    1. Sadly, the verbal abuse comes from the clients, so it’s not as if I can avoid them as it’s part of my job. 😔 I will be traveling internationally this November, but (shocker!) it’s not France…yet! Have a wonderful Labor Day, and stay cool!

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  5. Happy new month! I think it’s important to be happy in one’s job/career since it requires so many of our waking hours (including commuting) and no job is worth abusive treatment. I’m excited for you and your future plans. Wishing you the best in everything! 🥂❤️ ✈️

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    1. Rightly so! The problem is that the verbal abuse comes from the actual clients, so I can’t avoid them…all the same, I’m still looking into other jobs and, at the very least, pushing for telework so that I can eliminate the work commute and not waste time (and keep my sanity)! Thanks for the kind words, Darlene, and have a wonderful day. 😊

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    1. I’m still looking into other job opportunities, so here’s hoping I catch a better one! The relationship is going well so far, as we continue to communicate and check in with each other 💕…thank you for your support!

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  9. I hope you’ll find a new work place soon that allows telework (I can’t believe workplaces haven’t moved with the times yet and especially after the pandemic!). Congratulations on your new relationship! I can’t wait for the destination reveal.

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    1. I know! And my specific job can totally be 100% remote; it’s ridiculous! We’ll see what happens: with work, relationships, and travel. Thanks for your continuous support– enjoy Korea!

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  10. Thanks for the update, Rebecca! Happy you have international travel plans. Sounds marvelous. I won’t press for details, but I am very curious. 🙂 Glad to hear your dating life is going well; good communication sounds excellent. Hope the job situation will evolve into something better or you find another company you like better. Look forward to your posts about your travels, as always. -R

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    1. Yes, the anticipation to travel internationally is building day by day! Also have been enjoying the relationship unfolding and seeing where the next rendezvous takes us (blog pun intended, haha). I’m always looking out for other job openings, so we’ll have to see! Thanks for your readership as always, Rebecca. 🙂

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  11. It’s good to see your life continuing to flow with its changes and good news. You work so hard to make things better it’s good that it works sometimes. You have to keep going and yes I am curious about your next destination.

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    1. Indeed! Even if it hasn’t been a year since my last Life Update, many changes have happened and are continuing to happen. You’ll find out about my travel destination soon– I’ll keep you updated!

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  12. Loved the life of update and yay for your new relationship! 😁 I’m very impressed that you have scheduled post until the end of the year! When I have ONE schedule post it is such a big win to me ahah but maybe this is the key to blogging consistently!
    Very excited for your first long trip in a long time and I can’t wait to know where it is!
    I’m also sorry you don’t enjoy your job a lot and I hope you’ll soon find something else and that they will accept you teleworking!

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    1. Thanks, Juliette! Haha, I usually dedicate a weekend to mass-write a bunch of posts to be scheduled over the next two to three months. It has worked for me, at least! I’m still searching for other job opportunities, so fingers crossed! 🤞 And you’ll find out my destination soon (it’ll be up on IG!).

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  14. Hey Rebecca It’s nice to read about your life update. It sounds like you have so much to look forward to. I laughed at your statement, “Apparently I’m in a relationship. Lol But I know what you mean—it can be quite awkward in the beginning stages. I wish you the best of luck in that and your job search, and in the meantime I will look forward to seeing your travel blogs.

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  15. Congrats on all the excitement now and coming up. Looking forward to see where your trip is taking you. As for work, I was in a similar situation many years ago. I thought it was my dream job and could do it forever, but eventually I just got bored with it. Transitioned to teaching and, though we joke about retirement a lot, have never looked back. You’ll find something good!

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    1. Yes! I still have decades to go in the workforce, and I know that this current job isn’t for me for the rest of my career…here’s hoping I find something else! Thanks for your support!

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  16. sorry to hear you are copping abuse at work. it’s just not worth it in the end and i really hope you can find something suitable sooner rather than later. I’m also starting to gear up for international travel, but not THIS year…. how exciting for you can’t wait to hear your plans. if youre like me you’re probably not going to announce them though until much closer to the date as well, anything can happen and I personally dont want to jinx anything at this stage!

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    1. You read my mind, haha! Yes, I’m not giving anything away until I step foot on that plane! While I’m mostly certain the trip will come to fruition, I still remain cautious and will have to wait and see. Fingers crossed! 🤞

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  18. Excellent news, Rebecca! I wish you every bit of success in your new relationship, and I hope you get a break soon where work is concerned. Also, I look forward to hearing the location of your trip announced! It’s great to be back to traveling internationally. Stay safe and best wishes 🙂

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  20. Oh! I hope the travel ahead would be great…❤️❤️
    Gosh…it is very brave of you that you are in this job for like two years…if it is so soul sucking…better bid adieu…from my experience….. It gives burnout…and even after bouncing back from burnout… something just leaves the dent….

    Ah..! That man is lucky🤠

    Looking forward to the travel saga❤️

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  24. Sounds like it’s been a busy few months for you! Good luck with the job-hunt – commutes are draining at the best of times, but they’re worse when you know you could just as easily do your job from home. Pre-pandemic, my company was exactly like this… those in more senior positions could work from home a couple of days a week, and those in junior positions had to ‘earn’ them. And then along came COVID and – surprise, surprise – it turned out we could all do our jobs just fine from home! That said, Zoom fatigue definitely set in after a while and I did miss the social side of being in the office. Wishing you happy and safe travels later in the autumn!

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    1. Yes, it’s really frustrating knowing that one’s job can be easily done at home…I understand that acquiring the WFH equipment and needing bodies at the office due to lease contracts can be a dilemma, but still…why not simplify it and just go 100% remote? Saves money and creates more-productive workers! Thanks for the well wishes, Rosie; we’ll see what happens, with work and travel!

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  26. Sounds like life is pretty good right now (minus the job problems). At least you know you don’t want to stick with it now rather than regretting staying years down the line. I’m excited for you about the big international trip!

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