I'm going to India. This may not seem such a wild concept to those who have never met me, but for all those who know me, this was another chuckle and eyeroll opportunity. I was invited to India just before visiting friends in New England, shortly after returning home from a month long Pacific Northwest adventure, which began about three days after I returned from two weeks in Florida, which began roughly two weeks after I moved from Arizona to Virginia.
The most oft-asked followup was, "What do you do?" Oh right, adults have jobs, don't they? Well, I've held a number of titles over the past decade, but most recently I was the Retail Manager and Wine Concierge for an independent wine company in Scottsdale, Arizona. For two and a half years I connected wine enthusiasts and their perfect match, be it an 1985 Smith Haut Lafitte or a 2008 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir. I hosted themed wine events, arranged special orders and offers, and ran a wine-only bar. When the business closed its doors in June, I decided to head back to my Virginia home town in search of more wine industry opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic.
But I got sidetracked. Because while wine is one of my sincere passions and entertainments, my first love is travel. When the various opportunities arose over the summer to visit new and exciting places, I seized them voraciously. So it's not so far a reach to imagine my reaction to the India invite; I've been "fun-employed" a few months already, what's another few?
My invite came from a good friend I'd met eight or so years ago in Florence, Italy where we lived together and attended La Scuola Leonardo Da'Vinci. She went on to become an art conservator in England, and is regularly sent around the world on assignment. She had a spare month before her next assignment in Rajasthan started, and after long discussions of my adoration of Indian films and cuisine, she invited me to join her and a few friends on a round through the country.
With visions of golden temples, sandy beaches, and clamoring humanity in my eyes, I said, "yes." I leave for Delhi on December 13 and return on January 17. My last adventure of 2011, and the first of 2012!
The most oft-asked followup was, "What do you do?" Oh right, adults have jobs, don't they? Well, I've held a number of titles over the past decade, but most recently I was the Retail Manager and Wine Concierge for an independent wine company in Scottsdale, Arizona. For two and a half years I connected wine enthusiasts and their perfect match, be it an 1985 Smith Haut Lafitte or a 2008 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir. I hosted themed wine events, arranged special orders and offers, and ran a wine-only bar. When the business closed its doors in June, I decided to head back to my Virginia home town in search of more wine industry opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic.
But I got sidetracked. Because while wine is one of my sincere passions and entertainments, my first love is travel. When the various opportunities arose over the summer to visit new and exciting places, I seized them voraciously. So it's not so far a reach to imagine my reaction to the India invite; I've been "fun-employed" a few months already, what's another few?
My invite came from a good friend I'd met eight or so years ago in Florence, Italy where we lived together and attended La Scuola Leonardo Da'Vinci. She went on to become an art conservator in England, and is regularly sent around the world on assignment. She had a spare month before her next assignment in Rajasthan started, and after long discussions of my adoration of Indian films and cuisine, she invited me to join her and a few friends on a round through the country.
With visions of golden temples, sandy beaches, and clamoring humanity in my eyes, I said, "yes." I leave for Delhi on December 13 and return on January 17. My last adventure of 2011, and the first of 2012!
