Leaving Los Angeles :(

On Saturday, March 9... I'm gonna hop on a plane at LAX with a dream and a cardigan. I’m so hormonal right now, I could be pregnant. The past few weeks wore me out like an over-used tire. My treads are deteriorated, and I am bald. O_O

You know it's bad when I start off quoting a Miley Cyrus song and end with a weird emoticon.

About 3 weeks before my last day at work (here in Beverly Hills), I had to train my replacement, Maui. She also happens to be a good friend of mine, so basically our days consisted of heavy hard core training during the day, and heavy hard core touring at night. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but I am a pretty awesome Los Angeles tour guide. My guided tours have won several awards (given by me) and I have made a lot of tourists (who are friends) extremely happy and satisfied! I probably take that job even more seriously than my work at Bosley. So you can imagine how jam-packed our days were, trying to see and experience as much as we could in between training sessions. It was insane! (Photo on the left is my first ever Hollywood Sign photo after living here for almost 7 years!)

Then came Friday, which was my last working day here (before continuing Maui’s training in the Philippines). People at work threw me a goodbye thing with cards and cake and speeches, which of course, unleashed the “Ugly Cry”.  I’m never going to be one of those people that could cry with poise. Once I get started, you see my nostrils inflate to three times its size, my eyes puff up like I’ve been punched, and you constantly see my tonsils from the wailing. That is pretty much how I looked like the whole day on Friday.

Goodbyes make me crazy.
I’ve learned a lot, working at Bosley. Six and a half years is the longest I’ve ever been working anywhere, and I only have good things to say about that company. I’ve grown so much, gained so many friends, and made so many great memories over there… saying goodbye to everyone who’s made a difference in my life was a little heartbreaking, but it makes me feel good knowing I’ve made a difference there too, and that they all fully support me in quest to travel the world.

I gave myself a full week to prepare for my departure. I’m headed to the Philippines to continue Maui’s training for 3 more weeks, and only after then will I really have the time to relax and fully prepare for the big RTW trip. So right now, I’m packing for the stuff I’ll need for Manila, and at the same time going through another process of “letting go”.  After giving away and selling most of my stuff last October, I STILL have a TON of stuff I need to dispose of! It’s so unnerving! How the heck do we accumulate all this crap? I’m tired of fixing and sorting through stuff and trying to decide which ones to keep and which ones to let go!

Although… I have had a lot of practice. This is my second round after all… so I suppose it is a little easier.
#endbipolarrant

In Other News...

I SOLD MY CAR! Remember how I said it was the biggest cause of stress last time? Well I didn’t realize how stressed I was until the day I finally sold it, and I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders! (By the way, to all the Angelenos, if you want to sell your car, I totally recommend Trade In Solutions. They are amazing! Super fair, no lowballing, and completely up front and honest. They saved my life.) Now I don’t have to worry about payments or insurance or traffic citations! Halleluiah!!!

P.S. I miss you, Banksy :’(

I was driving a rental for the past week (because in Los Angeles, you need to have a car!) and I’ve just returned it the other day. Currently, I am car-less for the first time since I was 17… It’s weird. I don’t really know what to do with myself, but it’s quite liberating. :)

Just thinking about the things I’ve done this past month alone is exhausting. I remember there were moments at work a couple weeks ago where I would just randomly burst into tears for no apparent reason. I think it might have been a combination of both sadness and fatigue.

In hindsight, I think having Maui around and giving her the ultimate LA tour weeks before my departure was quite fitting. It gave me the chance to go to all of my favorite spots one last time, to remind me of all the reasons why I love it here to begin with. And I do love it here… I do.

It’s funny.. LA is hardly the city of angels, but l couldn’t help but love everything about it. We have the best weather, the most amazing and accessible beaches, all the celebrities within reach, and – I don’t care what the New Yorkers say – but the people over here really are friendly, not phony, friendly. It’s 'cause the sun makes us happy!

I don’t know what’s going to happen in a year, but I do know that I will always consider Los Angeles my home. I’m going to miss so many things about living here...but I'll always have a reason to go back. I know I technically haven't left yet, but I'm looking forward to the day I get on a plane and sing at the top of my lungs, "California here we come, right back where we started from... Californiaaaaaaaaaa.... Here we cooooooooommme!"

Goodbye for now, Los Angeles. I love you. :)

******
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!

• Subscribe to my blog and get updated every time I post here!
• Add me to your feed reader here!
• Wanna be Facebook friends? Like my page here!
• Are you as epigramatic as I am? Tweet me @earth2eartha
• Do you have cool photos on Instagram? Check mine out too @earth2eartha
• Or if you want to leave me a message or a limerick, email me here!

Come and visit me again soon! :)

*****