Arizona – Finding Eden

How to Never Be Happy Again- Wherever You Go

Compaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare, compare, compare. Comparison is the thief of joy. – Teddy Roosevelt

People always say that once you live abroad, you leave a piece of your heart wherever you go, and that will always be true, but trying to compare the places you’ve been and dwelling on the past can’t lead to anything good.

I lived in Italy, got the travel rush and immediately started planning for China. Paperwork took so long that I was miserable waiting at home. I made it to China and ended up not really liking it as much as I thought I would, and started planning for Russia while we were still there. I went home for a week between, and I think it wasn’t quite enough because as open minded as I tried to be about a 2 year commitment in Russia, I really missed home.

Moscow had one of it’s coldest Septembers ever, right when I arrived and I am a desert rat who had just spent half a year in the tropics! It was a tough transition, and it certainly didn’t help that I hit the ground running and went into my first day of work about 4 hours after landing.

I felt stuck, I felt homesick, I felt cold. I was watching my friends posting Instagram stories of the never-ending summer activities I knew and loved in AZ while facing my first Russian winter, and anyone who had to deal with me got an earful of how unhappy I was.

I liked living abroad (I still do), but I think I rushed too fast into another round and then I really leaned into it and made myself feel more trapped and miserable than I really had reason to be.

Between bad management, poor work environment, abusive coworkers, and Covid, it took me about a year to really give Moscow a chance and settle in, and it’s one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Moscow has so much to offer- comfort, convenience, cost, and culture, but I didn’t let myself recognize it fast enough, and now that I finally made it back home, I’m realizing all that I had there and didn’t appreciate enough.

Mindfulness could have solved all of this. If I had addressed my issues head on, I would have escaped a whole cycle of sadness.

Working less, going out more, finding friends and hobbies, and calling my family more also helped me turn it around, but I wasted a lot of time getting there.

Try not to compare, but instead throw yourself into all the best the place that you’re in has to offer!

Living in the US right now is honestly not great – cost of living has skyrocketed, and pay hasn’t improved at all, food culture is not spectacular, transportation is terrible (as always). But my family is here, and there is beautiful nature, I have far better professional development opportunities, and I can speak the language!

I have now been home for 2 months and I am fully settling back in to Arizona life. I miss Russia a lot, but I’m going to do my best not to let missing somewhere else ruin another possibly fantastic experience.

My Great American Road Trip

So many non-Americans I know will probably only get the chance to come to the US once, and you can’t see it all. And how are you supposed to know where to start?

First question you need to ask yourself is “Do I want to see cities and history, or do I prefer natural wonders?” If you’re more into the cities, I’m no expert, but I would plan something on the East Coast. Hit up New York, DC, Philly and get some American History.

But my expertise is in road trips. More specifically the greatest road trip throughout the South West.

If you have the means, the time, and the desire, of course you should try to see all of it, though. Every state has so much to offer, and there is so much culture that you miss when you only go to the big tourist spots, but I know it’s unreasonable to try to do it all with limited lime and limited funds. I am, and have always been in the maximizing utility business.

So without further ado- the plan for the Great American Road Trip: Arizona, Utah, & California.

Flying into LAX, or PHX and renting a car from there would be good for a jumping off point because they’re big international hubs, and close to the action.

California: Joshua Tree National Park, Salvation Mountain, and your pick of some great beaches (Oceanside, Huntington, Santa Monica, Malibu, Laguna). You also have the Hollywood sign, Disneyland, and The San Diego Zoo which is widely recognized as the best zoo in the US. You could also go up to Northern California and hit up San Francisco, see the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz, but it’ll add about 11 hours of driving.

Arizona: Sedona, Grand Falls, Havasupai, Grand Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, tons of great mountains to hike (Mount Humphries, Picacho Peak, Mount Lemmon, Mount Graham, The Superstitions) and some really cool caves to explore (Kartchner Caverns, Lava River Tunnels, Colossal Mountain Caves, Peppersauce Cave) There are also lots of fun kitschy things and towns scattered throughout Arizona to give you a true “American road trip” experience. Roadside stops like “The Thing,” “Rooster Cogburn’s Ostrich Ranch,” Tombstone AZ, Jerome AZ, and Bisbee AZ.

Utah: Southern Utah has tons of great hikes and stunning views in their national parks, like Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park, and Arches National Park. And if you want to go further North into Utah, the Bonneville Salt Flats are also pretty cool. They also have some cool cultural things like Amish Country to buy some soaps, desserts, antiques, and take a step back in time.

It would also be easy to add a quick stint to Nevada for Las Vegas, and Death Valley, or even to pop down into Mexico to go to Rocky point or any part of Baja California if you want to turn it into an international trip.

I know there are a million things listed but the true must-sees are fairly close together and have an easy route between them: Joshua Tree & Salvation Mountain in California, on to Arizona, for Sedona, Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Antelope Canyon, and up a little ways into Utah for Bryce, Zion, and Arches.

*Another thing to keep in mind is that hotels in the US are not like hotels or hostels throughout Europe. Even for the worst quality motel, you’ll be paying upwards of $50 a night. That is part of what makes it so cost-prohibitive to travel in the US. Luckily, when you’re outside of the big cities, you have the option to camp. If you have never camped, this road trip gives you the perfect opportunity to sleep in some beautiful and famous places and really enjoy nature while saving some money.