Leap of Faith

The time has come, when I had to bid Mass a farewell. 

One of the toughest decisions I have ever made. Upon graduation, I believed that Mass was going to be my forever home. However, after a few years of working/living there, I realized this was not going to be the case.  

To live in Needham has been a privilege. By far, one of the best living experiences I have ever had. As you may know, I grew up in the Dominican Republic and New York. I have been exposed to the city my whole life. The city life has never really been for me. Whenever I thought of leaving it and moving to the suburbs, I got excited.

After living in both the suburbs and the city, I concluded that I prefer the campo life. Waking up to the sound of the birds chirping, the view of the trees, and the peace that surrounded the town, is truly a dream. 

My life in Needham was one of a movie scene. I lived in a wonderful house, with a fantastic roommate. It had beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of sunlight. There was an extraordinary garden (which she kept up to par). I had a parking space. A washer and dryer (which I miss dearly. I am writing this vlog in the laundromat lol). I had my beautiful Red Kia, whose name was Ruby, which I eventually sold. Everything was close in driving proximity. My job was about a 3-5 minute car ride. The gym was about 5 minutes away. Trader Joe’s was 3 minutes, the train 7 minutes… you get it. Everything was extremely close. 

Now you might be wondering, “Girl if your life was so good, why did you move? And where too?”

Well, I moved back to NY. The move is temporary because I am moving again in September 🙂

In my last post, I mentioned that I have yet to find my passion. Well, after much prayer, in February I came into contact with a program that encompasses everything that I want to do with my life; travel, help people, and learn about different cultures. I applied and got in :) 

This is one of those programs where you first attend a presentation, then a mentor is assigned to help you find the best fit and then you apply. I, of course, did not do any of those things. I did my research, selected my program, and applied. About a week later, I received an email saying that I had been invited for an interview. I did the interview. Three days later, I got my acceptance email. Only that my acceptance is dependent on me getting medically and legally cleared!

The first call that we had, was an introductory call where I met the other volunteers and learned more about the program. The most important thing that was mentioned on the call was “DO NOT make any life-altering decisions until you have been medically and legally cleared.” I, of course, did not listen to this either. 

The month of April was a hectic one. In three weeks, I had to get a PCP, who would perform my yearly physical exam, a dental screening, blood and vaccine shots, eye exams, and cancer screenings, among others. Mind you, I had to squeeze all those exams into my 9-5 which was extremely challenging. 

Let me tell you how excruciating this medical process is. It was tedious, annoying, and infuriating. After completing one exam, the medical professionals did not like it, so they would send me back to get another exam. This happened about 3 times :| Once I thought I was done, another task was added to my dashboard. It felt like I was never going to finish.

The legal process was a bit easier. I went into a police station and got fingerprinted. Then mailed those out the next day. Apparently, we will not hear back from the legal team until a week from our departure date. This makes me wonder, how am I supposed to settle my affairs within 5 days from departure?

I applied to volunteer in another country for 2 years. I will be returning to US soil on September 2026. During those 2 years, I will not be coming back to the States to visit because I rather spend the money visiting other parts of the world 🙂 So if you want to visit me #dropacomment, and let's plan something out :)

For this fact, I moved to NY in mid-June because I wanted to spend the most amount of time with the family as I could. I put in my 2 weeks' notice at DALCPA at the end of May. I sold my car a day before officially moving. I canceled my MA health insurance for the end of June. Ended my “lease” early. Sold most of my things in a yard sale and Facebook marketplace. 

Now, how would you feel if I told you that I altered my life and made all these changes without being 100% in the program? I have yet to be both medically and legally cleared LOL.

I know, I know. This was a very reckless move. However, I don't have a criminal record nor any life-threatening medical problems, so I know that I am in.

Well, I will leave you with this cliffhanger. See you in a bit.

Thank you for giving me the time of day to read this piece. If you have any questions regarding anything do not hesitate to ask me. If you have any suggestions or want me to talk about a specific topic, either hit the chat or email me :)

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Stay tuned for my next blog -> The Art of Moving

XOXO Yerika