from a joke to reality… saying “yes” to bus life
If you missed my last post (“how it all began… bus life, that is”) be sure to check it out for the full back-story on how Anya and I became nomads.
So there I was, sitting in my Mom’s basement in Michigan, texting this girl across the country as fast as my thumbs could type about her recently-posted skoolie for sale. It looked too good to be true: my favorite shade of green on the outside, wood panel ceilings, white interior. It was so much of what I had dreamed of, and in so many ways it was more than I think I could’ve imagined.
I also couldn’t believe that it was so close to my brother’s house, and it was even more wild that I had flights booked to California in less than two weeks. What had started as a joke in the heat of chaos was somehow rapidly becoming my reality, and I couldn’t wrap my head around the wildness of it all coming true. To be honest, there was a part of me that suspected that bus life might be something I watched, read about, and dreamed of for a summer before realizing it was too much to take on alone, and I’d let the dream die before settling into an apartment somewhere in the U.S. At this time, it was still early enough in the summer that I was trying to convince myself that I could make it happen: that I could figure my way through building a skoolie while starting a new job, but a big part of me doubted that it would ever happen.
Fast forward: I’m on the plane from Michigan to California. Having the date set to see a brand-new skoolie (that was 100% ready to be moved into) was hitting me like a shock wave. Suddenly, this dream was becoming very tangible. I could see myself sleeping under that wood ceiling, driving across the country with Anya by my side. I knew about recommended wifi routers for nomads, I had watched videos on safety tips for single travelers (especially single women). I was coming to understand the ways of free overnight parking and had heard my first rumors of “the knock.” All of that was always so far-off, but not now. Now, it was very much within reach.
The first leg of my trip to California was with a couple of friends, first to San Diego for a girl’s weekend, and then to LA to visit my brother and his fiancee (Jason and Mia). The second leg, I was heading to the Bay Area to see my brother Daniel, and this was also when I would be meeting Shay and her bus. The nerves of my upcoming bus meet-and-greet made those first ten days in southern California pass in a whirlwind. There were hearty laughs and lots of good coffee, but the grand finale was coming up in the Bay. (enjoy the little gallery of San Diego & LA below)
Finally, the juicy part!
Thursday: arrive in Oakland. Go out to dinner, hang with my brother, shake with excitement, etc.
Friday: still in Oakland. Buzz around like a little kid on Christmas Eve, waiting for Bus Day (tomorrow!! Eek!!!).
shown above: my very first view of the skoolie! You’ll have to imagine for yourself, however, how I looked as I tumbled out of the car to see her. Click the image to see the video I took of the inside on meet-and-greet day.
SATURDAY. BUS DAY. The crew joining me to meet the bus were my brother, Daniel and his friend, Si. After a 2 hour drive full of discussions on the meaning of life and the pursuit of happiness, we pulled onto a side street and there she was. The most gorgeous school bus I’d ever seen, parked in all her green and white glory right there in front of us. I basically fell out of the car, my hands were shaking and I’m sure I squeaked at least once. As Shay talked me through all the features, the safety details, the thoughts behind every piece of the build, I could feel more and more that this was the one for me. Daniel and Si were in love, too, and one of them even noted that it felt like we were meeting a celebrity. Skoolies, up to that point, were only something we’d ever seen online, and we couldn’t seem to wrap our heads around this real-life encounter. Shay let me take the rig for a test drive, and even in that couple mile route I could see myself crossing the country inside that little bus, with little Anya by my side.
I peeked at the engine, the solar on the roof, the batteries inside, and as far as I could tell, it was immaculate. Also, Shay had that sort of indescribable quality about her that made her trustworthy from the start. It was clear that every decision she’d made in the build had been with thought and intention. Safety was at the forefront of everything (which of course myself and my brother were grateful to hear), but the details on comfort, practicality, and aesthetic were not missed anywhere either. I stepped aside to talk it through with my brother for a second, but really, I had no doubts. Before we even left that little side street, I asked her how much of a deposit she wanted on it, and when could I move in??
meet Daniel (my brother) and Si, the incredible adventure crew who joined me to meet the bus. Here, we’re sitting on Daniel’s roof in Oakland, soaking up a Bay sunset and celebrating my down-payment on a green and white school bus.
Daniel, Si, and I went to the beach afterwards, meandered a records shop, and got ice cream. It didn’t feel real. I was absolutely buzzing. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that it was really going to happen. As I thought it through, I anticipated that the first month in the bus might be hard. There was so much to learn between now and then, but no matter how much I prepped, I knew that living in it would be the only way to know how to, well, truly succeed at living in it.
In another stroke of beauty, just a few days before the bus meet-up, I had submitted the final version of my master’s thesis to be published through the library. Up until this point, I had made a (semi-loose) rule of “no bus research til my thesis is submitted!” Naturally, I had made exceptions (haha) but now the floodgates were open. I’d be returning in a month to MOVE IN to a SCHOOL BUS and time was all mine to learn how to do that. Time to understand compostable toilets, safety tactics, campground situations and free overnight parking.
As I went to sleep on this glorious, terrifying, whirlwind day, I realized that two lessons were very apparent from this whole process. (Seriously, if you ever get your paws on my journals, look up June 13, 2021, and you can see it all there, hand-written). I hope to stick to these two lessons for the rest of my life, and I want to share them with you today:
Listen to your gut, your knowing, your intuition, to God’s voice - whatever you call that. Something within me knew I was supposed to go to that event on campus in May. I knew I was supposed to go for the other people there, but I guess I was also going for me. Had I stuffed that gut feeling away, I wouldn’t have gone, I would not have seen my friend again. She never would’ve sent me that link. I would not be here, on this day, with a deposit down on a finished skoolie. God and life work in crazy ways, but only if you are quiet enough to listen, and brave enough to follow through.
Speak your dreams into existence. What I call my intuition, my friend Emily (“Pitt”) calls a “crazy capacity for manifestation.” Either way, when I talked to people about where I’d live after graduation, it would’ve been easy to keep the dream to myself because I knew it sounded crazy and far-fetched and down-right silly. But I put my authentic self into the world (shout out to Brené Brown & Jennifer) which opened the opportunity for others to help me “manifest” the dream. Hiding our dreams is to hide one of the most beautiful parts of ourselves!! On this particular June night, I realized that it’s critical to set your dreams free into the world, so that the world can foster them. Sunflowers do not grow in the cellar; they grow in community, in sunlight, with water and a little love. Treat your dreams the same and you’ll be amazed at what the world gives back to you.
So for today I leave you here, on a warm California night in June, 2021. Full of hope and wonder at the ways of the world, and soon to be the owner of a skoolie named io. Next, I’ll fill ya in on what moving cross-country into a bus was like, and what my first adventures entailed.
Love ya a latte,
Jesi & Anya
