Oct 22-Oct 27: Nappanee, IN
On October 22, we said our farewells to our Chicago friends and started toward Indiana for work training. Just before hitting the road with the McVansion, we had been persuaded by a colleague to pursue work as laser technicians, installing and maintaining laser cutting equipment in machine shops around the country. The job would be 100% travel, but mostly part-time, which we thought could fit in very well with our plans, and ideally extend our vanlife trip for several years!
However, this decision had come after getting rid of most of our “project” clothes from our previous lives as homeowners, and we didn’t currently have anything that we would feel comfortable wearing in a shop environment. After a few pit stops along the way, we had struck out on finding cheap but professional looking clothes that could get trashed from grease and dirt. Finally, our search concluded at a Wal-Mart where Mike found some decent clothes, and I hung my head while trying on some things from the boys section as a last resort. The experience was mildly aggravating (why doesn’t anybody carry polo shirts for women anymore?) but hilarious, because the husky little boys clothes fit me perfectly without showing off my figure.
We spent the next week in Nappanee, Indiana. This was a quaint little town with a fairly large Amish population. It was interesting to see the accommodations the town provided for them – covered hitching posts with the occasional bale of hay, little “doghouses” in some cases to shield the horses from wind and snow, and street signs on every corner reminding motorists to watch for carriages. The best part of this town was Coppes Commons, a little historic Amish building with a set of shops that sold great coffee, fantastic BBQ lunches, and row after row after row of hand packaged snacks, chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, etc.
This week also revealed some of the challenges that vanlife would have in store for us in the cold. Hanging out in the Midwest in late October was NOT part of our original plan. We had to run our Mr. Buddy heater in the evenings to keep the van above freezing, so that we could still have the dexterity to prep food, cook, and eat. The propane heater’s exhaust added a ridiculous amount of moisture into the air, which condensed all over our interior windows and the few exposed metal beams in the van. Then after cooking, we had to attempt to clean up dishes without being able to actually wash them at the back of the van. This led us to eat out more than usual as a compromise, which was a huge hit to our budget. Fortunately, all of these challenges will be eliminated when we began actually working, instead of unpaid training, and are provided a hotel room.
Despite our living challenges, the first week of training was inspiring. Although I had been reluctant to take on any work during our first year on the road, my mind was changed after this experience. The work was dirty, the days were long, and unforeseen problems kept arising, but the trouble-shooting, problem solving, and tinkering were exactly what got me excited about a career in engineering almost two decades ago! (In school, no one ever tells you that most “engineers” are glorified paper pushers…) We were excited and intrigued to learn more, and also very eager to head south out of the cold, so we gladly accepted another training opportunity the following week in Texas.
However, this decision had come after getting rid of most of our “project” clothes from our previous lives as homeowners, and we didn’t currently have anything that we would feel comfortable wearing in a shop environment. After a few pit stops along the way, we had struck out on finding cheap but professional looking clothes that could get trashed from grease and dirt. Finally, our search concluded at a Wal-Mart where Mike found some decent clothes, and I hung my head while trying on some things from the boys section as a last resort. The experience was mildly aggravating (why doesn’t anybody carry polo shirts for women anymore?) but hilarious, because the husky little boys clothes fit me perfectly without showing off my figure.
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| First day of work! Ready to play with laser beams. |
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| Horses and buggies were a common sight. |
This week also revealed some of the challenges that vanlife would have in store for us in the cold. Hanging out in the Midwest in late October was NOT part of our original plan. We had to run our Mr. Buddy heater in the evenings to keep the van above freezing, so that we could still have the dexterity to prep food, cook, and eat. The propane heater’s exhaust added a ridiculous amount of moisture into the air, which condensed all over our interior windows and the few exposed metal beams in the van. Then after cooking, we had to attempt to clean up dishes without being able to actually wash them at the back of the van. This led us to eat out more than usual as a compromise, which was a huge hit to our budget. Fortunately, all of these challenges will be eliminated when we began actually working, instead of unpaid training, and are provided a hotel room.
Despite our living challenges, the first week of training was inspiring. Although I had been reluctant to take on any work during our first year on the road, my mind was changed after this experience. The work was dirty, the days were long, and unforeseen problems kept arising, but the trouble-shooting, problem solving, and tinkering were exactly what got me excited about a career in engineering almost two decades ago! (In school, no one ever tells you that most “engineers” are glorified paper pushers…) We were excited and intrigued to learn more, and also very eager to head south out of the cold, so we gladly accepted another training opportunity the following week in Texas.
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