OK, unlike the Bailey Sisters, my job at the mo is in fact not so different from the type of work I hope to find in Italy.  I am a native English teacher in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.

I came here two years to improve my Spanish and loved it so much I stayed an extra year! It’s a busy time in the Canary Islands as they are preparing for Canaries Day, their celebration day where they dress in traditional dress. Today we had a BIG lunch to celebrate:  Papas arrugadas con mojo (wrinkled potatoes with a spicy sauce very typical from here), cheese with a nice jam, garbanzo beans and even some lemon sorbet spiked with Cava (spanish fizzy wine).

Going with the flow and living Canarian culture!

I spend most of my day in a classroom, teaching conversation English classes to fifteen groups of 12-20 year-olds.  They are full of energy and boyfriend/girlfriend drama.  It’s a shame I am only just managing to remember all their names and it’s time to go!   I work in a school that may resemble something from Prison Break but inside it is in fact a very warm environment and one of the most technologically advanced schools on the island. Every class has an electronic white boar and Internet, which I still find challenging, but who knows, maybe Jet Set Zero will turn me into an Internet genius.

My school

I love working in the English Department because it’s all women who share my love for innocent gossiping and drinking coffee.  My favourite day is Tuesday when I have tea time with fellow teacher Kathryn, a great friend of mine here on the island.  She is from the south of England and we spend our breaks getting nostalgic and drinking tea with milk like the true Brits we are.  She also deserves a special mention as she filmed the lucky audition clips for Jet Set Zero.

Tea time with Kathryn

Only yesterday I realised how much I am going to miss not only Gran Canaria but also my students and workmates! I got to school yesterday to see that my students had organised me parties, made me cards, gave me a beautiful rose, a teddy bear, a powerpoint presentation and one boy even drew a Manga picture of me (think Japanese Anime). It is so touching to see the impact I have made in their lives, and how generous my cleavage is as a Magna girl!

Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs ever.

Manga Me

The gifts from my students

My workspace! Filled with mementos of my life.

Most 20 somethings spend their days dreaming of quitting their jobs and giving their bosses the finger and a “so long suckers” on the way out the door.  I had no such internal celebrations.  For the past two years I have done marketing at HBO and it has been such a great experience that I was shaking with fear over my decision when I delivered the news to my (fabulous) boss.

So why did I leave?   I’d love to tell my friends I spent  my days schmoozing with James Gandolfini and Anna Pacquin, but that’s not quite so accurate.  I do get to promote the amazing programming HBO produces but I’m not creating my own product.  I want to make some of my own content (whether my blog gets one reader or five, I am still putting the content out there!).   Plus, I wanted to get some international experience.  Even if I’m “just” a camp counselor, living abroad has benefits and life lessons that I will never get from behind a desk.

So I’m taking off for what I am sure will be the experience of a lifetime.  Luckily my amazing team HBO was supportive of my move.  In fact, it turns out most of my coworkers will be giving ME the finger on my way out – not because they’re angry but because they’re just a bit jealous.

My floor at HBO creates all sorts of marketing materials, including these interactive standees! Oh heey Anna and Adrian. What up?

The best part of working in media in NY is all the free fun events you get to go to! It’s a very work hard, play hard environment.  Among my favorite free activities I tried on a sales rep’s dime: Trapeezing, MIA concert, a full makeover at Bloomingdales and a make-you-own shoes event at Nike.

Me and a couple coworkers at a media boxing event at B.B. King last year

Sister Bailey Perrin only works 4 blocks away so we have lunch together at least once a week.  She often comes and raids the subsidized HBO Bistro then we go sit outside in Bryant Park.

Perrin and I have lunch outside of the HBO office.

About once every three months we have the entire cast of one of HBO’s current shows come into the office and chat about the series.   In my second week of work the boys of Entourage came!  I was immediately in love with the company.

The cast of Entourage in our HBO theater.

Bye bye HBO! Saying a sad farewell to my office on 42nd and 6th

This week get an inside look at the job and lifestyle each Italy cast member is leaving behind, starting with Courtney:

It’s hard to put a finger on my job title these days.  A friend put it best when he called me a “cubicle refugee, travel writer, tv personality and full-time vagabond.”  I’ll take it.

Most of my daytime hours are spent doing what I love: writing travel articles, editing videos and cooking up crazy ideas like a season of Jet Set Zero in ITALY.  I work from my home office or anywhere that has Wi-Fi.  I set my own hours, eat home-cooked lunches and take conference calls in bed.

Where the magic happens

This one's coming with me to Italy

My Starbucks

When I’m not spending long periods on the road, I have no problem picking up part-time work to pay the rent.  A cube refugee’s paycheck just doesn’t cut it sometimes.

Lately, I’ve been working nights at Emporio Restaurant in NYC.  I set my camera loose in the restaurant this week to get some international goodbyes and JS0 shoutouts:

I work alongside artists, singers, actors, expats and other hilarious characters.  It’s like hanging out in a hostel every night… we share travel stories and learn how to say curse words in each others’ languages.

Emporio Om Nom Nom

Courtney and Aussie mate Emily at Emporio

So now you’ve met us…Courtney, Perrin, Sarah and Lynne.  The Italy collective.

Our cast has spent the last two weeks quitting our jobs, cashing in our final pay checks and potentially burning career bridges to move to Italy.  Some may ask, “Why?”  We ask, “Why not?”

Call us millennial, but unlike our parents’  generation we believe that life’s not a job, it’s a journey.  We think you should come along.  We have no idea what our Jet Set Zero experience will lead to, but we’ll tweet if we need to post bail.  Stay close.

Lynne's from Scotland, lives in Spain and speaks Italian...you figure it out.

Perrin and Sarah Bailey...Yup, we're sisters!

What you don't see: The horse in front of Courtney is taking a big dump

I quit my job. It felt SO good. I’ve worked as an English teacher for two full months now and I’m glad to say that it’s done. I was teaching more classes than any teacher should reasonably teach in a week, which was punishing at times but resulted in me saving a good chunk of money. Now I’ve started to look at the map of Vietnam and I am dying to see what the rest of the country holds.

So Jen and I are headed north. We plan to hit beaches, temples, cities, and everything in between. Over the next four weeks you will be seeing updates from us from various locations around Vietnam. It’s time to get out of the city!

Rich by Vietnamese standards, but it's really not all that much.