Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New plans

Ok, I am sitting here trying to grasp the fact, the very important fact, that I'm leaving for a big trip in 2 days time. And, yet again, I can't seem to fully comprehend it. It might be that my conscious mind is keeping me from this exigent and stress provoking situation because it seems as though only in the late hours of the night,when I feel like I could lay in those blue and tan sheets forever, when I'm so cozy and happy and relaxed, it hits me. It hits me and I know from Saturday morning on, the closest thing that I will have to home for then next 4 months will be my sleeping bag. The sleeping bag part, I am totally excited about (thailand, hawaii, back to thailand, delhi, nepal, philippines, hong kong...sweet!). Its the getting back that I'm scared about. And while thinking about it now would be (and is) pointless and useless, it doesn't take away from knowing that there are going to be big, important life decisions to make when I return.

Trip details:
Oct3- Nov1: Thailand
Nov 2-5: Flagstaff
Nov5-22: Hawaii
Nov 23-27: Bangkok
Nov 27-Dec 1: Delhi
Dec 1- Dec 19: Nepal
Dec 20-Jan 6: Philippines
Jan 6-9: Hong Kong
Jan 9: back to the USA.

Thats such a HUGE trip! Lord, please let my saving last me through January...

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

so this is life.

This is what it feel like to be free from it all. Free from homework, free from a job, free from... responsibility....?

It took me a good 4 months to be ok with this. And by this mean not having a job or school or some form of activity that makes me feel productive. While you may be thinking to yourself that my situation would be incredibly pleasant and very exciting (not to mention extremely lucky) you may not be thinking about what comes along with it...

The first and most important and heart aching is that the relationships in my life are ending more than they are beginning. And I am hanging on to each of them by the hair string. Some of them I know are going to last, some of them won't and a few of them I am unsure about. The friendships that have engendered around me have grown deep in my heart and its hard to give that away. It is so hard. It seems to be harder than I expected. It seem so be pulling my heart apart in 2 different directions. I want to choose which way to go, which direction to send my heart, but I feels as though I don't have the knowledge or ability to make that decision what ever that decision is.
Secondly, I am going against my brain's better judgment. The most inappropriate choice as far as my career is going, is to do what I am doing: letting all of my erudite and pedant self be lost in a sea of travel. Until recently, I thought the worst part of this was in between trips, when I have nothing to do but sleep in and have fun exploring Flagstaff or Montana. While everybody is being responsible at work or school, I wake up too late, drink too much coffee and don't do anything mentally productive during the day. (note the past tense)
Thirdly, I know my parents are almost dying of worry. Worried that their daughter isn't making the right choices. Worried that I'll get kidnapped while in Cambodia. Worried (and I have strong reason to believe this is their biggest worry) that I will get married and pregnant and not become the women they see me becoming. I'm not going to even start on that....

Don't think that I am not truly grateful for what I have and what I am able to do in this next year. Because I am. Now. It took a bit to figure out how awesome this life I'm living is. And how fast this period in my life is going to be over. I have been loving every single second of it as of late. I have stopped feeling guilty about my lack of productivity by occasionally studying for the GREs. I've decided to base myself in Flagstaff to keep my friendships and community as closely tied to me as possible. And I've learned that there is nothing I can do or say to placate my parent's wild thoughts.

This is my life.
It is so great right now!