Into the Sweaty Fist

To begin...

WHEW!!!!

Thailand truly has been an adventure so far. After an epic (ahem, not so much) 32-hour long trip, including 13 hours in the Seoul airport and one brief, fuzzy trip to a Buddhist temple in Seoul, we arrived in Bangkok at around 10 p.m. on Friday, October 22nd. And into the sweaty fist indeed...it was a lovely 85 degrees when we landed, with more humidity than I have ever felt. My hair has been one wild ride and I don't anticipate that changing.

The first night was rather terrifying, landing among 8 million people, about 4 million of them partying in the tourist district of Bangkok, but we found a decent hostal (with A/C--and we proceeded to shiver all night) and got about 4 hours of rest thanks to jet lag.

The next day...we were off! We ran errands, got a bus ticket to get out of that city--a joint ticket, including a boat to the island Ko Tao--and began to discover how FRIENDLY everyone is here. A kid on the street led us to the tourist office, everyone wanted to discuss Schwartenegger's impact on California with my cousin, and a random teacher put us on a tuk-tuk to see the reclining Buddha, and, inexplicably, a sapphire export company. The Buddha was completely incredible, and we caught our first sights of the Thai Buddhist monks in their head-to-toe orange outfits. We also learned that they are not allowed to touch women...I'm not exactly clear what happens if they are to accidentally brush against one, but they even have spots on buses and boats to avoid this situation.

The next day, after a loooooooong overnight bus ride and a morning ferry ride (which included a stop over in Chumphon and the viewing of a truly terrifying horror movie--Orphan) we arrived at the paradise of Ko Tao Island, in the Gulf of Thailand.

For all of you lucky enough to get postcards, prepare to get realllllly jealous!

We had a perfect little bungalow over looking the beach, and it was so perfect we could even forgive the toilet, the bucket-flush kind (which is the norm here!) and the jet lag slowly began to recede.

That's it for now, folks, but stayed tuned for my REAL OCEAN diving adventures coming soon!

I MISS YOU ALL! xoxo

Diving

Diving is one of those things I've always wanted to do...and I'm learning that a lot of those things I've always wanted to do actually terrify me on some level. I actually didn't think I would be that terrified until I started the class. Reading about all the horrible things that can happen, the scary things, while under water trusting your lungs to a fake tank of compressed air strapped onto your back, well, freaked me out.

But, as someone wise told me this week, just because you're afraid of something doesn't mean you can't do it. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't do it because of my fear--I guess that means I do have a small kernel of bravery wrapped up in my worry.

Anyway, the first class was, well, to be redundant, quite scary. I didn't expect to be so afraid and uncomfortable and panicky under that water! As a competitive swimmer for a big chunk of my life, as well as a certified lifeguard, so I'm confident in most water situations, and the fact that I wasn't expecting to be scared made it even worse.

The first day also included a lot of information, and a lot of tests. Tests on paper and underwater. My least favorite was when the instructor came by, as we were all seated underwater watching him, and took our regulator (that contraption you stick in your mouth to enable you to get air) out of our mouths and threw it behind us. Of course, it's attached to the air tank, so it's not that hard to retrieve, but I kept freaking out and inhaling water. I finally got all of the skills, including the one where our masks were ripped off (have to thank my

horrible genetic eyesight for forcing me to keep my eyes squeezed closed as I groped around for the allotted minute, to keep my contacts intact) and where we had to use our buddy's regulators.

I was fairly exhausted and scared and not sure that this was the sport for me, until the next day! It was a million times more comfortable. I was, again, surprised at how much more fun it was! The equipment wasn't as terrifying, or as awkward, and I passed all of the tests without panicking once, and I was giddy the entire time, and wished our next class wasn't a week away.

So, the moral of this story is, fear can be a guidepost. It's one of those tricky things we need to master during life: either to follow your fearful instincts or to defy them. Sometimes fear is the best warning system, sometimes it holds us back. Just another part that works so much better if it's balanced.

This small little lesson about fear has oddly helped prepare me for me trip, too. For someone who loves to travel and who is a fairly experienced traveller, I am usually quite apprehensive and anxious and well, terrified before anything trip like this. I guess it's the fear of the unknown--and for me, the lovely little hypochondriac tendencies my psyche leans toward.

I'm afraid of leaving my boyfriend, my dogs, my family, my friends, my doctors, my therapists, my JOBS, the pretty great rhythm I have here. I'm afraid of coming back and having everything be heartbreakingly different. I'm afraid of not coming back. I'm afraid of my plane pulling a 'Lost' in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and getting stuck on an island with polar bears and smoke monsters and people-snatchers (although I wouldn't be too upset if I ended up with a handsome doctor and a hot con-man fighting over me). You probably get it--I'm afraid.

But hey, it's just like strapping on a tank and submerging in the ocean--doesn't mean I won't do it. And you know what? There's a 99% chance it will be completely, totally worth it (and that 1% chance probably holds a lesson I really need to learn, even if it plain sucks).

We never know what's next, we never know when our hourglass will empty, but it truly is beautiful on

the other side

of the unknown (even at the bottom of an old pool likely filled with the pee of kids and the sweat of old men).

REVAMPED

You may notice as you peruse that I've done some major housecleaning and rearranging and adding to my little-blog-that-could. All of the pictures on the edges of the blog posts link to something now: "Inspiration Point" links to my favorite blogs I look to for inspiration or fun reading; The picture of me in the yoga pose links to all of my blogs with the label "just because;" the picture of footprints in the sand leads to my flickr (online photos) account, and so on and so forth. I hope, if you get a chance, you have as much fun exploring as I did creating!

That's it for now...have a happy day! :)

Bit of Happy

I found this image...a balloon festival. Made me smile!

Sweet Summertime

AND about six weeks later...I'm baaaack!! Now, I am OFFICIALLY a COLLEGE GRADUATE!! As in, I have a bachelor of arts in English from Montana State University! Sounds so official. Somehow I survived my last class, despite an unfortunate professor, with flying colors, and even learned something and managed to have some fun! I did learn that it's definitely true: just because you speak a language doesn't mean you can teach it! Sure got me thinkin' about my possible career teaching English as a second language.

After a successful finish, I went off to Washington state for a fabulous, well-deserved vacation! It was truly incredible. One day, my boyfriend and I made a long trip to Victoria, Canada on Vancouver Island, and it was one of the best days of my life!! A little dramatic, but it still feels that way almost a month later. I flew over with my friend Hannah, who was visiting her boyfriend working for NAV-C in Seattle, and it was GREAT flying with someone!! I usually fly alone or with my dad, who mostly zones out to his music or sleeps, and isn't exactly as entertained or full of interesting gossip as my old friend Hannah T :).

Unfortunately before I left, I found out that I had a kidney infection--oodles and oodles of fun--so the first day or two was a little calmer than we had planned. But on Saturday, my boyfriend's dad had his 50th birthday party, and we wandered around Olympia, and spent Sunday with his family and just resting.

Mooonndddaaaaay it was off to oh CANADAAAA! Victoria was incredible, so beautiful, I loved it so much I'm considering going to graduate school there!

But before we even got there, an old dream of mine came true--we saw some orca whales on the ferry ride across the sound! I was so happy I literally cried.

Perfect beginning to a perfect day.

We landed, wandered around the little area, avoided the rain, and had a delectable English tea, complete with a silver tray!

After our delicious tea, we took a long bus ride up the island to visit...the Butchart Gardens!! They were incredible and I almost broke my camera taking pictures of practically every flower. Here are some of my favorites!! :) Also, just click on the photo for a larger view--especially the flower ones, as you can see every drop of rain! Not even rain could deter from these Gardens.

The rest of the day--including the drive back to Olympia through the Olympic National Park, which was surprisingly rural--was also so fun!!

So was the rest of the trip! We hung out on the Sound, and in Seattle visiting Hannah and her boyfriend, and our friends Lindsay, Gordon, Casey, Chris Sjoberg, and we even ran into my brother, who was visiting the area for a wedding. We also went to the BEACH, my main true love, and had Thai food and sushi and just a wonderful wonderful time!

It was the best vacation, completely worth the wait. Here a few more pictures:

Nowadays, I'm working at the Chronicle,studying for the GRE--October 1st!--and being a slave at the law office, and I just recently got hired for Express Professionals, a temp agency. I'm planning my trip to Thailand like a fiend, unlike Peru, I might actually be prepared, complete with the perfect, thoroughly researched travel sandals and my own mini-pharmacy. My shots are up-to-date, my travel book is dog-eared, my lists are made and keep getting longer...I am an expert planner.

I'm also beginning to apply to GRAD SCHOOOOooooL! I still have applied to both AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, and I have a few leads on journalism jobs, so I have a million options and a million choices.

School started for pretty much everyone I know this week, which got me thinking about my future. Grad school is very exciting right now--I'm looking at the University of Victoria, Portland State, University of South Carolina, Missoula, Trinity College Dublin, and a gazillion more. Grad schools are intense!!!!!

BUT REALLY, this blog is about my exploration of the world and life, which is continuing in OCTOBER!! I'm so excited! The first few weeks, our friend in the Peace Corps, Liz, has time off, so we're landing and heading to the beach.

To prepare, my dad and I are taking long-awaited scuba lessons right here in Bozeman! So hopefully I'll get a chance to do that at one of the best places in the world for it...if I pass the class, that is!

It will be sooooo nice--especially after the cool summer Bozeman has had!!

I'm also looking at options for when I return. I'm still considering teaching English abroad, although I love writing more every day. Also, next summer, I'm looking at GeoVisions, a way to teach conversational English to a family in exchange for room and board. Always looking to the future and planning...

I hope all of you, my many many avid readers, are having a wonderful August! Happy SEPTEMBER, tomorrow! Eek

Resurrection

For the many, many out there keepin' up with my blog...my adventure to see the world will continue this fall as I visit Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam with my cousin Courtney and our friend Liz. Liz is living near Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand working with the Peace Corps, so it'll be great to visit and stay with someone who knows what is what in the country! We will fly into Bangkok on the 22 of October and out of Hanoi, Vietnam on the 22 of December, into LAX, where I'll spend a few days visitingfamily before heading to spend some time with my mom's side in San Antonio, Texas. It'll be seriously nice to be traveling with someone--it's cutting down on the terror quite a bit, let me tell you.

A lot has happened since I last wrote--I'm officially published, by writing for a local magazine, a local creative writing publication, and a local newspaper. I am also THREE WEEKS away from finishing my undergraduate degree in English! So excited. It was a long, tough year--I have truly never worked so hard in my life. Make sure to check out my other blog from my major capstone in English here. It was such a fun class and I still miss it! But I am

definitely enjoying summer, alright!! Although currently I'm taking a Spanish class...I hope to continue with that in my future. I also took an online class in linguistics. Otherwise, after my awesome graduation day with an insane party, I've been working at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and am still working for a local law office, Tarlow Stonecipher & Steele. My traveling has continued with a visit to California for my cousin's wedding, and in a few weeks, an awesome fun-filled vacation to Seattle to celebrate finishing my class AND my 23rd (eeks!) birthday. Also last August I went out to Seattle, but it ended up being a dramatic and not always fun trip (LOoooong story), as did my Christmastime and June trips to California (although still fun and great to see family!), so this is going to be a true VACATION. We're even going up to Victoria, Canada, for one day, my first time back to Canada since I was like, four months old. My parents had me baptized on Vancouver Island by an uncle around 23 years ago...I think that's the last time I was there.

My future is so open right now. I'm writing on the joy of that feeling right now...hello Asia!...and avoiding the inset of reality until next March when I have to start paying off my loans. I have so many ideas on what I want to do next--journalism school, a master's in creative writing, teaching English abroad, the AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps...it's kind of terrifying and awesome at the same time. Choices choices choices.

It's going to be a great year I think, stay tuned!

XOXO

p.s. I finally learned how to add pictures and links into the post! hooray!

The Biggest Market, the Center of the World, and My Last Week in S.A!!

After my brother left, I spent a few days hanging out in Quito. I had a decent hostal right near a bunch of old churches, and although I was a little lonely, it was fun to see more of Quito. The more I saw of the city, the more I liked it, especially in the older part. I also indulged in seeing a chick flick at the theaters, another pleasure denied while ushering around one's older brother.
A few days of hanging out, and I headed to Otavolo, known for having one of the biggest handicrafts markets, and markets in general, in all of South America. I got there on Friday, after a slight mishap on the bus. On the way to the bus station, we witnessed a huge fight--five guys against one, and pretty violent--so I insisted my cab driver call an ambulance or something. He didn't seem very concerned or anxious to do so, but hey, I can nag well, even in Spanish! After this he dumps me at the foot of a bus about to drive off, and they literally throw me on. At least I was on....right? Until I almost missed Otavolo thanks to passing out on the shoulder of a random old man (one easy way to make friends) but luckily, he was a kind gentlemen and woke me up, and they let me off on the Panamerican. I somehow got into town, by way of bus and cart and taxi, and found a cheap room in a nice hostal--and the room was cheap for good reason, although it had hot water and a TV with a bunch of Spanish channels, it was absolutely tiny! Hardly any room to manuever around the bed. At least the view was gorgeous, with a balcony right outside my window!
The next morning I got up bright and early for a visit to the small animal market, full of guinea pigs and bunnies and chicks and puppies, generally crammed tightly together in crates. I hit the produce market next and viewed mind-boggling arrays and amounts of fruit and vegetables, followed by face-numbing stink from the dead flesh displays. From there, it was handicrafts time, a.k.a. finally time to shop! I'd been waiting weeks to stock up on souvenirs for me and my friends and family, and had quite a good time haggling and exploring in the boiling sun (pretty sure my shoulders are still peeling!)
After many hours of this adventure, I stopped in a famous little pie shop for a nice slice of some sort of fruit pie and a tuna-y sandwich, tuna-y as it did not taste like any tuna I had ever eaten. There I chatted with two older fellows from South Africa, and we had a good interesting chat, and even exchanged emails. They had many horror stories of their trip so far, making me feel lucky that the worst things to happen to me were generally amusing anecdotes for the folks back home--besides the demise of my dear camera.
My last day in Otavolo I spent sick in bed, and departed the next day, headed back to Quito. My last days in Quito I spent enjoying Old Town and buying more gifts for the folks back home. I also made it to the impressive monument to the Equator, called the Mitad del Mundo, or Center of the Earth to most of you. It was quite a hassle to get there, including taxis and buses and getting off at the wrong stop, and then getting picked up by a different bus going the wrong direction...but it was fun nonetheless to look around the fake little colonial village, and of course, to straddle the Equator! I can officially say I've been in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres--at the same time!
My last days in Quito were also a bit stressful thanks to the upcoming election chaos! The current president, Rafael Correa, won handily, but it's quite jarring to be woken up in a known-to-be-volatile South American country by loud booming, at five in the morning. Thankfully just fireworks--but let's just say after a few nights of that I was thankful to get back to southern California!
My trip back to Cali was weirdly uneventful--in fact my bag didn't get searched until I flew from Salt Lake City to Bozeman, go figure. Stay tuned for a few more adventures from California and my reflections on actually making it back alive to my home state! xoxo