Moving On
I'm going to South America!
I blow this popsicle stand this Thursday, at which time I'm driving to Mariposa to visit my friend Rose and reminisce about the Good Times that We've Had. Then it's off to San Diego to visit my gay boifriend Chad, hit up some clubs, and get some more tanning in before heading south of the border (I actually got a bikini this summer, can you believe it?). Then I'm staying in Davis with my ever patient friend Bethany. THEN I'm finally driving back to WA to stay with my cousin-sister Sarah, on the very last day SHE has in Tacoma before embarking on her next great adventure to So-Cal. No doubt we will both be having a major cow by then, but at least we can commiserate.
So in other words! I will be back home (though can I call it that at this point?) in Washington around September 27. Which gives me approximately ten days to regroup before I fly off to Quito. If anyone is going to be around, they should give me a holler!
What brought about this decision, you might ask? Fundamental boredom I respond. When you don't have a lot to do, what you do a lot of is think. And eventually, you get creative. Actually for a while I was thinking that at the end of the summer I was gonna do it, I was gonna settle down, get an apartment, a steady job, a cat, all that stuff your'e supposed to do. I was going to commit! But then as time went on, I realized that you know, I don't think I'm ready to leave my hot footing days behind me quite yet. I've still got some galavanting to do. So I started looking into volunteer opportunites in South America until eventually, I came up with A Plan.
So what am I going to do? Besides have a cow, you mean? Basically I'm cashing in on all the boredom I've had all this past winter during which time I managed to save up an impressive chunk of change. There are basically three places I want to volunteer while I'm in South America. The first one is at this ecolodge in the Cloud Forest of Ecuador, doing conservation work and teaching English too probably. That I have all squared away pretty much. After that I hope to work at this Aussie Hostel in Quito. They've been pretty retarded about getting back to me through email, but I'm actually staying there when I'm in town, so I figure I'll talk to them in person. The third place I want to work is teaching English in Peru, in a town on the BEACH. So stoked. I'm going to become a surfer babe.
My plane ticket is for six months. I may, or may not actually use the return ticket. I'm not sure how I'm going to spend my time besides doing these three things, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay at each, but we'll see. I am glad I have some sort of tentative plan at least. Personally I prefer to stay in one place for a while so that I really get to know it and get to know the people there, rather than spend only a few days in a bunch of places. Especially since I'm going by myself.
The fact that I'm going by myself does freak me out a bit, but at the same time, it has its advantages. I'll be more likely to meet more people, I'll be invited to more things, I'll be able to go wherever I want, whenever I want. The thing is though if you find yourself in a bind but you're with a friend, it's an adventure. But if you find yourself in a bind when you're by yourself, it can be terrifying and not fun at all. This is my biggest fear.
But hopefully being a cute single girl will have its advantages.
The thing I am the most uncomfortable about is what is going to happen in the beginning. I'm going to get off the plane, be carrying my giant pack I'm not used to, totally look like a tourist..then I have to manage to find my way to the hostel. Then in a few days I have to manage to find my way to this random-ass tiny town on some tiny-ass bus..but it'll all work out. Well I'm pretty sure.
The summer's been good to me though. I've gotten to do a bunch of fun things, been camping a few times, hiked a lot. Swam a lot -- skinny dipping is my new passion. I'm probably the tannest I've ever been in my whole life. I've really grown to love the wilderness. I never even realized it before, how much I love living in the wild. I don't even UNDERSTAND how I survived Madrid for two whole years. Madrid isn't just a city -- it's a CITY. A crowded-ass ciiiiity. I would never want to do that again. I'm glad I did it, don't get me wrong, but I think it would make me go NUTS now. I'm used to having so much space and so much beauty all around me. And I'm going to get to see a lot more of it in South America, too.
Last week I went to San Francisco, and that city was okay. I could see myself living there. It's a city, but it seems a livable city. The people there are really nice, and there's so much going ON all the time. Unlike here, where sometimes I get freaking bored. I have managed to dodge the bullet of becoming an alcoholic though..having to work at 6:30 every morning helps with that. Yesterday I got drunk off three bottles of beer. Well, and three bowls. Might have had more to do with that.
So what am I going to do after The Great Adventure? Well I'm not totally sure. At the moment I see myself either joining AmeriCorps or working at some lodgy type thing for the summer, then doing AmeriCorps after that. I'll see what I'm in the mood for when I'm done. It's so hard to predict.
I blow this popsicle stand this Thursday, at which time I'm driving to Mariposa to visit my friend Rose and reminisce about the Good Times that We've Had. Then it's off to San Diego to visit my gay boifriend Chad, hit up some clubs, and get some more tanning in before heading south of the border (I actually got a bikini this summer, can you believe it?). Then I'm staying in Davis with my ever patient friend Bethany. THEN I'm finally driving back to WA to stay with my cousin-sister Sarah, on the very last day SHE has in Tacoma before embarking on her next great adventure to So-Cal. No doubt we will both be having a major cow by then, but at least we can commiserate.
So in other words! I will be back home (though can I call it that at this point?) in Washington around September 27. Which gives me approximately ten days to regroup before I fly off to Quito. If anyone is going to be around, they should give me a holler!
What brought about this decision, you might ask? Fundamental boredom I respond. When you don't have a lot to do, what you do a lot of is think. And eventually, you get creative. Actually for a while I was thinking that at the end of the summer I was gonna do it, I was gonna settle down, get an apartment, a steady job, a cat, all that stuff your'e supposed to do. I was going to commit! But then as time went on, I realized that you know, I don't think I'm ready to leave my hot footing days behind me quite yet. I've still got some galavanting to do. So I started looking into volunteer opportunites in South America until eventually, I came up with A Plan.
So what am I going to do? Besides have a cow, you mean? Basically I'm cashing in on all the boredom I've had all this past winter during which time I managed to save up an impressive chunk of change. There are basically three places I want to volunteer while I'm in South America. The first one is at this ecolodge in the Cloud Forest of Ecuador, doing conservation work and teaching English too probably. That I have all squared away pretty much. After that I hope to work at this Aussie Hostel in Quito. They've been pretty retarded about getting back to me through email, but I'm actually staying there when I'm in town, so I figure I'll talk to them in person. The third place I want to work is teaching English in Peru, in a town on the BEACH. So stoked. I'm going to become a surfer babe.
My plane ticket is for six months. I may, or may not actually use the return ticket. I'm not sure how I'm going to spend my time besides doing these three things, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay at each, but we'll see. I am glad I have some sort of tentative plan at least. Personally I prefer to stay in one place for a while so that I really get to know it and get to know the people there, rather than spend only a few days in a bunch of places. Especially since I'm going by myself.
The fact that I'm going by myself does freak me out a bit, but at the same time, it has its advantages. I'll be more likely to meet more people, I'll be invited to more things, I'll be able to go wherever I want, whenever I want. The thing is though if you find yourself in a bind but you're with a friend, it's an adventure. But if you find yourself in a bind when you're by yourself, it can be terrifying and not fun at all. This is my biggest fear.
But hopefully being a cute single girl will have its advantages.
The thing I am the most uncomfortable about is what is going to happen in the beginning. I'm going to get off the plane, be carrying my giant pack I'm not used to, totally look like a tourist..then I have to manage to find my way to the hostel. Then in a few days I have to manage to find my way to this random-ass tiny town on some tiny-ass bus..but it'll all work out. Well I'm pretty sure.
The summer's been good to me though. I've gotten to do a bunch of fun things, been camping a few times, hiked a lot. Swam a lot -- skinny dipping is my new passion. I'm probably the tannest I've ever been in my whole life. I've really grown to love the wilderness. I never even realized it before, how much I love living in the wild. I don't even UNDERSTAND how I survived Madrid for two whole years. Madrid isn't just a city -- it's a CITY. A crowded-ass ciiiiity. I would never want to do that again. I'm glad I did it, don't get me wrong, but I think it would make me go NUTS now. I'm used to having so much space and so much beauty all around me. And I'm going to get to see a lot more of it in South America, too.
Last week I went to San Francisco, and that city was okay. I could see myself living there. It's a city, but it seems a livable city. The people there are really nice, and there's so much going ON all the time. Unlike here, where sometimes I get freaking bored. I have managed to dodge the bullet of becoming an alcoholic though..having to work at 6:30 every morning helps with that. Yesterday I got drunk off three bottles of beer. Well, and three bowls. Might have had more to do with that.
So what am I going to do after The Great Adventure? Well I'm not totally sure. At the moment I see myself either joining AmeriCorps or working at some lodgy type thing for the summer, then doing AmeriCorps after that. I'll see what I'm in the mood for when I'm done. It's so hard to predict.
posted by Chloe at 11:20 AM
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