I just received an e-mail that Boulder is letting me defer until Fall of 2012!!! I cannot begin to describe how excited I am. I feel like a little kid. I really never expected things to work out like they did. I am giddy with all of the thoughts of adventure, new people, new places, and the unknown. I have that feeling you get when you are about to get on a really scary roller coaster. You know it is going to be fun but you are not really sure what to expect. My stomach is dropping but in a good way. I have no idea what to expect from Backroads or even where I will be, but I know it will be one of the best experiences of my life. Same goes for Boulder, but I know more of what to expect there. :)
It also seems weird to think that I will not be in Austin for the next three years. I have been here my whole life (with the exception of college). I'm definitely going to miss this place and all my friends here. I want to do so many things before I leave so I made a list of things I want to do before I go...
Swim at Barton Springs
East side Sunday bike ride with my dad
See Bob Schneider play at Saxon
Drinks in the parking lot of the Draughthouse
Snow cone at Snow Beach
Run at Town Lake
Hike at the greenbelt with Ashley
Hike up to Mount Bonnell at sunset
Walk around South Congress and have a a drink at San Jose Motel
I have 27 days to do 9 things. No excuses.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
So far, so good.
My mom just sent me this quote. Usually when I get quotes like these I think, "blah blah blah". Live dance love, ok ok ok. I get it, lighten up. But this one is perfect for where I am these days. Lots of choices, decisions, and what ifs milling through my head. But I did it. I am choosing to take a risk to do what I love. And if I die tomorrow, I will have no regrets. I will continue to learn, I will most definitely play with abandon, and I always laugh. So I think I am doing it right. So far, so good.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thinking of Japan
I cannot stop thinking about Japan and this horrible earthquake. I wake up thinking about it and I go to sleep thinking about it. It seems to be threaded through every minute of the last three days.
The main reason for my obsessive thinking is my brother Mervin. He is in the midst of all of the chaos as he works for the Fukushima nuclear reactor that has now exploded three times. Never in a million years would I have imagined something like this happening to someone in my family. Not only am I concerned for my brother but I am constantly overwhelmed with a sinking horrible feeling of sadness for the people of Japan. It reminds me of something I would see in a movie but worse. If I think too much about it I get sick to my stomach. And I know if I feel this way, the Japanese feel 100 times worse.
Natural disasters don't make any sense to me. I hate that they have to happen. I know they are inevitable and natural but I cannot wrap my head around it. The devastation is incredible. I read a news clip today that stated that Japan's crematoriums are at capacity and they are running out of body bags. This is such an extraordinary and unprecedented situation that one of the most prepared nations in the world cannot handle the devastation. That amazes me in the worst way.
And the craziest part is that the rest of the world keeps going on. And I don't think the world should stop, but it feels strange to be enjoying a meal or a movie and know that somewhere on the other side of the world there are people dying by the thousands and there is nothing significant that I can do to help.
Something that also seems pretty incredible to me is how calm the Japanese have remained. There is no looting, no crime, no panicking, just people working together to make it through. I watched a clip tonight of a man at a shelter who was given a bowl and then realized an elderly man was not going to get fed and he gave his entire portion to this man. These people respect each other which is so important in a time of crisis.
I hope that Mervin can get home quickly and safely. And my heart goes out to everyone affected by this horrible disaster.
It's all happening!
The waiting game is over!!! well, for the most part.
Last week was probably one of the most stressful yet best weeks of my life. I got an acceptance e-mail from University of Colorado in Boulder on Tuesday and flew out to Berkeley for the Backroads interview on Wednesday. The interview was intense and long, but such a fun day. The hiring event started at 8:30 am with a meet and greet in the courtyard and then they had us all sit in what they call the garage and each person had to stand up and talk about themselves for two minutes. There were about 45 candidates there between the ages of about 22 and 35. It was extremely entertaining and good to see that I wasn't the only nervous one and that these people were coming from all different types of places. For the most part these people had pretty amazing public speaking skills and were well traveled and well educated. It also seemed like every single person knew at least three languages, except me.
After the introductions we were split into groups for some ice breakers and situational questions asked by our two leaders Linda Cassell and Matt Fletcher. They were both great. They automatically put me at ease. Then we had lunch but were told that we would be interrupted by some of the Backroads staff pretending like they were guests with an issue or to be language tested. That part was fine, but I botched the language testing. After everyone finished we split back into our groups for the public speaking part. I was pretty nervous about that but it ended up being fine. I am sure I stumbled a bit, but don't remember much about it. I tend to black those sort of moments out. Then the day wrapped up around 4:30 with a video about the leader lifestyle and a little bit of time for us to ask questions.
I had a good feeling at the end of it all but still wasn't positive that I would be offered the position. The next day, as I was making my way on the BART to the San Francisco airport I got a voicemail from Linda Cassell at Backroads. She asked me to call her back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I was in the security line for the longest time and was about to miss my plane so I had to wait for what seemed like forever to call her back. I finally called her back and she said she had some news that would hopefully make my flight back to Austin a bit more enjoyable. They wanted me as a Trip Leader at Backroads!!!!!!!! I don't think I have felt that giddy in a long long time. I couldn't stop smiling and I wanted to scream but knew that was probably not kosher in an international airport. So I refrained and texted everyone I knew instead. It was the best feeling in the world. Especially after how long I have waited for this.
So now....the big decision. If I could wave my wand I would defer Grad School for one year and work for Backroads for two seasons. However, I am not sure that Boulder will let me defer which means that this could potentially be one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. My heart is with Backroads 100% but I know that Grad School is real life and is probably something I should take advantage of while I can and have the chance to. But I just do not think I can pass up an opportunity like Backroads. The people, the experiences, the travel....this isn't an everyday job that people get offered all the time. I find out tomorrow after I talk to the director of admissions at Boulder. I am thinking positively and really hope this works out, but if it doesn't I still have some great options.
I guess I can say that I am now a firm believer in the saying that hard work pays off. I worked my ass off this winter and made a ton of sacrifices and in the end it all worked out. I am so excited about this next year and hope that whatever I decide is the right choice for me.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Happy February!
I love Valentine's Day and I love February and I have no idea why. I have actually never had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day or a particularly magical or romantic date. In fact, the only Valentine's Day that I spent on a date was a complete train wreck.
Recap: My friend Franny and I were asked on a double date and from what I remember we were not particularly into these gentlemen but we thought, "why not, it's valentine's day". I think I was actually sort of "talking" to my date at that point in time. Whatever that meant. However, I did not get the memo that this was a serious or romantic date. So Valentine's rolls around and they show up to my house to pick us up in suits and Franny and I have on normal high school attire. Probably something from Abercrombie & Fitch or the Gap. Oh and I almost forgot. According to the normal Valentine's Day trend we wanted to pick up a small token of our affection because that is what high schoolers do on Valentine's Day. Well, my token of affection was apparently not normal and didn't go over so well. I thought it would be funny to buy him some oversized leopard women's granny panties. Funny in my head. NOT funny is his head. He came bearing a teddy bear with a sweet card and some chocolates. woops.
Onto the next part of the train wreck. They asked us where we wanted to go and we said Sonic. And we were dead serious. They had a small Italian grill in mind but for some reason we wanted Sonic and we insisted. Bad move number 2. After Sonic they told us that they wanted to take us to the outlook near one of their houses. We obliged.
At this point my date knew that this was not a serious thing but Franny's date didn't feel the vibe and ended up confessing his undying love for her outside of the car (tears included) while my date and I just made out in the car like young teenagers should.
It was all bad, but memorable.
But on to the point of my post. I love February and I love Valentine's Day. I like the chocolates, the dinners, the cards, and the romance (pretty much everything my Dad hates about Valentine's Day). He says that it is a consumer holiday that is made to make men feel guilty about nothing. (I just think he says that because he is too cheap to buy my mom anything). But anyways, I am looking forward to it, as usual. Even if that means wine with my girlfriends for yet another year.
Happy February and Happy Valentine's Day!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Spawn of Satan
After about 20 minutes one of the employees looks up and says to the next man in line (or waiting in line), "Sir get behind the black line". The man was kind of startled but cautiously backed up behind what he thought was the black line. She says again with more authority this time, "Sir get back behind the black line". He says to her, "I am behind the black line ma'am." To which she replies, "No you aren't, step all the way behind the black line". Each time her voice got louder. I didn't quite understand her urgency of him getting behind the black line, but apparently it was do or die.
After that sweet little encounter she turned to all of us waiting in line and said, "You might as well sit down because I am on the only one working today, and I am tired." Oh my. Satan, is that you? As I was reading I was slowly trying to steal glances at this woman. I kept wondering what caused her to be in such a bad mood. Maybe, she had a fight with her mother this morning on the way to work or maybe her ex-husband was supposed to pick up the kids this morning but didn't and now she has to figure out a way to work and care for them. Maybe she didn't make rent this month or her car is in the shop and needs new brakes. Whatever it was, I am sure it was bad. It had to be.
Everyone has a story. I just hope that hers has a happy ending because if this woman gets any more pissed off or angry I think she may go postal.
P.S. I made it through the line and my checkout without getting yelled at AND I got her to crack a smile!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
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