Monday, May 10, 2010

Then, Now, Next

I've now been back in the States for 3 weeks.  One things for sure, my life here isn't nearly as exciting as my life in Thailand was.  I'm not planning on keeping in that way for long though, even if I have to move half way around the world again.

So what have I been up to since I've been home?  Well... I've met up with some friends, gone treasure hunting at Goodwill, many times, taken Elaina to the park, many times, and made several little strolls down to the Redbox.  I finished 2 Seasons of ER while I put together my Blog Book for the first year I was in Thailand (second year is still in progress).  Watching to much TV is a sickness.
    The most substantial thing I've done in my three week break so far is make future plans, beginning with this summer.  While those plans sadly don't include any international travel (except for maybe Victoria or Vancouver), it looks like my summer will be pretty good.  Being a camp counselor, working with the church youthgroup, traipsing through Twilight territory (aka the Olympic Peninsula) with my family and who knows what else might come up?
     The other plan I've been trying to make is what I will do with myself.  I don't want to teach grade school, that much is certain, but I need something.....  So, after researching and assessing my desires I've decided to enroll in an EMT Basic program.  After working for a year as an EMT you can then take the Paramedic class.  Now, you may be thinking, WHOA! that was out of the blue, especially those of you who have come to know me in the recent years, BUT I did start out college as a Pre-Med Major, only switching because I detested spending hours upon hours in the science lab.  Now, I'd like to do the program in the fall, but acceptance is on a first come first served basis, so we'll see.  And if I were able to find an amazing travel job in the meantime....well, I could be persuaded to change directions :)

 What am I doing now?  A couple weeks ago a woman from my church called me up and asked if I would like to share my travel experiences with the Senior group at the church.  So tomorrow, I will be attempting to fit 4 years and 21 countries worth of experiences into a presentation.  I don't exactly know how it will go yet, or what I will spend the most of my time on.  I've made a video slide show to play in the background and I'm hoping to just go from there without losing myself in my thoughts.

And what's next?  Awhile ago I posted my 20+10 in 2010 list of things I wanted to do this year.  With the assistance of Delta Airlines (who was having an AWESOME sale), I will be tackling #9: Visit at least one college friend.  Tomorrow night I will be heading to DC on the redeye.  While this isn't my first trip to the nations capital, it is my first time back since I graduated 3 years ago so I'm super excited.  The week promises to be filled with exciting adventures.  Expect a full report here when I get back.

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

I'm so stoked that I stumbled across your blog! I love it and find it SO inspiring! Come visit Vancouver and I'll show you all the hot spots! :)

Manda said...

Thanks so much! I'll let you know if I head up that way :)