That Moment Of Creeping Toward The Peak Of A Roller Coaster

I know I’m a little late with the year recap but I feel like this is my New Year’s Eve. About 12 hours separate me from arriving in Dallas and meeting the first few of our Omni 107 group embarking on a life-altering 27 months in Ecuador (we’re the 107th group of Peace Corps Volunteers in Ecuador!!). And so I can’t help but feel like I’m on the verge of something great, it’s like I know this is one of those dramatic music, corny, ‘life changing moments’ and I’m not sure how to feel about it. It’s like creeping toward the peak of a roller coaster or that final moment of panic and excitement before you jump from a plane (I’ve never actually done this). Everything has led up to this, all the little moments of doubt and fear and excitement and nervousness and running ALL over Kansas City over-preparing and planning what to pack.

I realize I’m at the age where ‘life changing moments’ seem to happen almost daily. A friend of mine has dubbed the first year out of college the Freshmen Year of Life (hi Erika :)). I’ve moved more times in the last year than I have in my entire life. A little more than a year ago, I moved to a tiny studio that is only acceptable for poor college students. It was one of those slanted-floors, terribly-insulated, would-not-pass-inspection apartments and I absolutely loved it. It was the first time in my life I lived by myself, not counting the dog. In May, I graduated with two bachelors degrees and tried to psych myself up to move on from Columbia and all it’s college glory. I’m still in denial that I ever graduated and still hoping that something related to International Studies and Linguistics is a valid career option. Two months later, I trekked onward and upward and ‘moved’ to South Korea for a fantastic month teaching and learning with some of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. I came back and ‘moved’ again to Texas where I basically bummed around my sister’s apartment in between weekends of wedding festivities. I reconnected with high school friends and stood next to my oldest friend as she married her high school sweetheart. And then at the beginning of October I learned that Ecuador was where it’s at and moved to Chicago, all in the same day. The Windy City solidified its place as my ideal American city and I hope to live there on a more permanent basis at some point in the future. I came to Kansas City for the holidays and have spent the better part of the last month sleeping til 4pm and eating things like Moroccan food, sushi (because what’s more American?), pot roast, taquitos from QuikTrip, chocolate chip cookies, etc. I’ve stayed up way too late with the sisters, hung out with college friends and made the rounds to family gatherings. So here I am now, about to move once again.

I’m excited and scared and all of those things. I’ve thought about how I would feel the night before since I submitted my application 15 MONTHS ago! Yes, it takes that long prospective PCV’s. Mostly I’m ready to get into a routine and feel comfortable with what I’m doing. I’m trying to remind myself that it’s the moments getting to the routine that are the most interesting. So here’s to remembering that!

I am so thankful for the people I was able to meet and reconnect with in all the interesting locales I found myself this year. Everyone has a story and in some way, whether obvious or not, their story impacts your story.  I’ve realized the most important people in my life are spread about in random places. Most of them will probably never meet each other or realize how they’re connected. Mostly, I’m incredibly thankful to have such a wide circle of caring people and then occasionally it makes me a little sad that these people can’t all be in the same place at the same time. C’est la vie. Here I go hoping to widen my circle to the far reaches of the equator and beyond.

(Apologies for the complete cheesiness of this post, I’m living a cheesy moment.)

Intermission: Cheeseburgers and Chain Stores

So I’m here, in one of those in between spaces, trying to stay busy, looking back, excited for what’s ahead, and enjoying the intermission as much as possible.

Looking Back-

The last night in Spain was crazy. We had a big cocktail party for everyone to say our goodbyes and take photos. I headed back home about 1, gathered the rest of my things, said sleepy goodbyes to my family and headed out the door about 2. My senora wished me luck in everything and we parted ways. I walked about 40 minutes with my 2 suitcases to Erin’s house. I should have taken a cab but I didn’t have cash and didn’t want to get more euros out. I got lots of stares from passersby. I got to Erin’s and the plan was just to hang out by the rio until the bus left for the airport around 5am. I waited outside for her and her host sister saw me and made me come in. I hung out with her and met her host family and neighbor who I’d been hearing about all semester. We called a cab, got to the bus stop about 4:45 and waited with some more friends for the bus. There were about 5 Americans; we probably had 10-12 suitcases all together. We just made an assembly line trying to get them all on the bus. It was a little ridiculous but it didn’t take long for everyone to realize we were all American students going home. My flight from Sevilla to Madrid left at 7am, I had a short layover, flew to JFK in New York, then Boston. I had to switch terminals and airlines which meant running through the airport to make my next flight. My bag was 7lbs overweight so I decided to throw out the rest of my shoes instead of paying $90. I made my flight from Boston to Salt Lake…5 hours! From Salt Lake, it was on to Phoenix. It was about 24 hrs from the time I left my house in Sevilla about 2 am until I landed in Phoenix at 10pm.

Enjoying the Intermission-

In Phoenix, I stayed with a friend from high school going to school out there. We hadn’t seen each other in over a year and I’d been talking about visiting her for a while. I figured another flight or two wouldn’t make much difference and the time was as good as any. We hung out for a week and caught up with each other. Bridget and Andrea came at the end of the week to pick up some things for a family friend. We all headed to the Grand Canyon one day. Unbelievable and definitely surreal. We camped in a tent and drove cross-country (or semi), just like we did on the family vacations of our childhood, definitely the way for any family to travel in my opinion. We headed back to Columbia via Tulsa. I unpacked my room, hung pictures, and added a few pieces I’d picked up along the way over the last 4 months.

Grand Canyon

Andrea stayed a few weeks before heading back to Texas for the summer. We celebrated her birthday, visited family, and just hung out with each other…something I missed more than anything while I was away. I started my summer class, History of the English Language. The Old English grammar and deciphering of Chaucer didn’t excited me too much but towards the end we talked about the English language as it is used around the world, something I absolutely loved learning about. It was so strange at first to take a linguistics class taught in English. I’d already taken Spanish Phonetics and the History of Spanish, both taught in Spanish of course. I learned all the terminology that goes along with studying linguistics in Spanish and understood their meanings in Spanish. It felt weird to translate it in my head into English. I found myself reverting back to the Spanish terms, I guess its proof that it if you’re taught something in a foreign language, you will always understand it in that language easier than in your native language.

Another thing I did this summer was volunteer a little with the EPI program through the Asian Affairs Center. The program is designed for South Korean students to come to Mizzou, study English, and work in internships around the community. Throughout my time in Spain, we had amazing guias who were there to show us around, answer questions, and just hang out with us from the beginning. They were our built-in peer group outside of the other Americans. Although I was too shy at times to really engage them and break down the language barrier, it made a difference just knowing they were there. I wanted to provide the same thing for the foreign students who study at my university. I felt like I could bring something to their experience, to struggle through a conversation, to look at your surroundings with questioning and unbelievably excited eyes, to be so far from home and wish that everyone you cared about could be with you, to not know how to even begin to explain what you experienced, to be a foreigner and be thankful that someone is there to guide you through their homeland. It can be awkward, unwanted silences and misunderstandings but I needed to step out of my comfort zone to bring them into theirs. Although I only got to hang out with the EPI kids a few times, it made me so happy. Its something I feel like I need and want to do in the future, I guess you could say I discovered a new passion.

EPI @ the Arch, St. Louis

So onto more cultural awareness stuff, I’m full of it these days. I spent 4^th of July with my roommate outside St. Louis. I celebrated it with a whole new perspective this year. Last semester, I started to look at my culture through an outsider’s perspective. In the U.S., I find myself constantly asking in my head, what would a foreigner think of this? 4^th of July, the most American holiday of the year…what would a foreigner think of this? Almost every country probably shoots off rockets of light at some point throughout the year but what makes it American? I went with my roommate and her family to see the light show. We loaded up vehicles of lawn chairs, blankets, and games to pass the time while we waited for dark. We had to get there 3 hours early after all for a good seat. We set up camp on the grass along with hundreds of other red, white, and blue clad Americans. We ate fried chicken, corn on the cob, and potato salad and cooled down with iced tea and lemonade. I couldn’t help but think; this is so American.

Fireworks on the 4th

This last weekend I got to visit Erin in Chicago. After 4 months of weekend travel and seeing each other everyday, I was so excited to see her again. We hung out in the city and around her house catching up and made Spanish Tortilla. We kept saying how easy everything seemed since we could at least speak the language if we needed directions or got lost on the train. It was great doing touristy stuff with her again.

Erin & I @ the Bean, Chicago

So I guess I’ve learned how to be an American again, I’ve had my fill of cheeseburgers and chain stores.

Excited for What’s Ahead-

I’m hopping across the other pond to South Korea for a month, details and anecdotes to come.

People & Places I Love

The last few weeks have been a blur of traveling and trying to see as many people as possible.

I went to St Louis for the weekend right after school got out. Holiday parties and exploring St Louis were great. It was fun to hang out with the roommates one last time before I head off. I also went to Kansas City to get some shopping done at the Plaza and see some more friends.

The holidays were full of new traditions and adjusting to life without the old ones. Bridget, Andrea, and I spent a lot of time baking cookies, wrapping gifts, and driving back and forth to the relatives. It was a white Christmas, the only one I remember having…EVER! I finally got my room in Columbia packed up and realized I have way too much stuff. On the way from Columbia to Tulsa, my car finally bit the dust. Andrea, Lady, and I were stranded in Joplin, MO for about 4 hours waiting for Bridget to come back and get us. The tow man didn’t give us time to get stuff out of the car so we had one coat, a scarf, and a pair of gloves between the two of us. We walked probably a mile in total on the snowy sidewalks trying to find a place we could take Lady before we settled just inside a Target. So typical of our road trips. Guess I’m looking for a car next summer. Bridget finally picked us up and we stayed in Stillwater for the night before heading back home.

Snow on the Quad

The Magic Tree, Columbia

Fort Worth feels less and less like home every time I go back, especially now. It was a short, busy week seeing friends, some I hadn’t seen in over a year. I tried to do as much in Fort Worth as I could because I never know when I’ll be back and for how long. I had so much fun going downtown, to the Stockyards, the Modern, and just driving around. Fort Worth will always have a piece of me but I’m not sure I’ll ever end up there to live again.

Stockyards

Main St. in Fort Worth

Then the most epic, ridiculous, beautiful road trip ever. According to Google Maps, Fort Worth –> Boston = 28 hours. We made it in 36 with many stops and snowy weather, dad would be proud. Once we got to the north east, everything was very picturesque. All the towns seemed nestled in the mountains and the snow added that much more to it. Hartford, CT definitely looked cute, would love to spend more time there one day. We finally got to the suburbs of Boston where my uncle and aunt live. We have about 9 days here and lots of places to see.

More updates soon.