October 2009
People tell me that 56% of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed - the highest percentage of all time. They say it to console me, but what they don't know is that I don't care. :)
I've been on the road the entire month of October.
Week one was BOSTON - a freezing but sunny week, and full of incredible people. Our first night in town, Jenny and I ran into a gypsy jazz band called the Lost Fingers from Quebec City, who gave us all the wrong directions and then invited us to their concert at TT the Bear. They did a cover of Billy Jean and everyone danced. It was one of those "I freaking LOVE MY LIFE" moments. Jens and I hung out with Byron and Cisco all night until they had to pack up and catch a taxi to the airport. It was a heartbreaking goodbye, even though we'd just met them.
I often wish I didn't get so attached to people.
OxfamAmerica impressed me, as always, with the number of amazing people they gathered in one place. I heard such a inspirational presentation on their work in Darfur that I decided I want to get my masters in logistics of humanitarian assistance. I always said that I don't work well under pressure, but we all know that's bullshit. I ONLY work under pressure, to the point where, if no pressure exists, I conjure it. I get extremely creative when Plan A, B and C fail, I strive to make myself useful to humanity, and I survive off of adrenaline... doesn't this sound like a good fit?
My plane home broke and I got stranded in San Francisco. When has it ever been different?? At this point, it's FUNNY! At least now I know how to get United to pay for my hotel and food. Maybe with a few more years of experience, they'll start refunding my tickets! Anyway, everything worked out. I stayed up all night finishing translations for the catalog that I'd been hired to translate by a Russian company (see, I only work under pressure...) It's all sent off and now I'm waiting to get paid so I can pay for my TEFL certification course...
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In case I haven't mentioned it in my blog previously, when I turned 22, I decided it was time to embrace my height and start enjoying my youth. So I did what every normal person would do, which is to audition for a fashion show. I got in, so I spent the second week of October getting dressed up in fancy (but eco-friendly!) clothing and strutting down a runway at Portland Fashion Week. The scale of this event blew my mind - every designer, hair dresser, make up artist, model, fashionista and photographer in Portland was there. Each posted detailed accounts of every show on their blog, facebook account, and professional website, and I got swarmed with messages of shocked friends gasping, "YOU? MODEL?" I feel weird saying this but, caring about poverty reduction and being in a fashion show are really not that incompatible. I really enjoyed being pretty, sassy, confident, and not the tallest girl in the room for a week.
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The third week of October started with a 17 hour drive to Orange County with Lauren and Issac. This was empowering in its own way, I guess because I'd never been allowed to drive very far on my own. I got to spend a few incredible days with Joni, my Buddhist mentor and probably a sister from a past life. And Lauryn, who is just...so much, and always becoming more (she is directing the Public Health Brigades in Honduras!). I think it's funny that she and I professed our friendship to each other during freshman year of college, but didn't really like each other or have anything in common until we'd both traveled, fallen in love with Latin America and everything it stands for. Now we really ARE best friends, like we'd always known we would be.
On the drive home, we stayed night in San Francisco with JD. All his friends were there and we made carnitas and watched House. I hate that show, but I don't know the last time I laughed so hard as I did that night. So many great people in one room. JD and I met at Common Ground in New Orleans nearly four years ago and he was really adamant about NOT keeping in touch with me for a while, but now our paths are starting to cross more often. I totally and completely love him and I don't even know him. Damn Pisces men.
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Now I'm home in Corvallis, which has turned yellow, red and chilly in my absence. This morning I walked through the Farmers Market and listened to my dog sing to the radio on the way home. I ate some salad that my mom picked from our backyard and took a nap. I drank some some pumpkin ale while watching the Beavers play USC and then went downtown to listen to some live blues music. Did you know that Corvallis has more professional musicians per capita than any other city in the US? Sony told me that. I love her. She's learning to play the guitar and I'm really jealous because ever since hearing Rodrigo y Gabriela, I've wanted to play percussion guitar really badly. But anyway, the conclusion is that now it's everyone else's turn to come visit, because I'm not leaving again until autumn is over.
I've been on the road the entire month of October.
Week one was BOSTON - a freezing but sunny week, and full of incredible people. Our first night in town, Jenny and I ran into a gypsy jazz band called the Lost Fingers from Quebec City, who gave us all the wrong directions and then invited us to their concert at TT the Bear. They did a cover of Billy Jean and everyone danced. It was one of those "I freaking LOVE MY LIFE" moments. Jens and I hung out with Byron and Cisco all night until they had to pack up and catch a taxi to the airport. It was a heartbreaking goodbye, even though we'd just met them.
I often wish I didn't get so attached to people.
OxfamAmerica impressed me, as always, with the number of amazing people they gathered in one place. I heard such a inspirational presentation on their work in Darfur that I decided I want to get my masters in logistics of humanitarian assistance. I always said that I don't work well under pressure, but we all know that's bullshit. I ONLY work under pressure, to the point where, if no pressure exists, I conjure it. I get extremely creative when Plan A, B and C fail, I strive to make myself useful to humanity, and I survive off of adrenaline... doesn't this sound like a good fit?
My plane home broke and I got stranded in San Francisco. When has it ever been different?? At this point, it's FUNNY! At least now I know how to get United to pay for my hotel and food. Maybe with a few more years of experience, they'll start refunding my tickets! Anyway, everything worked out. I stayed up all night finishing translations for the catalog that I'd been hired to translate by a Russian company (see, I only work under pressure...) It's all sent off and now I'm waiting to get paid so I can pay for my TEFL certification course...
-----------------------------------
In case I haven't mentioned it in my blog previously, when I turned 22, I decided it was time to embrace my height and start enjoying my youth. So I did what every normal person would do, which is to audition for a fashion show. I got in, so I spent the second week of October getting dressed up in fancy (but eco-friendly!) clothing and strutting down a runway at Portland Fashion Week. The scale of this event blew my mind - every designer, hair dresser, make up artist, model, fashionista and photographer in Portland was there. Each posted detailed accounts of every show on their blog, facebook account, and professional website, and I got swarmed with messages of shocked friends gasping, "YOU? MODEL?" I feel weird saying this but, caring about poverty reduction and being in a fashion show are really not that incompatible. I really enjoyed being pretty, sassy, confident, and not the tallest girl in the room for a week.
-----------------------------------
The third week of October started with a 17 hour drive to Orange County with Lauren and Issac. This was empowering in its own way, I guess because I'd never been allowed to drive very far on my own. I got to spend a few incredible days with Joni, my Buddhist mentor and probably a sister from a past life. And Lauryn, who is just...so much, and always becoming more (she is directing the Public Health Brigades in Honduras!). I think it's funny that she and I professed our friendship to each other during freshman year of college, but didn't really like each other or have anything in common until we'd both traveled, fallen in love with Latin America and everything it stands for. Now we really ARE best friends, like we'd always known we would be.
On the drive home, we stayed night in San Francisco with JD. All his friends were there and we made carnitas and watched House. I hate that show, but I don't know the last time I laughed so hard as I did that night. So many great people in one room. JD and I met at Common Ground in New Orleans nearly four years ago and he was really adamant about NOT keeping in touch with me for a while, but now our paths are starting to cross more often. I totally and completely love him and I don't even know him. Damn Pisces men.
-----------------------------------
Now I'm home in Corvallis, which has turned yellow, red and chilly in my absence. This morning I walked through the Farmers Market and listened to my dog sing to the radio on the way home. I ate some salad that my mom picked from our backyard and took a nap. I drank some some pumpkin ale while watching the Beavers play USC and then went downtown to listen to some live blues music. Did you know that Corvallis has more professional musicians per capita than any other city in the US? Sony told me that. I love her. She's learning to play the guitar and I'm really jealous because ever since hearing Rodrigo y Gabriela, I've wanted to play percussion guitar really badly. But anyway, the conclusion is that now it's everyone else's turn to come visit, because I'm not leaving again until autumn is over.