hey. hi. hello.

Welcome to my first real attempt to blog.

The last couple months changed the direction my life was headed and therefore sparked my entrance into the blogosphere. So obviously this blog will dabble in adventures here and abroad, great and small, my beliefs, opinions, and whatever else life consists of.

Let's see how this goes...

Dreams. Dreams. Dreams. Can "dreams" be considered dreams if there is no real effort to make them a reality? In that sense a "dream" is not a dream but an idea. Having a dream requires a person work to attain a goal, not just sit, talk, and think (not dream) about it.

If you asked 19 year old me where i would be after graduating from CSUMB, I would have said something like, "Travel! I'm going to travel when I get out. I want to explore and see Southeast Asia- Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos. I want to see it all!" If you asked 20 year old me the same question I probably would have said something like, "I want to join the Peace Corps! somewhere in Asia, preferably the Philippines but I just want to see the world and work for change!" If you asked 21 year old me that question, I probably would have said, "I want teach English abroad, hike Mt. Pinatubo, walk the same streets my dad walked when he was 15, and see the Banaue Rice Terraces, Chocolate Hills, and the Hanging Coffins of Sagada." If you asked 22 year old me where I was traveling after graduation, I would have said, "I'm working to save money for going abroad." At 23 (ten months after graduation, March 2010), if you asked me what I planned to do in May 2010 (a year after graduation), I would have said, "I'm looking to find a place in Monterey to work and hang out a little more." How average of me. Ideas in lieu of dreams. Fail.

I was on the road headed straight towards average and townie-ism (IN A TOWN I WASN'T EVEN FROM!). Life was comfortable-great friends, two jobs, and five years deep. Average! Average! Average! But thank Jebus for over priced rentals and an honest friend, who made me realize that I wasn't dreaming anymore (Thanks, d). So now, at 23, I have applied and been accepted into a program to teach English in Thailand, moved back to LA, and am temporarily trading my independence card for a rent free room with the folks. (Please note the word "temporarily," rooted from the word "temporary," as defined by dictionary.com as "lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only," as in absolutely not permanent even if my life depended on it...got it mom?)

I leave in October for 6 months--5 months of teaching and 1 month of travel. I still need to turn in a few documents to get my placement, but I've already put in my deposit and paid half of the program cost.

I'm a few documents away from transforming dreams into realities.