And no, it's not the fact that this is my first attempt at blogging.
First I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. The problem is that even I can't do that. There are so many facets of my life that I forget about them until someone else brings up the topic.
As of June 24, 2008 I am a 28 year old, single, white female. Does that help? No? Well, after 9 years of college and 2 associates degrees I am a Registered Nurse, and I work at the local hospital. I'm not really single. I have a wonderful boyfriend who has been a great friend for many years, and we both hope this to be our last relationship. Until today I've been living with my parents (my roomies) so we can all afford the rent. (Thank you northern California housing market) And it worked out great until my 22 year old brother moved back home to go to college.
My parents are moving to Illinois to be closer to my little sister, and because they were able to find jobs. California has not been good to them. My sister moved to IL withe her ex-fiance, bought a house, met a much better man, and never plans to leave.
My boyfriend lives 3000 miles away and is working on a PhD in chemistry. At least we both keep busy so that the time passes quicker. We met working at a Boyscout camp in New Mexico. I worked at Camp Rand for 9 summers teaching everything from basket weaving to backpacking. That is where I learned my love of the outdoors.
The high desert of the Pecos Wilderness is a beauty few people know of, and even less understand. But I like being outside in general whether it is walking past the dairy farms on my street, to standing at the end of a broken road over looking the ocean, to climbing over dead fall with a 40lb pack in 98+ weather. I've tried a variety of activities, all of which I enjoy, none of which I'm any good at. Rock climbing, mountain biking, rafting, ballet, karate...
Way back in the beginning, before nursing and Boyscouts, I was a band geek. Here in noCal sports and FFA are much more popular than music, but in Albuquerque people would come to the football games just to watch the marching band. I started on the clarinet when I was 8. My senior year in high school our band had 35 people, most who played clarinet, flute or trumpet. I wanted to be on the drum line. My teacher wanted me to play 5th bass. Thump, pause, pause, pause, thump thump... I don't think so. He handed me a mellophone and I never looked back. And I will never be rid of the haunting that is The Wizard of Oz.
These are only large sections on my time line. All are dotted with various other hobbies and interests including photography (3 blue ribbons at the county fair), and crafting. I've dabbled in teddy bear making, and I have a half finished quilt I started 9 years ago.
So what is this "new chapter" I speak of? Well, after 18 months of planning and jumping through hoops, I've accepted a position with the Peace Corps. I will be leaving at the end of September to teach healthcare in Turkmenistan. Two questions I'm sure you're asking yourself, "why?" and "where?" Why, because I can. That and I'm finished with school, my bills are paid off, I'm essentially homeless, my boyfriend has 2+ years of school left, and I have no children. Why not? Where is much more difficult to answer. Short answer: central Asia. North of Iran and Afghanistan. South of Khazakstan. East of the Caspian Sea, and mostly inhospitable desert. Yes, I know what is happening in this area of the world, and no, I'm not changing my mind. I feel that I am adaptable enough and open-minded enough to survive. Granted if a suicide bomber or terrorist bent on jihad comes through then I'd be about as safe as wandering through the ghetto of LA in the middle of the night. The hardest part for me is trying to figure out how to pack everything I could possibly need for 2 years in under 80lbs.
I think I have rambled for long enough. You probably now know more about me then you ever wanted to, and yet still have no idea who I am. If you're still curious, keep reading, there will be plenty more incoherent posts over the next few years.
