Holy moly those are giant snow flakes outside my window! Quite a wintery day here in Cincinnati, which has caused me to fantasize about warmer places...
3 trips coming up:
1. Austin for Christmas. I fly out on the 20th.
2. Jamaica for New Years. I'll be there Dec 29 - Jan 6.
That's right, I caved. AND, joining me, will be my friend Maria (who I know through Cincy's couchsurfing community). We're flying into MBJ, not sure where we're staying yet, but are looking at volunteering with Mustard Seed Community while we're there -- helping handicapped, abandoned kids. Exciteddddd!
3. Salt Lake City for Sundance Festival and skiing. This'll be from Jan 20-23. Granted, not a warmer place, but just too awesome to pass up. Plus, skiing is the one case in which I will put up with this weather.
OH! And how can I travel without a greencard? I ended up being able to get my driver's license, my SS card is on its way, and I got a temporary stamp in my passport that will serve as a green card until I get the official one :).
Driver's license also allowed me to buy a car -- a blue 2007 Toyota Yaris. It's stick! One month later... I'm getting the hang of it, finally. I've found out I can't have bad mood days because it directly translates into how good of a driver I am that day too. However, now I can officially drive a car wherever in the world I am.
So after these trips, I have 13 vacation days left for next year... of course I mentally use them all up before the year has even started:
I'd like to go to Paris with the girls at some point. It's cliche, but I've never been there and I can't let it stay that way. I also want to go back to Indonesia with my mom, sister, and cousin so we can revisit our roots. My dad just moved to Abu Dhabi... dunno if I'll get that in this year. Oh, and I think there's a couple of weddings next year that I have to account for.
I know I'm lucky.
Though it may seem that I'm just a travel addict and choose to spend a big chunk of my income on it, what's it worth? It's more than just an addiction... or well, maybe it's an addiction BECAUSE of what I get out of it: growth. Each experience shapes me and adds another definition to who I am. And the fact that there is still SO much out there I HAVEN'T seen, drives me crazy and makes me anxious to get to it. I'm addicted to continually unearthing the person I am and shaping the person who I will become.
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