How does a world traveler, adventurer writer take a vacation?
She goes to the last country anyone would expect, gets a job and stops writing!
I'm starting to recover a bit. I'm definitely on the smoother side of my unsettled existence. This is the first time in my life where I have traveled without a home for this long. I left my home in Auckland, NZ in May. Since that time I have rarely woken up in the same bed for more than two to three weeks in a row. This is month seven for those of you that are counting.
What's happening?? Where is Willow?? When is she being seen in a country near me??
Well, due to the bad health of my father, I RUSHED to the states to see my family. The unfortunate side effect of this sudden movement was that it was financially more feasible to get to Boston- a city rich in resources and where I can legally work...to well,
work .
The first week I was in denial. You all know me- the US of A is NOT the country I want to live in! I knew that I was truly only visiting, but I just hated the idea of it somehow. My sometimes infinitely practical and wise sister could see my dilemmas and was very sensitive and kind and caring of my feelings..
"Hey, the way I see it, it just makes more sense for you to stay here at least for 3 months to take a chunk out of your debt. You can share the expenses here, it's the cheapest place you could stay, you have DSL and I'll get to see my sister. Suck it up. "
Ok, so I've never really responded to subtelty. She knows that. THIS I understood and could see the truth of. I knew that it was just a hangup or fear that I had.
I'm a little lonely here. I've had such a wonderful two years and the American way of life just isn't mine. Not that there's any ONE way that Americans live, I just haven't encountered the way
I live here.
God sent me the way of a fabulous school. The people are wonderful. I like every one of them. Truly, if I had had a conversation with God and he asked me what I would REALLY want in a school, I would have described this one. It's professional, rigorous, and yet very family like and laid back. It is a very small school, but "intimate" is perhaps the better word.
The coordinator and the person that makes everything go smoothly is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She has skin like cream and honey, large expressive brown eyes and full lips. Her smile spreads like a butterfly across her face. Her hair is of dark curls that gently frame her face in what seems to me, a permanent soft focus. Her body has all the womanly softness of a pre-raphealite painting...which is how I think of her.
I love beauty. It is a pleasure to see someone that looks like a work of art to the goddess of womanhood.
True..you may be raising your eyebrows, but just
imagine working with someone straight out of a John W. Godward painting. How could you NOT be inspired daily?
I've decided to probably stay here for 6 months. That is how long I think it will take to pay off my debts completely. After this I'm free. Where will I go? I don't know. I'm seeing the world a little differently than when I first set off on this great adventure. There is a chance of Holland, which I haven't yet discarded completely. There may be something beautiful there for me. Then again, one can never know what the future may hold.
I would like to return to Argentina. I think of all the spanish that I've heard, Argentine spanish is the most beautiful. It may be true that my love of Argentina comes partly from the direct contrast to my dark experiences in Peru which I had just left. Then again, I think it would be impossible not to love such a country. I saw only a very small part of it, and I would see more.
Then what? Brasil? Portuguese? Brasil is the largest part of South America and I didn't see any of it except what I could see as my plane landed in Sao Pao. Even this much seemed full of mystery and life. I have known many Brasilians in the last year, and have not met a single one that I didn't like or love. Portuguese is quite possibly my next language conquest. Learning that I understand some of it already was a great motivator. I would first improve my spanish a bit more though before I begin to learn yet another language.
Taiwan? Korea? Singapore? China? Return to Spain? These are coming. It may take a couple of years, but I will come. In the mean time keep in touch. I cherish all that my many friendships have brought to me. My students, my friends, and my teachers- there are many of you who have been all three to me. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You are the people that give me the strength to live the life I lead. You are the beauty that I see in everything around me. All of you. It makes me happy to share my adventures with you.
Tonight?
Tonight I am clean, I have a comfortable travel sleeping mat on the floor. I'm wearing my favorite black t-shirt with my favorite brown corduroys with a belt that keeps them from falling off of my slighter-than-when-I-bought-them frame. SAM (my pocket pc) is playing my favorite music in the background. I have a bowl of hot and sour soup- my favorite kind, even if it isn't the best one- a cheap bottle of Argentinian wine, a DSL connection, my favorite shoes rescued from my friend's basement (they are exactly the same as the clogs I've worn for the last two years straight, but a cool marbled burgandy and black). I have free samples from the Body Shop where I interviewed tonight for extra work....life is good.
OH! AND I found and BOUGHT two waiters tools (wine openers). I have been looking for 4 years for ones like these, and my good one that I had before (which wasn't sexy, but was very good) was SWIPED at my last party in New Zealand!! I'm sure that one of the drunken revelers accidentally walked off with it- rather than on purpose with aforethought, but either way it's GONE. I found one on clearance that is what I've been looking for! I bought one and a spare. I don't want to face the tooless devastation again.
Life is good...bring on the wine.
