I think I am being a bad updater here...Most of my updates have been in my Peru blog but now that I'm home that one will be retired...eventually. My parents apparently sent the address to all sorts of random people so I didn't even know until I got home that people had been reading it. It was really nice though because I felt like they were all there with me and thinking of me and I could really feel that on the trip. It was an amazing trip to an amazing country and I promise myself I will go back. I also am itching to keep traveling but even more to do more volunteer work through Global Volunteers. They have some trips in South Africa and Costa Rica that are catching my eye...
Nathan and I are hopefully planning a Mexican cruise in June to satisfy our travel needs. We also want to do a little mini-vaca over Memorial Day weekend since we both have it off. I need to start becoming a better money-saver so I can do all of this travel! This is quite an impossible feat when, 1) I'm a grad student and don't really make much money and 2) I am pretty bad at saving because I'm bad at waiting for things...But maybe this is a new skill I can work on.
My last quarter of this year has begun and already I am predicting it will end so quickly. I love how fast quarters zoom by. Semesters seemed to drag on. It may also mean that I actually kind of like school. I loved MSU and my program but I think my masters is even more me doing what I want to do so I love being a part of it all and seeing the final product in sight.
My youngest brother has the lead in a school play so I'm going to go home for it next week. I am excited to see him in a play as theater and making movies is what he loves to do (he wants to go school near Hollywood and make and produce films). Also, as the youngest child, he has spent a good 17 years being forced to attend every single one of my plays, concerts, presentations and other random involvements...So the least I can do is make the trek home for it. It will take 4 hours at the most to drive so I find it very worth it.
06 April, 2008
26 March, 2008
Not Sick
Lots of people in our group are starting to get sick so think good thoughts for my stomach of steel...So far I feel fine. I notice when I am getting dehydrated but nothing as drastic as what other people are experiencing. Ive been very cautious about what I eat and drink so I think I can hold out two more days. Knock on Peruvian wood! I have a sunburn which I am now learning I would gladly take over the SNOW in Washington. Yuck. Definitely not what I want to come back to!
We ate at a restaurant called Beer Chicken for dinner tonight. They had the best rotisserre chicken I have ever had! And a bonus, we get ice cream after lunch every day here. You know that means I am basically in heaven. I could do this every day for sure...
We ate at a restaurant called Beer Chicken for dinner tonight. They had the best rotisserre chicken I have ever had! And a bonus, we get ice cream after lunch every day here. You know that means I am basically in heaven. I could do this every day for sure...
22 March, 2008
Up and at 'em
It's 3:40am and I am up and ready! I think I got about five hours of sleep last night so I don't feel to terrible. I wished for my dad and boyfriend's magical powers of being able to fall asleep in 2 minutes or less but unfortuantely I just can't do it. I'm a lay there for 30 minutes kind of sleeper and it sure gets in the way!
I am as packed as I think I can be. I have no idea what I'm missing, if anything. Hopefully nothing because I have no idea how easy it is to get things like contact solution or tampons in Peru.
Nathan insisted on coming here next weekend to greet me when I get in. He's only staying one night and then heading back to make a Sonics game. I think it's crazy for him to come all the way here but he says he can't wait that long to hear about my trip....What a sweet boy I have. As much of a hard time as I've give him about coming, of course I am overjoyed to get to have him there to welcome me home.
So I guess this is it! I'm going to dry my hair, pack everything in and head to the airport...Peru, here I come!
I am as packed as I think I can be. I have no idea what I'm missing, if anything. Hopefully nothing because I have no idea how easy it is to get things like contact solution or tampons in Peru.
Nathan insisted on coming here next weekend to greet me when I get in. He's only staying one night and then heading back to make a Sonics game. I think it's crazy for him to come all the way here but he says he can't wait that long to hear about my trip....What a sweet boy I have. As much of a hard time as I've give him about coming, of course I am overjoyed to get to have him there to welcome me home.
So I guess this is it! I'm going to dry my hair, pack everything in and head to the airport...Peru, here I come!
20 March, 2008
Leaving Soon
I shopped my head off while I was visiting Nathan this weekend. Hi my name is Ashley and I am a shopaholic. Besides the shopping, the visit was wonderful. I got to stay almost a week...Ahhh...heaven. I am the luckiest girl. :)
I'm leaving for Peru in 34 hours! I've still got a lot of packing to do. Right now the laundry is going so I'm on a break between the washing and the putting in the suitcase stages. I have written and rewritten numerous packing lists and I'm still sure I am forgetting something.
I had my practicum interview the other day. It was quite a bit better than I'd anticipated. My title would be "case manager" and I would do mostly financial counseling with low income and homeless clients. They have a lot of resources to help people with bad/no credit get bank accounts and loans and whatnots so I'd get to give those out. I would also be a part of the education classes, the coalitions and really anything else I was interested in in the financial side of the low income/homeless population. I could make my own schedule and choose when I'd be there and when I'd see clients. I think I would definitely enjoy it. While I am longing to have kids included in my practicum, I also think this experience is a necessary one and I need all the experience I can get so really, I should start wherever I can. I also called the main place I wanted to be, Shriner's Children's Hospital and found out they don't do internships for social work students, only two other degrees I can remember...So with that one ruled out, I can easily think about others. Plus they could still use me as a volunteer there which I'd love to do. AND I am finding that medical social work with kids just apparently isn't going to happen while I'm at EWU because the School of Social Work does not have any contacts with those places and therefore we're not allowed to be placed there.
So...we'll see! They were supposed to call early this week and haven't so tomorrow I'll call and see what's going on with it all.
All I want to do is eat right now...
I'm leaving for Peru in 34 hours! I've still got a lot of packing to do. Right now the laundry is going so I'm on a break between the washing and the putting in the suitcase stages. I have written and rewritten numerous packing lists and I'm still sure I am forgetting something.
I had my practicum interview the other day. It was quite a bit better than I'd anticipated. My title would be "case manager" and I would do mostly financial counseling with low income and homeless clients. They have a lot of resources to help people with bad/no credit get bank accounts and loans and whatnots so I'd get to give those out. I would also be a part of the education classes, the coalitions and really anything else I was interested in in the financial side of the low income/homeless population. I could make my own schedule and choose when I'd be there and when I'd see clients. I think I would definitely enjoy it. While I am longing to have kids included in my practicum, I also think this experience is a necessary one and I need all the experience I can get so really, I should start wherever I can. I also called the main place I wanted to be, Shriner's Children's Hospital and found out they don't do internships for social work students, only two other degrees I can remember...So with that one ruled out, I can easily think about others. Plus they could still use me as a volunteer there which I'd love to do. AND I am finding that medical social work with kids just apparently isn't going to happen while I'm at EWU because the School of Social Work does not have any contacts with those places and therefore we're not allowed to be placed there.
So...we'll see! They were supposed to call early this week and haven't so tomorrow I'll call and see what's going on with it all.
All I want to do is eat right now...
18 March, 2008
07 March, 2008
8 seconds
Apparently I only write in here when I'm in Bellevue. I keep up with my other diary really so I think I'll start cutting and pasting those entries over here.
Anyway...on a much lighter note (Debbie Downer!) I rode the mechanical bull last weekend with Foley. The guy who operates the machine of course makes it shake so girls' boobs give a real nice show for the audience. Having still not gone through puburty, I gladly sat on the front where my padded bra would do no shaking. My more well-endowed friend chose the back where she spent most of the time holding the girls in:
I'm still not much of a drinker. I chose to remember most of my nights out, especially when other friends are drunk and I can tell them later what they did. I did, however, partake in a Red Headed Slut, how could I not?
I have a ton of homework to do. I probably should not have come to Bellevue but I hadn't seen Nathan in 10 days and was going through withdrawals. I'm glad I'm here and I know he'll let me get some homework finished. We will be taking a break to go skiing tomorrow though. Plus, I don't do homework on Saturdays. It's my rule. :)
Last night I had another four hour drive to Bellevue which consisted of my "girl music" up loud and my thoughts on overdrive. I think entirely too much for my own good. None of my thoughts were bad but I started thinking about graduation and how it opens all kinds of new doors but also abruptly shuts the one that revolves around Cheney, Washington and my friends here. Unfortunately, once we get our masters' we will all drift in separate directions. Some of us may keep in touch but I know we won't have random karaoke nights with the over-40 crowd or mechanical bull-riding on Friday nights or random dinners out that send us all into debt...I know what happens when people grow up and get married and have kids and start new lives...That whole "friends from high school/college" thing kind of changes.
It's funny this comes from me, the person who is literally counting down the days until spring of 2009 when I can finally be finished with school, a member of the working world, an adult. True, I can hardly wait for that to happen but the ending of it all is going to be completely bittersweet. It's a year and 3 months away so there's time to live it up and cherish the moments we have but I'm just nervous. I don't do well with endings.
Anyway...on a much lighter note (Debbie Downer!) I rode the mechanical bull last weekend with Foley. The guy who operates the machine of course makes it shake so girls' boobs give a real nice show for the audience. Having still not gone through puburty, I gladly sat on the front where my padded bra would do no shaking. My more well-endowed friend chose the back where she spent most of the time holding the girls in:
I'm still not much of a drinker. I chose to remember most of my nights out, especially when other friends are drunk and I can tell them later what they did. I did, however, partake in a Red Headed Slut, how could I not?
Jolene, Me, Foley, Brenden
I have a ton of homework to do. I probably should not have come to Bellevue but I hadn't seen Nathan in 10 days and was going through withdrawals. I'm glad I'm here and I know he'll let me get some homework finished. We will be taking a break to go skiing tomorrow though. Plus, I don't do homework on Saturdays. It's my rule. :)
22 February, 2008
Lucky
Do you ever have those moments where you just realize, Wow, I am so lucky...? I had that last night.
Nathan convinced me to come back over to Bellevue this weekend and I decided to drive instead of fly. There are moments every so often when I just want to climb into the car, turn up the music and drive...not worrying about anything but the open road and the thoughts on my mind. I had 4 good hours of thinking last night and it just felt good for my soul.
Life is good right now. I am in grad school, in a state I adore, pursuing a career in the thing I love more than anything in the world. I have some really great friends, an incredibly supportive and wonderful family, a boyfriend who is truly my best friend and and all around really great life. I think I sometimes fail to realize how great things really are and be thankful for all that I have. I haven't always been able to think about every aspect of my life and be at peace with it. There always seems to be some little thing in the back of my mind that makes me a little uneasy. But right now I truly cannot think of anything that fits that right now and the feeling of just loving life is such an overwhelmingly wonderful emotion.
I registered for classes for next quarter the other day...I have a 12 hour class day on Mondays and that is it. I suppose it's nice to get it all out of the way but I am pretty sure I will die of either boredom or a butt that falls asleep from sitting so long. I plan to pack many snacks and go to sleep at about 8:00pm the night before so I can make it from 8:00am-10:00pm. The one thing about grad school is that most classes are only a couple days a week so they get to be really long days. I have an 8 hour Monday right now and then 4 hour Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I think I'm getting used to it, as I should since it'll be this way until June 2009!
Nathan is at work so I have plans to be a little lazy until we go have lunch together and then maybe hit up a few stores, recycle some newspaper, take the dog for a walk and maybe get a head start on some homework. I'm in the city so I could easily do some hardcore shopping...But I'll hold back. A little.
Nathan convinced me to come back over to Bellevue this weekend and I decided to drive instead of fly. There are moments every so often when I just want to climb into the car, turn up the music and drive...not worrying about anything but the open road and the thoughts on my mind. I had 4 good hours of thinking last night and it just felt good for my soul.
Life is good right now. I am in grad school, in a state I adore, pursuing a career in the thing I love more than anything in the world. I have some really great friends, an incredibly supportive and wonderful family, a boyfriend who is truly my best friend and and all around really great life. I think I sometimes fail to realize how great things really are and be thankful for all that I have. I haven't always been able to think about every aspect of my life and be at peace with it. There always seems to be some little thing in the back of my mind that makes me a little uneasy. But right now I truly cannot think of anything that fits that right now and the feeling of just loving life is such an overwhelmingly wonderful emotion.
I registered for classes for next quarter the other day...I have a 12 hour class day on Mondays and that is it. I suppose it's nice to get it all out of the way but I am pretty sure I will die of either boredom or a butt that falls asleep from sitting so long. I plan to pack many snacks and go to sleep at about 8:00pm the night before so I can make it from 8:00am-10:00pm. The one thing about grad school is that most classes are only a couple days a week so they get to be really long days. I have an 8 hour Monday right now and then 4 hour Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I think I'm getting used to it, as I should since it'll be this way until June 2009!
Nathan is at work so I have plans to be a little lazy until we go have lunch together and then maybe hit up a few stores, recycle some newspaper, take the dog for a walk and maybe get a head start on some homework. I'm in the city so I could easily do some hardcore shopping...But I'll hold back. A little.
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