Good Ol' US of A

Though I'm glad to be home, in some ways a part of me hated that I was taking a breather from my mission to see the world. So much to see, so little time.

However, I forget that, even within the United States, there are opportunities abound to travel and experience the unknown. In fact, especially within the United States, I know this to be true.

Towering mountains, desert basins, glorious beaches, and  frozen wonderlands - we have it all in our own country. How lucky!

For the next 5 days, I'm stepping out of my tropical comfort zone and braving the snow and freezing winds. First, I fly to Chicago for a night, visiting some good friends in the area. Then, it's off to Michigan to visit old friends, and take my sister out to dinner at her university. I'm headed to Indiana for 3 days after that, hosting my cousin's bridal shower. I'm excited to hop on a plane once again, and appreciate what my country has to offer!

News, Shnews, Let's Sell Some Shoes!

After a few more miraculous days, Sarah left and returned back to Normal, our college town. This left me, once again, with absolutely nothing to do. 

As a result, my life has been filled up with the following few things, creatively introduced by catchy titles.

1. The Hunt is ON! - There are literally NO jobs to be had in Miami. The only place that seems to be hiring is the Miami Beach area, which is simply too far away on public transportation to be feasible, and the nearby McDonalds. That is my last resort card; a card I will conveniently lose on the eve of my job hunting deadline. A couple months of vacation never hurt anyone. However, today I got an interview at Nordstroms for shoe sales! I am ECSTATIC! I loved selling shoes before, and would simply DIE to get that job. Commission is my best friend, among others - mostly humans with names.

2. Tell -0-Vision - 24, LOST, and the Office are completely up to date in my mind. I still have serious work to do on Desperate Housewives and Heroes, however. And, SHOCKER! The Girls Next Door disbanded while I was away - bummer!

3. Wedding Planner - (yes, that's as creative as I get) The Bridal Shower is this weekend! Favors, invitations, gifts... 

4. Run, Amy, RUN! - I'm building up, slowly, to the half marathon I will be running in January. I'm also trying to cut off a few pounds. Today, I had a dentist appointment; She asked which flavor toothpaste I wanted, and gave me a small list to choose from. In case you didn't know, 'Cookie Dough' is a real toothpaste flavor here. And it is DELICIOUS.

5. Cat-astrophy - Paco, our family cat, has been causing a lot of distress in our family lately. Firstly, after attempting a dangerous leap from cluttered counter top to cluttered counter top, he fell and broke one of his arms (or legs?) earlier this year. Faux-paw- for a few months, he had to wear a little cat-cast. The cast was removed and the wound healed months ago; However, Paco still feels the need to only use 3 legs for walking, and all other endeavors. I've seen him use the fourth without any cries of pain or even the slightest twitch of discomfort. That deceitful little animal.

Anyways, this always arouses concern and amusement from guests, myself included, who find it hysterical to watch this completely healthy cat hobble around like a cripple. 

In addition to this, Paco, after 2 years in this house, has figured out how to use the doggy door, in addition to the Human Door leading onto the porch.  Before discovering the truth of this, my mom posted a sign on the Human Door, declaring "Do not open this door! Who ever let the cat out last night is in TROUBLE!"

Now, throughout the day, cries of "CAT!" echo through our home, followed by the scuffle of feet racing to retrieve the escapee. The first night this happened, we found him in the next door neighbors garage, hanging rather closely to another orange cat that was, to be honest, very handsome. While these escape attempts seem justified, we can only imagine what the other cat will feel when she finds out Paco has been fixed.

5. Shambly Fambly - My sister was in town this week, bringing all of us together again for the first time in a year. We had some great times, including a premature Easter dinner (we won't be together on that day). The dog, Aiden, especially loved the extra attention.

Life is a BEACH!

This past couple days have been amazing, taking me back to the vacation-like feel I used to have for Florida.

Firstly, my new Nikon D60 has provided a lot of entertainment for me. I've snapped numerous pictures that sum up everyday life with my family, and others that are just for laughs. 'The Dad', despite what the picture shows, actually loves ahving me home.

Saturday afternoon, we picked Sarah up from the airport, and drove directly to our hotel on South Beach. From there, Sarah and I explored the gorgeous beach, and toodled around Lincoln Road (a famous pedestrian street in the area) until the sun went down. We ate at a relatively cheap restaurant, though my knowledge of what is cheap/ expensive has been completely skewed by travel. I have no idea anymore what is a good price in dollars, and what is not. To further confuse me, one shop was selling different sized Terracotta Warriors. What kind of sick game are these people playing?!

That night, we wandered around the area with new friends, bar hopping until the wee hours of the morning. A famous club, called Mansion, even had a Britney Spears-themed After Party. Needless to say, I was a happy camper.

Sunday was devoutly devoted to the beach. We spent about 6 hours basking on the beautiful sand; I unknowingly burnt my back to a crisp in the process. I guess China-sunlight is a bit more smog-ified than that of Miami. 

Ah, life is such a beach these days;-)

Home, Sweet Miami

Just a quick update:

I'm finally home, after a grueling (not so much) 24 hours of traveling. Both of my flights were nearly empty, meaning I had the rare opportunity to sprawl out and lay across a row of seats. Not too bad! Arriving home, I both fell easily back into the routine, yet found it difficult to do so in other ways. 

First Meal in the US: 2 bowls of Honey Bunches of Oats and a Peanut Butter-ed English Muffin.

First Activity: Run in the sun!

Second Activity: Lay in the sun!

First Thing I Didn't Expect to Be Surprised At: How  incredibly soft and large by bed here is.

Second Thing I Didn't Expect to Be Surprised At: How my vocabulary has become predominantly British, prompting my parents to frequently question different words I use.

Adjustment I Find Difficult : Speaking English to everyone, and not having to speak Chinese.

Habit I Find Hard to Break: Putting toilet paper in the toilet, not throwing it away in a bin.

Miami is certainly a sight for sore eyes. Gorgeous weather, blue skies, and a wonderful family - I really didn't realize how much I missed them. My sister arrived home for Spring Break last night, and my good friend Sarah will be arriving this afternoon. We are having a girls night and staying on South Beach, experiencing some of the night life that Miami has to offer. 

I've been job hunting like crazy, and may have found a management position at Abercrombie, or possibly serving at a new dueling piano bar close to home. I'm hoping to start work soon, because I have a lot of money to save before my next adventure!

All is well in my life at the moment.  I have been keeping myself quite busy with various activities. Playing with my new D60 camera, catching up on my favorite TV shows, unpacking, and speaking Chinese to a increasingly annoyed family (which, in truth, makes me laugh even more) are just a few favorite time-passers. I'm just so happy to be home - it's been a long 10 months!

Another Trip, Another Goodbye, and Beans Galore

Though living abroad and travel make for some spectacular experiences and an abundance of fun times, it's the ending that makes me question whether I'm cut out for it or not. I genuinely care about everyone that I meet, even those that are not that nice to me, and find it very difficult to say those last words. I have lost a lot of sleep and shed many tears leaving this adventure behind, like each one before. Maybe it's the struggle with the life change as well that brings me down in the dumps. At any rate, Beijing has lost some of it's color and wonder for me on this trip.

Emma, my companion for the next couple days, has never been to China's capital before, so I've put on my happy face (which is not incredibly difficult, as I am accostomed to being regularly happy) and become a tour guide. I can't believe how well I know the city, like getting around by subway, the best places to eat, the most interesting to walk - I get that feeling of "Yeah, I live here" that makes me feel proud and a bit pompous.

Emma set off to the Great Wall today, which left me with some free time on my hands. I did a bit of computer work (i.e. photo organization and Facebook stalking) at the nearest Starbucks, which happened to have free wifi in addition to delicious coffee, before visiting the Silk and Pearl Markets one last time. I met some Americans there, who wowed over my Chinese; it made me feel proud (and, yes, a bit more pompous) to realize that I was, in fact, impressive to my fellow countrymen. Haggling, no doubt, in one of my strong suits as well. I met a vendor whom I recognized from a previous visit (and who remembered me in return), and we played the guessing game with my newly purchased goods. She spoke some English, and, again, wowed at how cheaply I had driven the vendors. This added a few more beans to the Self-Confidence jar, which was already full from the days events.

I absolutely can't believe that I leave tomorrow. 5 months has just flown by! I've learned so much, not only about Chinese culture and language, but myself as well. I've made some great friends, and seen some amazing things. What a wonderful experience to have had!