A Good Year

As I reflect upon my twenty-sixth year on this earth (as my last day at twenty-six, I thought it would be an appropriate moment to have such reflections), I have come to the conclusion that it has been a pretty good--no, a very good--year. This time last year, I was truly dreading turning twenty-six, but it has turned out to be rewarding and fullfilling in many ways...

1. I made a big decision to try something new. The decision to work on the American Pride meant that I had to leave my position at the Zoo. It meant leaving a place I enjoyed and was comfortable being at. It meant doing something I had never done before (work on a boat, but not just any boat--crewing a 130' tallship.) It meant being out on the water for long periods of time (I do get seasick, afterall.) It meant taking a big chance--because I could quite possibly be terrible at the job or be miserable doing it, or hate it even. But I made myself take the chance--when else would I have an opportunity like it again? I am so glad I took the chance, because it was such an amazing experience. My time on the Pride wasn't always wonderful--there was hard work involved, hard lessons learned, and even some tears--but those moments, as well as the great moments, all contributed to helping me grow as a person, both personally and professionally.
2. I snorkeled and hiked and kayaked and slept under the stars all summer.
3. I got a full time job. I like it and am still learning a lot from it.
4. I saw more whales than I ever thought I would or could in one year (fins, grays, blues, humpbacks, orcas--so awesome!)
5. I traveled abroad. Going on traveling adventures--something I always dream about, something I wish I could do more often! It has been a while since my passport has been stamped, and I was lucky enough this year to be able to travel to India for Reshama's wedding. It was a great trip--I witnessed a beautiful wedding, traveled to many wonderful places (wow, I still can't believe I've been to the Taj Mahal!), and met so many neat and interesting people. I was reminded why I love traveling so much--having that moment of freedom; seeing, feeling, experiencing something new; reading another page of the story...

All in all, it has been a good year. Although, I haven't found the love of my life yet. Well, there's always year twenty-seven...

Quote-o-the-day

"I tried to describe impossible things like the scent of creosote--bitter, slightly resinous, but still pleasant--the high, keening sound of the cicadas in July, the feathery barrenness of the trees, the very size of the sky, extending white-blue from horizon to horizon, barely interrupted by the low mountains covered with purple volcanic rock. The hardest thing to explain was why it was so beautiful to me--to justify a beauity that didn't depend on the sparse, spiny vegetation that often looked looked half dead, a beauty that had more to do with the exposed shape of the land, with the shallow bowls of valleys between the craggy hills, and the way they held on to the sun."
-Twilight, Stephenie Meyer

India Pics

My 800+ pictures from India have been narrowed down to a little over 300 pictures. If you're interested in seeing them, check them out here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ressacjane/collections/72157603737516722/

Just wanted to say

That I'm loving the rain. It's been way too long since we've had a decent stretch of winter rain, and this is great. I love how it's cold and gloomy, how everything is damp and fresh, I love listening to the raindrops...

Toilets

This is one sign of several toilet stall options I had when I was at the Tokyo airport. After getting off an 11.5 hour flight, having so many options just to go to the bathroom confused me a little. I literally stared at this sign for half a minute before I realized what it meant. *lightbulb goes off in my head* OH!! It's a butt! With a stream of water squirting it!! Haha. Uh, no thank you, I just want a regular 'ol toilet, no bidets please...

Quote-o-the-day

"I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilization, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints." -Robert Louis Stevenson

Sick, Jetlagged

I am back safe and sound from India! It was another terribly long trip home (although a little shorter than the trip there)--5 hrs from Delhi to Singapore, 5 hour layover in Singapore, 7 hrs from Singapore to Tokyo, 1 hour layover in Tokyo (had some yummy sushi there), then 8 hours home to LA. I came home Monday around noon, tired but feeling okay. Although I tried to stay up and get over the jetlag quickly, I gave in to sleep a little early. Woke up the next morning not feeling the greatest, but went to work anyway because I had stuff that needed to get done. I started feeling worse and worse the rest of the day, until I finally went home early. It seems like the exhaustion of traveling halfway across the world and back, plus the wedding events and tour of India, plus all the bugs that went around our tour group, has finally caught up with me. (At least it's happening now rather than having a horrible time over there.) I got home and went straight to bed, and pretty much stayed there for over 24 hrs. Although all that rest that has helped me recover a little from this terrible sickness, it has done nothing to help me get over my jetlag. It is now 3:30am, and I have been trying to get back to sleep for over 3 hours. Ugh, great! How long is it going to take me to recover?...

Big, Small, Tourist

(Towns, that is.) Hello from India! Wow, I've been gone for a week already, and have experienced so many great things! It hasn't completely hit me that I'm actually here, but I have moments that rush over me, where I'm just amazed that I am standing here in such a foreign and diverse place. The three towns I've been to have been so different from each other. It's nice to be able to immerse yourself in such unique areas and get a little taste of the differences of the country. I started in the booming and bustling big town of Mumbai, then spent a wonderful several days in the quaint and small town of Ratnagiri, and am now in the chaos of the tourist town Goa.

The wedding has come and gone, and what a memorable event it was! (Such a huge event here that it has been all over the tv and newspapers in Maharashtra! Haha, it's been quite amusing to us all.) 3 days of Hindu ceremonies, beautiful saris being worn, wonderful food, and best of all, being able to be here and witness one of my best friends getting married. I am so happy and excited for Reshama and Will! A huge congrats to them!

Although I don't have much time to talk about it all now, don't worry, I've already taken over 500 pictures and still have a week left, so you will definitely get to see and hear all about it!