Kunkush

Today is the book release of Kunkush's wonderful journey. Honestly, I cannot believe it has been around year since we found this cat in Greece, created the Facebook page, and reunited this family. This international event really reignited my flame for public outreach and not for profits. Read more about at the links below.

Lost and Found Cat
Reunite Dias Facebook

In March, I will visit this amazing family that I've grown to love from Oklahoma. They are living in a town in north Norway and I cannot wait to see them. As refugees, they are literally starting life anew in a whole different culture, climate and community. I cannot image doing that. My parents did it though and I forget how hard it would be. Not speaking the language and basically learning to communicate all over again.

Here's to the refugees that wanted a safer place for their families and themselves. Your courage and strength cannot be measured. But, your love can be felt from miles away and seen from the stars.

Traveler

We are looking at the end of July folks! My letter states I shall be here in the OKC office until the end. It's actually quite nice to know. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my back and I can stand again!

Still nothing from the Peace Corps. I have been looking in Americorps though. I haven't applied for anything but a lot of positions interest me. I am learning to be patient and wait until I hear back before I commit to anything.

In other events, I just return from New Orleans. That city is so unique and magical. It was such a fun getaway - totally needed. I miss travelling so much. We stayed at Madame Isabelle's Hostel close to Frenchmen Street. It was my partner's first time staying at a hostel so it was a treat for me to experience this with him!

The hostel was exactly what I love about hostels - fun people, great amenities, amazing staff, and a perfect location. We both had a wonderful time and met some individuals from all over the world that we hope to keep in touch with.

We rented a vehicle during this trip which is a new for me. I'm a budget solo traveler through and through so this was a huge deal to me. I was against it at first. 'Everything we would want to see is easily accessible by foot or public transportation! You feel more of a local that way instead of a tourist.'

I'm a traveler, not a tourist. I want to experience, not visit.

The rental didn't turn out so bad. We got to drive to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and see the swamp lands. Drove out further and got to see the riverside plantations with oak trees that were over 300 years old. Experience culture and history on Martin Luther King day around slave quarters. Things that we could do on our own and not rely on a tourism company. The freedom was new to me. And we saved quite a bit when we looked at the cost of using Uber or those tourist vans.

Also, it was hard for me to have someone with me all the time. There is really only one person I can travel with for an extend period of time, my best friend Julie. But those are usually to festivals and we plan so much in advance.

When I do travel with someone that isn't Julie, it's another solo traveler that wants to tag along but has their own agenda. We split cost and just meet up when we want/can. Traveling with your significant other is a whole other experience. It was fun, it was testing. It was exciting, it was exhausting. I think we both learned from this trip about one another.

All in all, New Orleans is a terrific place for history and culture. If you like to drink, it's great for that too! It was worth it to us to get a rental because we love nature. It was nice to get out of of New Orleans as well - we got to met a lot of folks from the big city visiting the countryside and swamps so we gained new perspectives. We felt like we explored more of the culture when we got away from the city center. To me, that is considered an immersive and fantastic experience.

Letters of Clarity

Roller coasters. Technically not one word, but the perfect word to describe the oil and gas industry. Did I mention that I really dislike roller coasters?

Currently, I work in Oklahoma City for a national energy corporation in the land department. The people I work with are fantastic and lovely. I don't dread coming into work. This is not my calling though. I took this position in hopes of moving laterally into the communications department within a year or two. Community relations was the goal. Working with community giving and relationships is a passion of mine.

Now, they are closing down the Oklahoma City office and moving employees to Tulsa. The timing is pretty hard to dismiss honestly. My interest in the Peace Corps grew last summer and it was a itch I couldn't satisfy. When the company announce our office closing, it was the biggest sign. It read loudly:

"HEY MICHELLE, YOU CAN APPLY NOW. LOOK.
THIS IS A GOOD SIGN."

I didn't ignore it. I applied in December. I was so excited! I told my boss and she was truly proud of me. I really will miss working for her.

So now what? Well, I wait to hear back from the Peace Corps. Still waiting for an interview. Since I told my boss my plans, she knew I wasn't planning to move to Tulsa. Tomorrow, I will receive my letter of clarity. This fancy-dancy letter will have my leave date and my severance package details.

If it pans out in the perfect Michelle scenario, my leave date will be sometime in May. I would hopefully hear back from the Peace Corps by then (March 1st is the offer date deadline). My lease ends in June so I can easily negotiate to end it earlier. I will probably travel for a bit but make sure to return home to spend at least a month with my friend and family before I depart in September. 

But, alas, things will not always pan out the way you want them to. Life would be sooo boring. Sometimes, clarity clouds your judgement and passions. A little muck never hurt nobody. If things were always so crystal clear, imagination would cease to exist. What a sad world that would be.

Small Difference

I've been going back and forth on the idea of Morocco - doing research, reading past and current Peace Corps Volunteer blogs and trying to learn Arabic. Granted, I still have no received an interview request from them yet so who knows if I will even get a chance to go.

I spent a good amount of time discussing with friends and family as well. It ranged from meaningful to frivolous.

"Will you be able to shut your mouth? Do you want to really live in the desert? You will get so tan! Kids? I thought you didn't want kids."

At this moment in my life and the foreseeable near future (is that even a thing?), I do not want children. This may change of course -- nothing is set in stone. But the last statement really did hit a nerve.

Okay, so I may not want kids but it doesn't mean I don't want to invest in them. They are our future and with them, we can and will shape the world into a better place. I believe that with every fiber in my being. I want to help build something for them to be able to do these wonderful things I know they are capable of achieving. It hurts me to think some of them aren't able to reach their goals and dreams because of their social and economical standings.

So what does that mean for me about the position for the Youth Development Volunteer position in Morocco?

One blog I read from start to finish (it is still an active blog too!) is about a girl who is in southern Morocco near the Anti - Atlas mountains working in basically a recreation center. She has English class everyday for kids and teaches them about American culture, developed a women's exercise club and is basically around youth all day.

I honestly do not know if I could handle that. Maybe that's the part that I will overcome and learn to love everyday. Even though it's not the big difference I want to make, it's a small difference that may mean the world to these kids.

I'm still having mix feelings about Morocco but it's normal to be scared of the unknown. I think that it is so different from what I was expecting and wanting (Timor Leste <3) that I just wanted to throw Morocco under the bus. And that is not fair. The part of me that wants an interview is gaining way more traction -- that means in my heart, I really want this. I know that I want this.

I want to be able to be a part of the worlds' stories so here's to casting fear aside. 2017, may it be filled with endless adventure and self discovery and to the honesty that I will encounter. Small differences are entirely to one's frame of reference.