Thailand, Spiderman, Ouray

Have been looking at a lot of full time non-profit jobs in Chicago in the past few days. But then an email was sent to me through the Mizzou study abroad program about spending the month of October in Thailand. So that's all I've been thinking about for the past 48 hours. Lots of people so "GO!" Some people say, "Don't." I have been saving my money for a car for when I move back to Chicago, but I want this trip so badly. I mean, I work for a reason right? So I can do fun stuff that I want to do. But I also realize that if I wanted to travel, I could be spending this money on other trips that make more sense. I should go to Argentina to visit my cousin, or France to visit my friend next year. Or I could have gone on my friend's wedding cruise. But the thing is, is that this trip is so convenient. It's through Mizzou which is comforting. It's already organized, so I wouldn't have to buy my flight or arrange for a place to stay or figure out transportation or a guide or anything. I'd be with people who spoke English. When will I get to participate in a volunteer program in Asia for a month ever again?

It fits perfectly into my schedule, because once I get a job, I'll never be able to take a whole month of vacation. Really the timing is just the thing that's pushing me. I don't know if I'll really be able to go to France once I get a job, and I can go to Argentina at a different time, once I save up more money. My cousin will presumably be living there for a long time. It's too late for the cruise and that's in December anyway. Who cares if going to a Spanish speaking country makes more sense. This opportunity fell in my lap and I see it as a good way of exploring another part of the world. I'd be living with Thai people. If I wanted to try to go to Thailand or some other place later, what are the chances that I'd get a homestay.... slim. It's such a good way of absorbing the culture.

It does make me worry a little about finding a good job once I get back. Because I've found some positions I like that are available now, but I don't think they'd hold them for me until the beginning of November.

But knowing myself, knowing how I feel about things, I think I'd really regret not going. I've just thought about it so much, that if I decided to not go, I'd be disappointed for a while and then once October rolled around, I'd think about it again and wonder what it would have been like.

I really want to do it. I don't care very much if it's not something that will help me in the long run. I'm glad I went to Costa Rica, and this seems comparable. But now, after Spain, I'm more appreciative of my surroundings and learning as much as I can. I think this will be a good thing.

Really, my only two concerns are the money and putting off the full time job. Maybe I'll email a few of the places I'm considering and ask them when they'd like the person who fills the position to start. Or maybe I'll just apply to everything, jobs and Thailand, and see what happens and deal with it from there. I think that's what I'll do.

But aside from this adventure, I went to the movies in Winter Park with some staff last night and we saw Spiderman. It was really good. And fun. It was me, Joann, Nicole (a kids counselor) and Ryan and Adam (two Scottish waitstaff boys). It was good to hang out with the Scots. They're really funny and nice. And I've hung out with Nicole one before. We went to breakfast together a week ago. She's from Indiana and just graduated like me. She's really nice and she has a car so she drove us.

On the 4th of July, CLU had a parade for the guests. So Kim and I joined Jennifer at the store and made a float out of a big golf cart. And we won first place! People were a little surprised because the ranch hands' float was pretty good, but turns out they do the same thing every year so we won because they lack originality.

It rained a lot last night with was so great! Everyone was really happy about that.

Oh! And I went on a staff ride yesterday! It was pretty exciting. It was me and four other staff members and Andrea lead the ride. So she knew I really wanted to canter and we got to do it! But for one girl, Megan, it was her first time on a horse, so I was glad she was brave enough to canter on her first ride. But we did a nice long canter and I loved it. I rode Ouray again. And this time he decided to be a bad boy and while we were walking through a field, he decided he just wanted to lay down and roll. So I felt him going down on his knees and I jumped off. See, a wrangler Tami broke her ankle last year when a horse fell on her. It was a bad break and that's all I was thinking about when my horse when down. "NO, CAN'T BREAK MY ANKLE!" But he just rolled back and forth and back and forth and Andrea was like "Kick him!" But I wasn't on him, and he was moving, so how could I kick him?? So finally I managed to grab his reins and pull him back up and I had to mount from the ground, all by myself which was hard. That silly horse. But I still love him. It was a good adventure. Hopefully we get to ride again soon, but we'll see.

Glad about the rain, but we hope for even more!

Sound off if you have thoughts about Thailand.