Obstacles

Well, february is approaching! I had hoped to have better news for you all but as of right now I still do not have a work visa, which means I can't go to Paris yet. It's been quite stressful, lots of paperwork and visiting the french consulate. So at this point I don't really know exactly what is happening. I've kind of come to terms with the possibility that I might not be able to go. It's not ideal but I do love being home and I can make the most out of whatever I end up doing. I am a gypsy and I love the next great adventure but sometimes we have to adjust our dreams. I'll keep you informed, fingers crossed I'll be in Paris by this time next month!! The quote of the day, keeping in the theme, is this:

Life at any time can become difficult: life at any time can become easy. It all depends upon how one adjusts oneself to life. - Morarji Desai

Exciting news!

So I've been a little bit worried because I haven't officially had a contract for Paris and I've just had the word of my recruiter that I've got a position. Which is fine except the closer I get the more nervous I get. What if they changed their minds? All kinds of questions arise. Well I spoke with my recruiter the other day and she informed me that as soon as I have my working visa (dec 28th) and I fax a copy to her, she will be able to tell me my position and start date!! So that's very very exciting! I feel so much better have a little more reassurance. I guess if I think about it from their point of view, they can't just go off giving everyone contracts without proof that they can work in France or else a lot of people wouldn't show up and whatnot. Also, I'm currently typing this from my very own brand new IPAD!! As a vagabond gypsy, large computers arent really on the list of things that fit in my carry-on. So as my birthday/Xmas/going away present, I am a very lucky girl and have received an iPad. No word yet on what her name is but as soon as she has one I'll let you know. Yay!!

Awards

I received a very exciting letter in the mail a little while ago. Sidebar: isn't snail mail just the best?! I love getting postcards and letters and fun things like that, and I also love to send them! Since I've been home I've been over to various friends homes and seen postcards that I sent them from Florida on their fridges. That just warms my heart! Anyhow, back to my letter. It was from Camosun and it said that I won this year's Hotel and Restaurant Co-op Award! How exciting!!!! I'm so thrilled and proud of myself. It's really amazing when your hard work pays off, isn't it?! Awards ceremony is on monday, I'll try to get a nice picture to post! Have a magical day!

Torn

Well it's almost December, I have an appointment with the french consulate to procure my working visa, I'm preparing to move across the world and I'm just waiting for my contract to be ready. It's the most excited I've ever been in my life. And most possibly the most terrified. I'm loving being home and hating it all at once. I absolutely adore my family and have a really hard time living without them, so leaving them is something I'm dreading. The other thing that's really tough is how many amazing friends I have here. The more I stay at home, the more I can see my life as it would be if I stayed here. Leaving my amazing Victoria life will honestly tear a piece out of my soul. However, I have come to know myself well enough to know that if I don't leave I will end up resenting everyone who made me want to stay. I'm in a constant state of delirious happiness mixed with insatiable sadness and restlessness. I have this insatiable desire to see EVERYTHING. When I think about moving to Paris, the mere thought of it literally stops my breath in my chest and makes my heart skip a beat from sheer excitement. As much as I'm sad and scared to leave my life and my loved ones, I know that I would be far more devastated if I didn't leave. It's also been a tough few weeks of loss for me, which I won't get into, but it makes me realize that life is far too short to compromise. I HAVE to follow my dreams and my heart because I owe it to myself to do anything in my power to be as happy as possible, and to sell myself short of my own dreams would be equivalent to dying right here right now. and I'm not ready to die. In short, I am so very ready for my next adventure, no matter how much it will hurt to depart upon it.

Everyday I dream of Paris

Well, as you can imagine, I'm freezing!! Apparently I got really spoiled living in Orlando. Brrrrr. Also, just my luck, they are saying that this will be the coldest winter in 20 years. Awesome. Anyhow, sorry things aren't very interesting right now, I promise that come february I'll have a million wonderful photos of Paris for all of you! There is one interesting thing, I was interviewed for an article for Camosun about Disney and my upcoming opportunity in Paris and it is currently on the front page of the Camosun website. Yup. Little old me. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, here is the link. www.camosun.ca I'm not sure how long it will be up so go take a look right now! It's very exciting actually. I've done some guest lecturing in some tourism classes about Disney and international tourism, which was frighteningly amazing. Somehow I became a grown-up. People take me seriously, it's very unnerving. I have a few exciting things happening soon, one of my favorite friends from the Disney College Program is coming for Christmas all the way from Spain! So that's wonderful. I can't wait to see her! 47 days until her arrival. And in 86 days, Paris. I can't even wait. Sometimes I think about it and get so overwhelmed with excitement I can't even handle it. 86 days.

Winter?

Well it's been a little while since my last post, mostly because I'm home now and I'm in full swing with being back at school and work and riding horses and whatnot, also because non-Disney is so much less fun to write about! I'm getting my condo ready to sell, finishing the last class in my program, and trying to not miss the sunshine state so much. Victoria was glorious the last week or two and then something happened and now it's freezing!!! So upsetting, I'm so cold all the time. Orlando made me a big baby about cold!! My mom and I went on this really cool house tour of 6 amazing houses in Victoria. It was really neat to see, I love architecture and big houses and I'm one of those really nosy people who always wonders what the inside of other people's houses look like. So it was a great little afternoon adventure for us. It made me really think about priorities. Having a really nice fancy house on the ocean really seems like something I really want, in theory. But then I spent the day really thinking about what is most important to me, and I would rather have no home and a passport than a big fancy house tying me to a city. I love travelling and seeing the world. Obviously if I had unlimited capital then I'd buy a fancy house on every continent. But at this point, I'll settle for just getting to every continent. And that's what's important. But gosh were those houses gorgeous!!!

Customs

Well I'm in the Seattle airport awaiting a connecting flight. I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm off again. I'm headed back to florida for a little bit, I'll be back on the island again by Monday. I just have to talk about customs agents for a minute because I think they don't get enough credit. Everyone complains about them but I love them. I've never had a bad customs experience. Even today, I was selected twice for random extra screening and all of my customs agents were great. The first one joked and laughed with me and we had a lovely time. I think that they have a job that sometimes sucks but if you are happy and co-operative with them, then in my experience they are the same way with you. Call me crazy but I always have fun going through customs. And I got a special screening test today that I've never had before, they wiped my hands with a gun powder residue pad and then scanned it!! It was just like CSI, I was so excited!!