All Too Accurate.

I like ThoughtCatalog. It is my homepage. It is new, engaging, relevant writing.

And more often than not, there is something about home, or homesickness, or sense of place.

This post is all too accurate, and worth a read:

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/going-home-away-from-home/

<3

Storms, Ghost Stories, and Tractors

I woke up two nights ago to a house-rattling crack of thunder. Then there was the lightning, and my lamp was flickering on its own (it was off). There wasn't that much rain, but I forgot how big and loud storms are here.

Yesterday I woke up and the same storm was going on. My original plan for the day was to go to Burlington with a bunch of friends, and with the weather we debated it, but decided to still go.

The timing worked perfectly - we got to Burlington with very little rain, and then managed to avoid the dark clouds/tornado warnings we were unaware of.

It was great to catch up with some of my friends - hearing college stories, work stories, military stories.

One of my friends is engaged, and although the wedding is still pretty far off, we went with her to look at the dress she is thinking of. It is beautiful, but the whole thing just reminded me that we are adults now, technically. While college is still a protected sphere, to the world, we are grown-ups.

Then we got one of my other friends from work, went to Panera, and wandered the Church Street mall.

On the way home, they decided it would be a great idea to tell ghost stories/myths. It is 10PM and dark by this point. Not the best idea.

Today I went to Montpelier to set up my phone (more adult things!), read 7Days in a coffee shop, and just walked around town a bit.

Little reminders I am home:

Tractors driving in the road
Nature
     especially the mix of blue sky and green leaves
Speaking of sky - the size of it. It goes on forever. And the clouds
Talking to cute VPIRG volunteers about clean energy, tattoos, and India

<3

Memorial Day

I try to keep this blog fairly non-political. But be forewarned, this post veers into the slightly political.

Today is Memorial Day. A day to commemorate those who have served, those who are serving, and those who have lost their lives fighting for our country.

I have the utmost respect and appreciation for those who serve in our Armed Forces, for their sacrifice and dedication.

I have so many friends in the service and every time I see them I can see how much stronger and confident they have become. That they are. They are some of the people closest to me, and they are simply amazing. I believe in them.

That said, I wish we lived in a society where war wasn't such a necessity. Where we didn't have to send so many to fight and die for things that seem so trivial when juxtaposed with the lives they cost.

Today, I am saying thank you for your service and sacrifice. To be safe and stay strong.

I am also promising to fight in my own way to try to create a society where all of this violence would not be needed.

<3

How I've Changed

Some observations from others and myself.

I am more assertive.
Willing to stand up for myself.
I am willing to snark back (this is a Good Thing in context.)
I am more confident. I think it has something to do with the hair.
I am also more laid back about time. I can sit and do nothing, which I had trouble with before.

<3

Panteria

This weekend was Panteria, a local event that I haven't missed since I started fighting in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). It was the most laid back event I have been to. Our camp was small, but very relaxed, which is what I needed.

We got there later than planned, but not by much. Packing for the event included such questions as "Where is my helmet?" "Where is my auth card?" "If I were my fighting tunic, where would I be?"

Once we got to the site, we set up the pavilion uneventfully, and hung out with my household.

(I am aware this next part might get me disowned :) )

I didn't really fight. In all honesty, I debated whether or not to bring my armour. So on Saturday I walked around, and sat in camp, looking at the sky and the trees. I did manage to do a round of thrown weapons, but it was nice to do nothing and know that I didn't have anything else I should be doing. I needed the calm and the nature and the sun.

Sunday I geared up for the woods battle, in my gear for the first time since last Pennsic. Things set weird, though I figured out that I didn't gain the freshman 15, because my armour still fit. I had a different pair of fighting shoes that slid as I walked though, there were a few other pieces that needed adjustment, and really, I wasn't motivated to do anything I didn't need to. So I stayed in for 2 rounds, and then stopped fighting as more people showed up.

What this weekend did do was re-spark my desire to train and fight. I am researching practices that (hopefully) exist in NYC for the summer.

Saturday was also the beginning of the epic squirrel battles. There was a cute little red squirrel who really liked our bread and tents. The little squirrel also worked in conjunction with a brave chipmunk. I think they won, because we left out bread for them.

Something I really like about SCA events are the conversations. The stories. I haven't seen many of these people since I went to school in the Middle East. The most common question I get is 'What is my favorite part about being there/going to school there'. My first answer is always the people I meet - my classmates, who all are such extraordinary people, and then the random connections - a woman in a painting class who can read the tattoo I have in Tamil, who is from Kerala and knows who Gurukkal is. My second answer is the travel opportunities. Though I am always brought back to why I travel, and what I want to do with travel as I talk to an SCA member who was a PeaceCorps volunteer in Africa.

Stories also remind me of chivalry, and the seven knightly virtues. These are the stories we forget, but that we shouldn't. They are important.

I managed to not get injured fighting, but instead hurt my thumb playing volleyball at a potluck.

Sadly, this is my only event this summer due to scheduling and commitments. Which makes me sad, because my household and friends in the SCA are another family to me.

<3

Travel Adventures

And now for some of the inevitable adventures that come with traveling.

First, my name is mis-translated on my UAE visa - it isn't written as pronounced in English, which led to the border guys questioning if it was me/my passport.

That was not helped by the fact that my hair is short now, and therefore radically different looking than all of my passport pictures where it is long and in a ponytail.

I am also not sure how to explain to a US airport guy why I am studying theater in the Middle East after a 14-hour flight. I am not at my most articulate. My answer ended up being something along the lines of "because the people are awesome?"

Also general travel/airplane tips:

The JetBlue terminal at JFK is awesome. Food is good. Reading is good. Naps are good. Also, emergency exit rows are pretty awesome - there is so much more legroom. And yes, if something horrible happens you might have to open a door. Worth it.

<3

7,000 Miles Later

I am back in the US for the summer. Have been for about a week at this point, and so thought it would be time to recap the end of the semester/beginning of summer.

Due to schedule conflicts, I am still not done all of my courses - I am completing one by writing a 25-30 page paper that is due over the summer. However, I can be very stubborn, and I had finished all of my other papers four days before my flight out of Abu Dhabi. Because of that, I wrote a draft of the paper before coming home for the summer, so I just have edits to do on that.

I also managed to pack my life into 2 boxes, 2 suitcases, and a backpack. Books are going to be a problem in the future.

Said the 'see you later's inherent to a school of nomads, and hung out in the evenings when I couldn't bear to write anything more on the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. In that time, I played board games, which got fairly competitive. Important to note: I won one of the games of Settlers of Catan. This is so important because it was the first time that someone other than Jordan won.

Fourteen hour flight home, uneventful. I watched movies, and napped. Had a six-hour layover at JFK, but since I was flying JetBlue, they had a nice waiting area. My connecting flight got delayed a bit, but I made it home. The connection won't be as bad in the future because they are re-routing Sachi and I through Chicago instead of JFK from now on.

Then, home.

Stars, darkness, silence, trees, grass, dogs, a new donkey, my own bed, hugs from family, relaxing on porches, waking up without an alarm, do-nothing days, driving with music blaring, wind, stormclouds.

I went to see the spring production, and worked at the Ultimate Frisbee tournament, taking photos of the games. I miss playing. I hope I can find/make some pick-up games over the summer.

I also visited my high school and caught up with my old teachers...

"You survived!"

"I thought you would be more tan."

"You loved it right? I told you you would love the Middle East!"

(I'm studying theater) "Are you ready to be a waitress?" (Not as an actor) "Oh, then you'll be fine!"

(I'm studying theater) "I wondered about that. You were always more creative - it makes sense" (As compared to political science)

"Welcome home."

...As well as hanging out with some of my friends during their free block. I even went about this the legitimate way, by getting a visitors pass. Helped the GSU plan this year's Day of Silence (I know, it wasn't on the actual day. But it is a miracle that it happens at all, even with the compromises we've had to make).

Caught up with one of my best friends, Beth, which was awesome and crazy, as always. Today she and Kendall came and we talked for a while.

It is good to be home for a while. Good to be in the US, where things feel a bit more stable/make more sense. Good to slow down and reboot after a hectic year.

It was weird - when I was packing and even at the airport in VT, it felt like Christmas. The weather in Abu Dhabi was the same just hotter, and it felt like I was only going home for a breath before it was back into the chaotic busy-ness that is NYUAD. Then, I registered the spring/summer colors and feel to the air, and it felt like summer break, that I wasn't here for a breath, but will have time to catch my breath.

NYC in 1 week, 3 days!

<3

P.S. I can now add lawnmowers to the list of things it would seem as though I have broken, a list which mainly consisted of microwaves before this point. Still, aside from the one in Abu Dhabi, I hold that the rest were coincidences.