This time I haven't traversed any oceans; I moved to Arizona. And I left my huge leather-bound notebook on the bookshelf in my bedroom in South Minneapolis, MN. Blog. I'm apprehensive about having one, because I'm not sure I'll continue writing in one. I had one or two of these, back in middle school, when I cared desperately about sounding creative and intelligent in my one-or-two-paragraph ramblings and, looking back, I just sound retarded. Then again, I didn't use the word 'retarded' back then, so maybe I was onto something.
I guess if I don't write in this blog, I can always delete it. Or leave it to rot in the vast cyber-graveyard of forgotten and abandoned websites. Where my other blogs all rest peacefully.
When I moved to Kathmandu, there were some things to get used to. The language barrier, the way people ate, slept, went to the bathroom, the way they got around, socialized with one another... there was the new currency and particular Nepali-specific mannerisms I learned over time. It was different, but it was so different that it was almost easier to adapt. I had been expecting to adapt.
Some other things I had been expecting:
-I was going to do my thing for a year, and then matriculate at my college of choice, New Mexico's College of Santa Fe.
-I was going to have a 14000 USD renewable scholarship. Effectively paying over half my tuition over four years.
What actually happened is that the recession hit, and my college fell under some financial strain. In February, too late for my to apply anywhere else, they notified me that I had no scholarships because I likely wouldn't be attending their school in the fall.
So I moved to Arizona, instead. My mom lives down here. She used to live in Minneapolis, but then she lost her job, and had to relocate down here in order to take a new one. I moved down here because:
-Once she gets residency, I'll be able to pay less tuition to go to the University of Arizona next fall.
-My horse, Cody, has very advanced and painful arthritis... the weather down here is better for him.
My heart is still sort of set on the College of Santa Fe, but I guess we'll see how that works it. In the meantime, while I wait to have AZ residency, I'm living with my mother and sister at home and taking classes at a local community college.
When I moved to Arizona, I hadn't expected to have to adapt. But there are some things to get used to here as well. There's the climate, in the literal sense. It's September now, and every day is around 96 degrees and sunny, because the sky is much bigger here. There aren't enough clouds to stretch from horizon to horizon. The other climate is figurative. I'm a liberal teenager from Minneapolis. I haven't travelled much inside the US, and, having grown up where I did, I'm realizing now how completely sheltered I was. I know that there are people with opinions that conflict with mine, but I never expected so many of them on one college campus. People I meet keep surprising me by sticking disappointed "...but she was a liberal"'s on the end of their sentences when describing someone they spoke to earlier that day. The young Republicans are a pretty strong presence on campus, and yesterday one of my classmates declared loudly that the morning-after pill kills babies.
I was so shell-shocked. Maybe I shouldn't be? Maybe I should be blogging about it instead.
Furthermore, today I discovered that the cute hipster guy I'd been eyeing in my Environmental Biology class believes in Intelligent Design. No disrespect intended, I mean, believing in a higher power is ok by me... but... seriously?!
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