Direction

Okay. I know this is somewhat in advance, but I feel like I should at least have an idea of what I want to do and where I want to go once I graduate from college.

Top ten five cities where I want to live after graduation:

Des Moines, Iowa - Yeah, I know I'm basically already living in Des Moines and its only two hours away from home. But let's be honest here... it's a great city and I wouldn't mind sticking around for a while.

Seattle, Washington - I've actually had Seattle on my mind for a while now. I don't really know that much about it, but I think it would be nice to move to the other side of the country and experience life from a different point of view, at least for a few years.

Denver, Colorado - I absolutely LOVE Denver. There's not one thing about it that I dislike. Honestly, if I can find good housing and a job, this will probably be my first choice place to move. There's just something about the mountains and nature-y feeling that I love about Colorado in general, but then Denver is one of the cleanest cities in America, which is great. Definitely a plus.

Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Minnesota - Minneapolis is kind of busy, but I really like St. Paul. I was actually there last weekend and the parts that we were in were just so cute. You still get the city life but it
doesn't feel overwhelming.

San Francisco, California - I don't know a whole lot about San Fran either, but I've never been to California. It just seems like their way of life is something that I could get used to.

Thoughts and Reasonings

Okay, this is it. I'm finally starting a blog. Maybe people will find it interesting and actually read it, maybe not. Its ultimately for myself; to organize my thoughts. The biggest reason for me to start a blog is to keep friends and family updated while I'm abroad for four (yes, FOUR!) months in Tahiti. 

Seriously, words cannot describe how I am feeling about this extraordinary opportunity. Obviously I'm ecstatic and giddy and what have you, but then there's this underlying feeling of fear, or something like that. I've been abroad before, but it was only for about a week and a half, and we were in Europe. There's something about Europe that's a little more comforting- like I already know just enough about the culture that I'm not so uncomfortable about visiting. However, I'll be in Tahiti for four months, like I mentioned. At this point, four months seems like a long time. Who knows what will happen here in Iowa while I'm gone, or what changes I'll make physically, spiritually and emotionally while I'm away. I know little to nothing about Tahiti at this point, other than it's a tiny speck in the French Polynesia region, and that their official language is French. Hopefully the prep course in the fall semester at Simpson will prepare me at least a little bit (but hopefully a lot) more than I am now for my semester abroad.

Its strange, I'm already feeling like I need to start packing and getting my things together, even though I don't leave until January 8th, 2014. Maybe I like planning ahead just a little too much. ;)