What’s Real Lately…

What’s real lately…

is that I’m leaving for Morocco in less than two months.

As my friend put it last night, “I feel like you’ve just been talking about it, I can’t believe that you’re actually going to leave.” Ain’t that the truth.

I’m not quite sure that I’ve wrapped my mind around the idea of what being gone for two years will be like. I don’t know if that’s something I even can figure out, or if I want to. How I feel about leaving often depends on the day. Sometimes I feel trapped, like I’m waiting in limbo before I can start the next chapter of my life. Other times I feel deeply sad at the thought of all the things I’ll miss.

Despite this, my day to day life continues to operate as normal. I try to live each day as best I can, and that’s all I ask for.

What’s real lately…

is that I’m so excited for my upcoming domestic travels. In late February, I am going to Big Sur with my Mom. Known as a haven for writers like Jack Kerouac and Henry Miller, I can’t wait to hike, read, relax, explore, and write my heart out.

Following that trip, I’m going to Las Vegas for a few days in early March with some friends. I used to spend about a month every summer in Vegas at my Grandparent’s house, but I haven’t been in years. It’ll be an “interesting” trip to say the least.

What’s real lately…

is that I’ve been reading some fabulous books. Last week while snowed in, I finished East of Eden and The Hunger Games series. I loved both for very different reasons, but I was able to glean from both of them a sense of triumph for good over evil, and the resilience of the human soul.

Currently I’m reading a novel called The Caliph’s House, recommended to me by several future PCV’s who I’ll be working with in Morocco. It follows the hilarious misadventures of an Afghani-Anglo man who uproots his family to Casablanca in the hope of renovating a beautiful, but decrepit old home. The hilarity ensues as he must try to divorce his western mindset in order to make sense of the workings of Moroccan culture. I’m really loving it…

What’s real lately…

is that I really want a panini maker. One of the odd idiosyncrasies I’ve garnered in my post grad, pre-Peace Corps life is a desire for all things domestic. In September for example, I bought a table cloth. I don’t even own a table.

Of course the idea of buying a panini maker seems silly now, since it’ll just sit in a box for two years but I can’t help it. On Friday, I had a delicious panini at The Mandolin Cafe in Tacoma. It was grilled to perfection and filled with zucchini, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and a chipotle mayo sauce. I don’t even like mayonnaise.

Le sigh…my dabbles in panini making will have to wait.

What’s real lately…

is this article: How To Be More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps).

I like the cartoons!