Keeping heads above the water and feet into the shoes

The last few weeks of Christmas break were probably some of the most eventful of the entire semester. Not surprising, considering it was my birthday, people had started moving out of houses and villages and it was coming down to when we would all have to say goodbye to the people who weren't coming back. Suffice to say, I did a lot of crying and realized who some of my best friends were, because they were the ones making me laugh and letting me cry on their shoulder. There was one friend in particular, Sarah, who I wasn't ready to part ways with, but we both agreed we'd meet up again in Istanbul to teach. Although, my plans change so often that who knows, by the end of July I might be teaching with her in Eastern Germany. Or Austria. Or Sweden. Maybe Thailand? Sooner or later, I'm sure I'll figure out what I want to do, but for now I'm apparently country-hopping.

While I was home for break, which was a much better decision than going to India since I got to see everyone I missed and love in Austin and Denton, I got worried. I was home sick for weeks last semester and as soon as I got home I wanted to stay, but then that voice showed up again. Some of you know the one. It's the voice that says, "Is this it?" The voice that got me in trouble all through high school for doodling pictures of Tahiti on my notes instead of taking notes. The voice that had me taking a 3 week road trip with my parents to look at schools in Canada. The same little voice that had me hopping on a plane to fly here to the Republic of Georgia.

I realized while I was home that it might never go away. I will always want to go somewhere else, I will always feel like my bones are being pulled towards far away places that I've never seen. I told myself it wasn't necessary to get a job and settle down, but I never realized it would become so obvious that I might never even settle down to a country. At least not for a while. Some of you reading this are probably thinking, "My god, she's never coming home!" But that's not true. I'll come back to visit. I'm just too in love with the idea of waking up, looking out the window and seeing something different every time. I want to see landscapes I can't capture on film or with words. I want to go places! (I also need to stop reading Dr. Seuss, because that might be giving me some crazy ideas.)

Anyway, with all that in mind, from now on this is going to be about what I see through my windows. Cars, trains, buses, hostels, houses. Anywhere I go, I'm going to take a picture from my window and tell the story around it. I've never given myself structure with this blog before, which is partly why it was so difficult to update. What to talk about? Where to begin? Now at least I'll have a jumping off point, so hopefully it will go better. Wish me luck!

Picture: The view from my bedroom window three days before I flew out. Those mountains? That is why Georgia has been worth my time. That and the amazing kids I teach, of course.

Title: "Window Blues" by Band of Horses