When We Last Left Our Newly Arrived International Vagabond...

She had just landed in this country and was attempting absorption into America/Boston/'Real Life'.

This nomadic seeker had just taken several steps on the path to commitment - a phone with a contract, a handsome but gas-guzzling car, and a job... or two. Now comes the next step, an apartment for which I will be responsible to pay $425 a month. It is a nicely situated 2 month sublet (with option of leasing) in Somerville between Porter and Davis. I am thinking that I will have to shift to Quincy, but I'll try this for two months as I train at Starbucks.

I have been somewhat incommunicado as I scramble(d) to piece together a somewhat stable life as a recently returned citizen. Between Peace Corps medical testing and a lack of funds I have had my tolerances tested on a daily basis but I can never forget how blessed I am to have had the opportunities in my life that I have. Once I feel (this is all subjective you know) more grounded and less anxious I will reach to all of my friend and family who I have yet to be in touch with. I dearly want to spend time with each of you and I'll find a way to make that happen.

Its a strange thing going from one world to another in the span of 2 days... I now have a life bursting at the seams with things to do, a far cry from my time in Fiji. I have bills to pay and food to make. A job to go to and money to earn. I can appreciate the sense of drive and purpose that has been restored in my life. I missed having a "To-Do List." That said, I am also still overwhelmed by grocery markets with their harsh lights and crowds, and unfathomable amounts of objects for consumption. I'm trying to establish a happy medium between indulging myself in consumer bliss and maintain my understanding that material goods will never be a source of contentment.

Right now, I feel like I will have to leave at any moment. Each time I sign a contract or make a promise I wonder how long I will remain here in this area/country. Part of me feels drawn to exploring and seeking and other parts of me want nothing more than a stable life near my friends, with commitments, leases, and daily routines. The current plan involves me school for several years and then hopefully engaging myself in a job that will allow me to globe trot for a few months at a time doing international development work.

Well see what the Universe thinks of that idea.