Bad Decision? Maybe

I've made the decision that I will be applying to grad school for full time enrollment for September, which means I need to get everything together in December with my application needing to be in by January, which really doesn't feel that stressful to me, I don't think the application is that bad. But, it does mean that I need to take the GRE's, which kinda freaks me out. I'm certainly not the best test taker in the world, and there is a lot riding on my scores.

Regardless of how things turn out, I'm taking two classes this spring which will be difficult for me. I'm not a TA, I don't work 20 hours a week. I work 40 hours a week with a 10 hour a week commute. Add in homework and class time, and I'll be booked solid. I did the math, and unless I can find a summer class or two, and I'm not sure how likely that will be, I'll need to take two classes each semester and three classes another one (this includes doing a thesis class over the summer which I think will be possible because I'm guessing that is pretty much on your own).

Super stressed out about it...I've been told by my interim adviser that it isn't possible for me to graduate in two years since I'm working full time, which is actually pretty upsetting. But I'm determined and REALLY want to get it done in that amount of time. My biggest concern? Where in the hell am I going to find the time to write a thesis? I'm picturing myself in some foreign country (maybe I'd go back to my favorite place in the world, Bangkok), sitting on a beach or on a park bench, computer in hand writing an endless amount of pages! That could work right?

I'm Not Scared!!

I'm in the minority. Definitely. I LOVE to travel. I couldn't see my life as being complete without seeing new countries and experiencing people and cultures that are the exact opposite of myself. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, pretty much since I met my husband. We both come from very different worlds. I had a grandmother who loved to travel and spent a great deal of her time seeing the world. She instilled in me the love of all things travel related and when I was younger I loved to hear her stories of the places she'd been.

My husband on the other hand, came from a very different family. They did not travel. In fact, he didn't leave the country until our honeymoon. This was and really still is, absolutely incredible to me. After experiencing the world outside of America, he has been bit by the travel bug, but up until we went to Thailand, he never really cared so much.

This all brings me to my point. I read this article on Gadling. The article talks about why American's don't travel. This is a question I ask as well. Ask around, most American's don't leave the country and I'm not sure why. Any ideas??

Homesick

Is it possible to be homesick for a country you spent only 2 1/2 weeks in??

I miss Thailand, specifically Bangkok. I miss the smells. I miss the people. I miss the food.

It feels crazy to feel this way after only spending a short period of time there....but there was a certain feeling you got from being there, and I haven't had that feeling since. Costa Rica was nice and I'd go back in a couple of years after I feel like I've seen the world, but I wouldn't want to live there. Not enough happening....my life would be sitting on a beach and hanging out, doing outdoorsy things. A week was enough of that! South Africa was beautiful, and I loved every minute of being there. I could probably live in Cape Town, but it was so much like this country. There wasn't enough flair...there wasn't enough of a feeling of excitement there. We would fit in there instantly....

Bangkok was different. We were different there. It was like our lives started fresh and we could just do whatever we wanted. The possibilities were endless. Maybe I'm sentimental because we were just married, or maybe it was because I got sick and ended up in the hospital. I'm not sure. But there was something about that city that makes me want to go back....and soon.