Well, I could blame my long pause in blogging on schoolwork (which would not be completely false), but the truth is... I've been in a pretty bad mood for most of the last 3 weeks, and it was hard to think of something fun and happy to write. But I think I'm slowly gaining perspective and realizing there really is still a lot of good to think/write about, and it definitely helped to get some very good news yesterday (which I'll get to in a minute)!
So why was I in a bad mood? I can't tell the whole story, because you never know who reads things on the internet, but it had to do with a situation at my squadron in AZ. Let's just say there were a lot of changes made without my knowing, my people got the bad end of the deal, and I realized maybe I can't trust someone I thought I could.
I can't remember the last time I've been so angry about something, and I realized that I'm not very good at being angry, haha. Maybe because it doesn't happen very often, I don't really know how to handle that emotion? I don't know, but it definitely cast a shadow over everything, and I struggled to be my usual positive self. But with time and a few reminders of the "big picture", I'm coming back. :-)
Here's one thing that constantly reminds me I have a lot to be happy about:
That's my desk (obviously, I guess, haha)... with all of the cards and pictures sent by my awesome friends and family! If this was Facebook, it would be fun to tag everyone, but I will just say thanks to all of you who have sent me cards, pictures, packages, etc. They are definitely appreciated! I really enjoy the random moments when a certain card or picture catches my eye and makes me smile about what was written or the person who sent it.
There was one very funny moment last weekend, as Doug and I drove up to another base to say farewell to a couple of our weather friends who were heading home. Here's how the conversation went:
Doug (driving): "Is that a camel?"
Me (in the passenger seat): "What? Where?" (scanning the desert to our right)
Doug: "No, in the truck."
Me (confused): "A truck? What truck?" (starting to look for trucks off to the side of the road)
Doug: "No, right there!" (pointing in front of us)
Me: "Holy cow!"
Yes, sure enough, that is a camel in a pickup truck! After my initial shock, I grabbed the camera and starting snapping pics, and got a few with him looking at me. :-) This totally cracked me up... how many places in the world can you have an Audi R8 fly by you on the left (or right, Kuwaitis don't really follow traffic rules), and in the same minute see a camel riding in a pickup truck?!?
So now for my really good news... I mentioned in an earlier post that I was waiting to register for my grad school summer field course. Instead of writing a thesis, I will spend 10 days in a field location working on research with a professor from the university. There were a number of exciting projects to apply for, but my heart was set on the caves and fossilized reefs on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.
A friend who completed the same grad program a couple years ago had gone on this project and had an amazing time, so I have wanted to do it myself ever since. Also, though I'm trying to become a better "tourist" in the US, there's a thrill of traveling outside the continental 48 and seeing new places/things that just does something to my heart I can't explain. So needless to say, with this being the only "off-continent" trip, I wanted it REALLY badly.
Registration opened at 5pm Central time last Monday, Feb 3rd, and the professor coordinating the projects stressed that it was "first come, first serve" unless there were extenuating circumstances. 5pm CT is 2am Kuwait time, so I set 3 alarms for 1:00, 1:05, and 1:10am. This allowed enough time to make sure the internet was working and to run next door to work if it was not. She had told us what questions would be asked in the form, so I typed up all my responses and comments ahead of time, ready to copy and paste. We were allowed to open the form early, so I went to the page and transferred all my info. I opened the US Naval Observatory Master Clock at 1:50am, and stared at it for 10 minutes, watching as it clicked agonizingly towards 5pm CT. When the numbers finally showed 17:00:00, I waited 10 seconds to allow for her clock possibly being different, then hit submit.
And then 10 days of torturous waiting began! We were told we would get our assignments the week of the 10th, but an ice storm closed the university for 2 days, extending the waiting period. On Friday morning, I went to my Crossfit class and got back to my room around 10am. I logged into my computer for my usual email checking and Facebooking during breakfast. When I opened Gmail, the first message was from my professor, with the subject line "Field Course Selection - Bahamas". I screamed at my computer and almost simultaneously started crying happy tears. Good thing no one on my hallway came to investigate the scream, because they probably would have thought I was crazy, lol.
So I'm going to San Salvador Island at the end of June!!! I'm SO excited to explore and "get my hands dirty" doing real field work. And because it would be a crime to not post a picture, here is one I found on the internet. ;-) Can't wait to take my own!
So why was I in a bad mood? I can't tell the whole story, because you never know who reads things on the internet, but it had to do with a situation at my squadron in AZ. Let's just say there were a lot of changes made without my knowing, my people got the bad end of the deal, and I realized maybe I can't trust someone I thought I could.
I can't remember the last time I've been so angry about something, and I realized that I'm not very good at being angry, haha. Maybe because it doesn't happen very often, I don't really know how to handle that emotion? I don't know, but it definitely cast a shadow over everything, and I struggled to be my usual positive self. But with time and a few reminders of the "big picture", I'm coming back. :-)
Here's one thing that constantly reminds me I have a lot to be happy about:
That's my desk (obviously, I guess, haha)... with all of the cards and pictures sent by my awesome friends and family! If this was Facebook, it would be fun to tag everyone, but I will just say thanks to all of you who have sent me cards, pictures, packages, etc. They are definitely appreciated! I really enjoy the random moments when a certain card or picture catches my eye and makes me smile about what was written or the person who sent it.
There was one very funny moment last weekend, as Doug and I drove up to another base to say farewell to a couple of our weather friends who were heading home. Here's how the conversation went:
Doug (driving): "Is that a camel?"
Me (in the passenger seat): "What? Where?" (scanning the desert to our right)
Doug: "No, in the truck."
Me (confused): "A truck? What truck?" (starting to look for trucks off to the side of the road)
Doug: "No, right there!" (pointing in front of us)
Me: "Holy cow!"
Yes, sure enough, that is a camel in a pickup truck! After my initial shock, I grabbed the camera and starting snapping pics, and got a few with him looking at me. :-) This totally cracked me up... how many places in the world can you have an Audi R8 fly by you on the left (or right, Kuwaitis don't really follow traffic rules), and in the same minute see a camel riding in a pickup truck?!?
So now for my really good news... I mentioned in an earlier post that I was waiting to register for my grad school summer field course. Instead of writing a thesis, I will spend 10 days in a field location working on research with a professor from the university. There were a number of exciting projects to apply for, but my heart was set on the caves and fossilized reefs on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas.
A friend who completed the same grad program a couple years ago had gone on this project and had an amazing time, so I have wanted to do it myself ever since. Also, though I'm trying to become a better "tourist" in the US, there's a thrill of traveling outside the continental 48 and seeing new places/things that just does something to my heart I can't explain. So needless to say, with this being the only "off-continent" trip, I wanted it REALLY badly.
Registration opened at 5pm Central time last Monday, Feb 3rd, and the professor coordinating the projects stressed that it was "first come, first serve" unless there were extenuating circumstances. 5pm CT is 2am Kuwait time, so I set 3 alarms for 1:00, 1:05, and 1:10am. This allowed enough time to make sure the internet was working and to run next door to work if it was not. She had told us what questions would be asked in the form, so I typed up all my responses and comments ahead of time, ready to copy and paste. We were allowed to open the form early, so I went to the page and transferred all my info. I opened the US Naval Observatory Master Clock at 1:50am, and stared at it for 10 minutes, watching as it clicked agonizingly towards 5pm CT. When the numbers finally showed 17:00:00, I waited 10 seconds to allow for her clock possibly being different, then hit submit.
And then 10 days of torturous waiting began! We were told we would get our assignments the week of the 10th, but an ice storm closed the university for 2 days, extending the waiting period. On Friday morning, I went to my Crossfit class and got back to my room around 10am. I logged into my computer for my usual email checking and Facebooking during breakfast. When I opened Gmail, the first message was from my professor, with the subject line "Field Course Selection - Bahamas". I screamed at my computer and almost simultaneously started crying happy tears. Good thing no one on my hallway came to investigate the scream, because they probably would have thought I was crazy, lol.
So I'm going to San Salvador Island at the end of June!!! I'm SO excited to explore and "get my hands dirty" doing real field work. And because it would be a crime to not post a picture, here is one I found on the internet. ;-) Can't wait to take my own!
You mean 'holy camel!' :D
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