Wonderful Challenges

Plans for the next phase of my life are starting to take shape.

After much deliberation, I decided to go ahead and apply for grad school, to get my Masters in creative writing (poetry, specifically). While there's still a part of me that wonders if it'd be more practical to just try and find a job that uses the writing skills I already have, I'm really, really stoked on the idea of grad school. I love love love writing and want to develop my skills, be in an academic environment surrounded by a community of writers, challenge myself, and make connections that could help me get involved in some kind of international work. My top choice is still Eastern Washington University in Spokane, and I might apply at Seattle-Pacific University (as well as a couple others), but it (SPU) is crazy expensive and they don't have teaching assistantships. It's kind of weird thinking I'd commit the next three years of my life to something (two-year program starting fall 2010), especially knowing Isaac is in Seattle--closer than Maui, but still would require a long-distance relationship for what feels like a long time.

Of course, there's a large possibility of not getting accepted to school at all, which would make things interesting....

The other exciting thing is applying to Santisuk, the English center in Thailand. It's intimidating to think of going through the process of applying, getting a visa, and planning the timing all on my own, not to mention spending three or four months in a country I know nothing about, teaching classes and befriending people of another culture, but I'm so, so thrilled about the opportunity, and I'm up for whatever it takes. The director asked if I'd be interested in developing my own creative writing class, too, in addition to teaching basic classes using their curriculum!

It's so good to feel motivated by something.... I've seen too many people stuck in the Maui lifestyle--years and years at dead-end jobs, eating out and playing at the beach, never taking the energy or risk required to try something new--and everything in me screams against that. Beautiful, awesome people live that life, and it makes me sad to think they are selling themselves short of something that might be so much more fulfilling.

Oh, did I mention Isaac is coming back to visit? :) I know, apparently he can't make it more than a month without seeing me. ;) It only took him a week or so to register for classes (which start end of Sep.), find an apartment (my DREAM apartment--studio close to downtown, old brick building, hardwood floors...), get a bike, and take care of his GI bill paperwork (dude, the government is generous to those who serve it!), and he found cheap tickets. So he'll be here from the 4th-11th. ALSO I ordered a new laptop, which is supposed to arrive on the 4th. What a good day that will be.