"Are you going to start blogging again?" The question Mom asked me this week as I ooed and awed on the phone with her about a weekend trip to Pinnacles National Park. Thinking about it now, I honestly don't know why I stopped. While I did start this blog as a way to share my experiences abroad in Australia, it doesn't have to stop now that that experience is over. While I was there, this blog became a creative space for me to share photos and reflect on my experiences, something I still want to be doing. So I apologize to my loyal readers (aka Mom). I am back, a month and a half later, with a solid chunk of new adventures and cultural-readjustment to fill you in on, with a special new tab in the menu dedicated to this new adventure.
Being back in the US has been a whirlwind. I was home (for what feels like a mil-a-second) in December to catch up with friends and family before hopping on a plane for my next adventure to a place that holds a very special place in my heart. San Francisco. SF was my first solo adventure when 2 years ago I moved across the country for my first internship. During that semester, I found my passion for exploring new places and the reward of putting myself in new/scary/unknown situations. Having the opportunity to come back here 2 years later, 3 internships smarter, was an exciting one. This time I am working in the heart of the city for a marketing firm called Grow Marketing. A bad ass, female run agency that kills the experiential marketing game (if you don't know what experiential marketing is, give it a quick google, super cool stuff). I am living in Lower Haight, which is in the perfect location, with some awesome roommates who are as eager to explore as I am. My weekends have been full of new adventures and new places. From exploring the coast with my Dad, to Maddy (one of my oldest friends) coming down from Canada to visit, to road-tripping down to SLO to visit Jess, to hiking in Muir Woods and Pinnacles National Park, it's already been one adventure after the other.
Side blurb: While I am so happy to be back in SF and back on the West coast, it's been interesting readjusting to normal life, or should I say 8-5 office life. Reverse cultural shock hasn't been as bad as I was expecting, though you bet your booty I yearn everyday for the adventurous promises of a semester abroad and the amazing landscapes of Australia. But I have been struggling with the looming stress of what the future holds. Before studying abroad, Australia was my direct future. It was what I looked forward to since my 2nd year of Uni. Now here I am, post study-abroad with 1 internship and 2 semesters left of school thinking, what comes next? I know I don't have to have it all figured out but sometimes its hard not to get caught up in a deep hole of WTF (what the future). If money wasn't an issue I immediately know the answer to what I want from the future. I would live in new countries and cities and travel the US and Canada exploring every National Park. I would fight for the outdoors and use photography to document everything and share stories of far off places to inspire change and hope. Every one of my dreams and desires stems from a deep love of adventure and the outdoors. However, finding a way to do that while making a living is a puzzle I have been struggling with for years. So with this semester I pledge to find a way to make the future I have always dreamed of a reality. To do research and ask questions, to be honest with what I want and not settle for anything less that what is going to make me happy. If you have any tips - send them over!
Here are some pics of the past 4 weeks (musing continued after):
5 sunsets, 8 coastal views, 4 hikes, 6 stops to stare at the Golden Gate Bridge, 1 Women's March, 3 weekends of adventures, 4 new roommates, 1 new job, 2 sandwiches on Dutch crunch, 1 road-trip, 1 National Park and a heck of a lot of memories later, here we are SF Round 2. While I am still trying to get back in the flow of everyday life, I know that if I take it one day at a time I will be able to figure out this wild thing we like to call life and what I am supposed to do with it.
Cheers - keleniak
#heckyaSF