because the future comes a day at a time.

TGITh (because Thursdays = Fridays in my world)!

I'm sitting in the lounge of the PSU gym watching the Nigeria-Germany game of the FIFA Women's World Cup. I'm very excited! Soccer is something that I will always love, and can find camaraderie with any fan around the world as futbol is indeed the world's game.  It's weird to think that last summer I was watching the Men's World Cup from ex-pat bars in Zimbabwe sipping on SoCo and lemonade. How times change :)

I'm fully settled into my life in Portland. Jake and I have resolved our differences, and he's even become quite affectionate! I think, as with most human beings, change can be a scary, unpredictable, stressful thing that can bring out the weaknesses in ones character; even stoic felines. 

The thing is, change in its rawest form doesn't tend to last very long. It's a marked period of fluctuation followed by the establishment of a new routine.  Now that I'm living in Portland, it means waking up, going rowing or studying for a few hours, catching the bus, people watching for about 15-20 minutes, attending Arabic class for the next three hours racking my brain for vocabulary and conjugations, spending a good hour or two at the massive PSU gym and then getting home to throw dinner together before collapsing into bed and doing it all again.

Exciting?

Actually, it kind of is! I even have the weekend Farmer's markets and socializing with friends to spice things up!

Instead of spending another month with my family, I decided to carve our a new space, create a new thread in my life quilt of new adventures. I fill each day to the max because, well, why not?? I have a focus to my efforts here that I didn't when I was home...probably because in all honesty I was too comfortable there. Sleeping in until 11am everyday, watching marathons of NCIS, and having meals become the highlight of my day doesn't make for a productive or happy self. What's more, I lacked the self-discipline to break out of a cyclic blah-ville .

So, I forced a change, and Portland became my outlet.

Portland is a wonderful city, and I've taken a lot of joy in exploring the various neighborhood vibes near my apartment and PSU's campus. I have started a list of restaurants, cafes, and shops, splitting them between my favorites and ones I want to try in the future. I know how to get around the city better than ever. 

Yet even now I'm looking to the next change: Bosnia.  My departure date is only three weeks away...it's totally snuck up on me! Time to crack that guide book that's been sitting on my bookshelf for way too long :)