Adventurous Life

Before embarking on the roadtrip, and even while traveling, many of the people who we told about our trip said, "Wow, that's a once in a lifetime opportunity." I know they meant well, but hearing that phrase always made me sad. Partly because I think it's tragic how people place limitations on themselves and their lives, and instead conform to the standards of our cultures. But it also brought be down because I feared that they might be right. That that trip might have been my only adventure in life.

But while we were in Colorado I applied to multiple AmeriCorps VISTA positions, and in Arizona I had a phone interview for one. After we returned to Washington, it was confirmed that the organization had hired me. The exciting part was that the organization is in New York City -- a place I had been only once, for less than a day while we were on the roadtrip. So 5 months after returning from “the trip of a lifetime” I got on a plane (eventually…that’s a funny story) and moved to NYC.

What’s especially cool about this is that before leaving on the roadtrip (by at least a year) I had made a list of things that I wanted to experience in life. Sort of like a bucket list. One of the “goals” was to live somewhere that terrified me (like a HUGE city, or, as I learned on the roadtrip, a ridiculously tiny town) for at least a year. And in July 2011 I accomplished that goal.

I have enjoyed many awesome adventures while in NYC (I'm nearing 2 years here now) and I have many photos to prove it, but sadly Bradellina didn't get out much. So his/her stories are a little less exciting.

A couple months after moving to the city, I joined some newly made friends and one of my roommates on a trip to the beach. Bradellina also decided to join us, and was actually really excited. Unfortunately he/she has a forgetful mother (part of why I should never have kids) and I never remembered to take him/her out of the backpack once we got to the beach. It was probably for the best, though -- he/she burns very easily.