Monday, February 15, 2010

It was a blustery day...

When the debate rages in my mind about whether or not I will miss Kansas, or how I feel, in general, about leaving everything I've known for the forseeable future, I am always grateful for days like this.

Let me try to paint a picture for you : Kansas, February, skeletal trees and a 20 mph "blustery" wind. So windy that as the air blows furiously around buildings it "howls" and the flurries of snow are thrown violently through the air, not being allowed to land. It almost seems as if the frozen precipitation is playing "Don't Touch the Lava" (you know, that game where you try to get through the livingroom because the floor is made of hypothetical lava..I always lost at that one).The sky is gray and it feels as if it will never be blue again. It is so cold that no amount of layering can actually keep you warm; this weather seeps, trickles, and eventually rips through every layer until you are completely frozen, it destroys every happy thought you dredge up from the back of your mind in order to keep the misery of the cold at bay. In the end, all you can think about is getting back to your abode and curling up in a blanket until you forget what cold is.

So yes, will I miss Kansas? To some degree, I always will. Nothing is ever exactly like the place you grew up in. Memories (or the fact that humans tend to forget the bad ones) really do make the heart grow fonder. HOWEVER, I will not miss the days like today! Bring on the warmth, sun, humidity, and monsoons! Bring on malaria, bacterial diarrhea, tigers, and sharks! Bring on the extraordinarily short men (sadly for me, I am not attracted to men of short stature), different customs, social taboos I haven't heard of, and long hours of work in disgusting conditions!!

I am ready to long for Kansas winters from thousands of miles away. :)

The Frozen One

Friday, February 12, 2010

Malaysia, anyone?

I love how life is not constant!!

I just found out about a week ago that I am now going to be placed in Labuan, Malaysia instead of Perth, Australia. If you have no clue where it is, it's ok because I did not either. Here is the Google link to a map of the small island I will leave from on my way to offshore oil rigs.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl

My new start date has been moved from June 21st to May 23! This means that I now need to start thinking about packing and preparedness waaayyy earlier. If I start May 23rd then I will probably need to leave the United States on the 20th or 21st to get to Abu Dhabi on time. Abu Dhabi is where my OFS-1 (kind of like a company orientation class) is going to take place. It is approximately a 26 hour plane flight to get there. All this really means to me is that I need to stock up on my supply of ear plugs before I go. :) I have no idea how I survived 5 years of plane flights with my sanity before I discovered the marvelousness of earplugs and their effects at reducing baby-noises.

The only sad part to this story so far is that I now have to leave approximately 8 days before my best friend's wedding that I was originally suppose to be a brides maid in. These things happen, though, and I was prepared for the possibility when I agreed to go international/mobile.

Bring on the ADVENTURE!! Tigers and sharks and monkeys...WOOT!