My One Year Anniversary

Can you believe it? It has been a full year since I moved back to the USA. I don't know if it feels like I just moved back yesterday, or if it feels as though I have been back in the States for years.

In one year my sister was accepted to Alvin Ailey (her audition was on 12/12), moved to New York City, got her learner's permit, transferred to Joffrey Ballet School and moved into a dorm room (without parental supervision) in Greenwich Village.

In one year my brother graduated from college, got an awesome job, moved to Wyoming and somehow became a grown-up.

My other brother, in one year, worked his tail off, spent his 13th summer at camp as a counselor and started going back to school.

My father moved to Abu Dhabi.

My mother has cleaned out the basement and the attic, replaced the roof, visited her three children in new homes and I'm sure I'm missing things...

Wilbur lost 7 pounds.

Tupper started eating a new brand of dog food.

As for me, I have lived in NYC, Saratoga Springs, and Madison. I worked in an amazing bakery and as a cabbie for models in Manhattan. I dabbled in online dating and snagged myself a fantastic boyfriend. Yes, friends I have boyfriend. I have a wonderful job that I am enjoying more and more every single day. I ran two half-marathons, raised a lot of money for Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, turned 25 and got bangs.

As I mentioned earlier, on one hand I think oh my gosh, has it already been one year? But on the other hand I can't help but think, all of this stuff... it's only been one year?

Happy 12/12/12!

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Happy Aaron Rodgers Day!

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Happy Hump Day!

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Happy Anniversary!

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Whatever you are celebrating, happy day to you!

 

Me? I'm celebrating wonderful memories from abroad, great opportunities in the US, and fantastic friends all over the world.

I'm a Lucky Girl

I could sit for hours and list all of the things I am thankful for, because there are a lot. But while I spent Thanksgiving in Iowa City with one of my best friends and her family, I realized what I am most thankful for (after my Christmas Pandora station). I am thankful for my loving family and amazing friends I have around the country and the world.

This answer feels like a "duh" answer, but there is so much more to it.

Three years ago I spent Thanksgiving in Thailand, probably eating pad Thai, with one of my best friends. Two years ago I spent Thanksgiving with absolutely wonderful people eating tacos in Khon Kaen. Both years I was surrounded by great friends, most of which I am in contact with on a regular basis.

Last year I spent my Thanksgiving in New Zealand. Oh what I would give to be in Paekakariki again... For Thanksgiving I was spending time with new friends and catching up with family members that I hadn't seen in years, all while eating delicious food.

This year I was in Iowa City with another wonderful group of people. When I moved to Madison in June, Cait invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Actually, now that I think about it, I may have invited myself, but either way, I knew I would be in Iowa City.

Cait's family welcomed me into their home, fed me a delicious home cooked meal on Wednesday and reminded me of the wonderful times that are to be had around the dinner table. While I watched her brothers pick on each other, and then Cait, and then all three children laugh at Grammy for a ridiculous nickname she recently created, I couldn't help but laugh. I got a side cramp from laughing so hard. At the same time, I was jealous. I wanted to laugh with my family.

The next morning we all ran the Turkey Trot (minus Grammy) and came home to coffee cake and the parade. Cait and I spoke to her parents and Grammy over coffee before taking our time getting ready for dinner. In the early afternoon we walked to the house next door and joined Cait's family and friends for a Thanksgiving feast for 40.

After dinner and a tryptophan daze I asked Cait what she was thankful for this year. She said, "I'm thankful that my grandma is here." My heart hurt just a little when she said it. She then asked me the same question. I told her, "I am thankful for the wonderful friends and family I have. This is the fourth year I haven't been with my family for Thanksgiving, but I am always with amazing people. And I know that no matter where I am in the country or the world, I will have someone to spend my Thanksgiving with, and that makes me really happy. I'm lucky."

What I didn't tell Cait is that since I have lived in Madison I have been invited to five different Thanksgivings. Five different and new people in my life have been kind enough to invite me to Thanksgiving, and that is a wonderful feeling. I am thankful for that.

Yesterday I drove to Milwaukee for the afternoon to see another friend from Thailand. I was once again reminded of the great people I have in my life and the friendships I have been able to maintain throughout the years.

Next year I want to be with my parents, my siblings, and my Ellie for Thanksgiving. I want to sit around the table and laugh at jokes and memories that I know. I want to write on the Thanksgiving tablecloth. But, I also want all of my friends to be there. So without my parents' approval, I am going to put out an open invitation for everyone to come to my house for Thanksgiving next year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fancy Phones Change Friendships

I have spent enough time back in the US now to make, what I feel to be, appropriate and unbiased observations.  Yes, when I first moved back I had a hard time transitioning.  Ask anyone and they would confirm that every other word out of my mouth was Thailand.  Instead of "Mr. Sopelak said..." it was "in Thailand...."

But now, I have moved on.  I still love Thailand and miss it, but I am unbelievably grateful and happy to be back in the US.  That being said, I have a bone to pick with, well, a lot of people.
What is it with people and their phones?!  Ahhh!

Yes, I bought myself an iPhone, as I assumed I would, but I really don't think I am addicted to it.  The reason I believe I can say this is because it is so obvious to me that most of the people in my life are.  I am going to be honest and say that none of my friends are important enough in their jobs to have to check their emails every thirty seconds.  Sorry, but it's true.  And, if the email needs to be checked, it probably doesn't have to be done in the middle of the story I am telling you.  Or, while we are walking down the street.  Or while we are eating dinner.  None of us are that important.

I am guilty of checking my email too frequently, and I know it's only because I can. I know that the Banana Republic, amazon.com and West Elm advertisements, promotions and sales will still be there in a few hours, but I check for them regardless.  I check my email while I'm watching television, or waiting for the subway, but not while I am having a conversation with someone. I cannot stand that my friends choose our face to face time as an appropriate time to check their emails! If it is that important, or you are that important, excuse yourself. All it takes is a simple, "I'm sorry, I need to check for an important email. Oh! Here it is. I am going to quickly read and respond." That wasn't so hard, was it?

Then there is the facebook thing.  I love a great facebook stalking session just as much as the next person, but every twelve seconds?  How much could have really happened?  Did someone just comment on a photo?  Or update a status?  Or "like" something? Ahhh! Must. Know. Now! Really? You don't need to check your Facebook that frequently! How about we have a real conversation and take some photos of our real life interaction. Then, you will have something new to add to Facebook.  I know, I'm just talking crazy now.

But my number one telephone pet peeve is the texting. Oh. Em. Gee. The texting.  I have never been a huge fan of the texting.  I was in Thailand when I think texting really blew up.  I clearly remember driving home from the airport on my first trip back to the States in the fall of 2010.  My mom was driving and I borrowed her phone to get in touch with a few of my friends.  I called Dave and left him a voicemail.  I told him that I was back in the area for two weeks and would love to see him.  As soon as I hung up my mom said, "ummm... we don't really do that anymore."  I felt as though I had missed part of the car's conversation while I was leaving a voicemail and asked, "don't do what?"

"Leave voicemails.  Everyone just texts now."

And there it was.  I was thrown back into America with the slap in the face that I was behind the times technologically. 

For those two weeks and every other trip I took back to the States, I kept on calling.  I wasn't going to give in.  I love hearing a person's voice.  I love hearing their reaction and sarcasm and knowing what they meant by something, not wondering how a certain response was supposed to be taken.

I like to think that I have continued to keep up with my original goal of calling, but it isn't all that easy.  Now, I do understand that texting has its purpose, but I cannot stand text conversations.  If we are going to go back and forth a hundred thousand times, and misunderstand each other at least 500 times, can't we just call?

But the worst, literally the worst (quoting my cousin Mike right there... it has become a family joke) thing about texting is that people are always doing it.  Texting is fine when you are alone, sending a quick message or figuring out where people are, but not okay when you are with other people!  If you are spending time with me, for goodness sake, please stop texting all those other people!  No wonder the rate of ADHD has risen 28% over ten years! {source}

Everything we could ever want, need, dream or hope for, and more, is right at our fingertips in our telephone!  One conversation is no longer enough.  Now, we can talk to someone, play a game with someone else, text another person, poke another, wink at a fifth person and comment on another person's status all at the same time!  And I didn't even mention tweeting!

Okay, I'll get down off my soap box, pick up my iPhone and tweet about this blog post, proving myself to be a complete hypocrite, but I'm not with anyone right now, so I'll still consider myself to be the exception to the rule.

Don't stop tweeting, blogging, Words with Friends-ing, poking, Facebooking, emailing or  even texting- because I'm not going to- just don't do it while I'm trying to have a conversation with you, please!

Six Months

Six months ago I moved back to the US.  Crazy, yeah?  Yeah, I think so too.  So much has happened!  So much has changed!  But, one thing hasn't changed.  I haven't stopped missing Thailand.

In honor of my six month anniversary back in the USA, here is my video.  You should probably watch it again.

Letter to me

When I had lived in Thailand for less than a year CIEE, the program I went through, held a writing competition.  I submitted my story about spending Songkran with Bri.

You can read the story here.

I didn't win, but when you google me, it is still the first link that appears.

Now, there is another competition.

I had ignored all of the emails from CIEE until yesterday, for some bizarre reason, and today is the deadline.  The competition is to write a letter to your former self, giving advice regarding the time spent teaching abroad.  I couldn't pass it up.  As soon as I read the requirements my head began racing.

Here is my submission:

Dear Meaghan,

First of all, you are awesome!  Going to Thailand?!  Good for you.  Your two friends backed out, but believe it or not, it was for the better.  You’ll learn so much alone.  Secondly, while it will be a pain, you’ll be grateful you cleaned out your room before you left.  Mom will appreciate it too. 

Onto the nitty gritty stuff.

The first few days are going to be rough.  It is hot.  Hotter than you could  have imagined.  And the dress code is far more conservative than seems appropriate for the temperature.  Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.  In two years you will catch a chill when it dips below 75 degrees.  Oh, yes, you will stay for longer than you planned.  The family will understand.  It will be worth every second of it.  

You will quickly find your stride in the classroom.  The culture is far more challenging.  And the language?  Are you kidding me?  But, believe me when I say, it will all get easier.  Your best friends will be Thai people.  And you will speak Thai.  I promise.

Always wear your helmet on motorbikes.  When Paul pressures you to buy a humongous helmet with a jaw protector, listen to him, it’ll save your life.  Yes, you will be in a motorbike accident.  You will be driving.  And you will have a passenger.  You’ll spend some time in the hospital, but both of you will be okay.  You will have scars.  The accident will be a blessing in disguise.  Because of it, you will be home to see your grandfather just before he dies. 

Befriend the students.  You’ll learn so much from them.  They will be your best language teachers.  They won’t mind if you mispronounce words.  They will teach you Thai the same way you teach them English.  You’ll have a moment when you realize that you are doing a good job.  Keep up the good work.

Play kickball.  The entire school will fall in love with it!  It does wonders for the English Program... and for you.

Travel.  I cannot stress this enough.  The six-hour bus ride sounds long?  Deal with it.  The beaches are incredible.  Your time in Thailand is limited.

Leave when you know the time is right.  Not only won’t it be easy, but it’s going to be really, really hard.  You will cry.  Your friends will cry.  But you will see Thailand in your dreams for months to come.  The decision is the right one.  The trip home will seem like the longest 30 hours of you life.  Your mom and sister will be at the airport, and you’ll cry again.  It’s sad.  But it was so, so happy.  And it is something that no one will ever be able to take away from you.

Good luck.  You’ll do wonderfully.  

PS- Look in the mirror when you arrive at the airport in Bangkok- mascara and tears don’t mix well.

PPS- You’ll get an awesome job in four months!

And here is what I would have added, had it been appropriate, and had I been given more words to play with:

You will love drinking whiskey.  Whiskey and soda water, mmmMmmm, it tastes good just to think about.  You will also drink beer with ice cubes.  But, don't you dare pull that move back in the States.

Befriend the teachers.  And be careful.  Two teachers will betray you.  It will hurt more than you have ever been hurt.  You'll consider leaving Thailand, but won't, and it is the right decision.  After a very long time the three of you will be cordial, and that will be the extent of it.  It's okay, you are stronger because of it.

Beer Olympics is an amazing idea.  Your costume is quite impressive.  You won't win, but it will be one of your favorite nights of all time.

Christmas eve of 2009 will start a lifelong friendship.  He will change you.  You will change him.  You will both cry when you say goodbye.  Don't fret, you'll see him in the US.

And The American After School Program?  It's a pretty genius idea, if I do say so myself.  Run with it.

Moving back to the US will be harder than going to Thailand.  New York City will be scary.  Not finding a job will be even scarier.  Everything will work out.  Just give it time, and enjoy the ride.

Love, meaghan
 

Nerd Alert

Last April, I came home from Thailand for 5 weeks.  It was a planned trip which allowed me plenty of time to decide what to pack.  The catch was: my sling.  When I was flying home I still had a broken collar bone and three broken ribs, so I was rockin' a baby blue sling.  With one arm incapacitated (I could hold things in my hand, like my passport, or a drink, but not pick anything up), I had to strategically plan my packing.

I wanted to bring lots of things home.  I knew I would be moving home at the end of the year, so I wanted to make the trip as productive as possible, bringing as much home as I could.  With only one good arm, this was a challenge.

I ended up boarding the plane with one 23- kilogram bag and a purse.  And, yes, my bag was exactly 23 kilograms.  I have a pretty impressive knack for packing bags exactly to the weight limit, and never over.  It started when I was moving back and forth to Tulsa, but I have perfected the gift over the years.  The perfect example was the cruise.  My one checked bag weighed 49.5 pounds.  It's a long way from my days of packing for two weeks in one teeny tiny backpack, but I have already addressed that issue.  Don't judge.

The days of packing for two weeks on my own.

The days of traveling for a week with my family.  Yikes.

Let's get back on track.

I went home with one suitcase and a purse.  I was only carrying my purse onboard, so I decided to leave my computer in Thailand.  I knew I would be at home and I would have access to my family's computer, so I didn't think twice about it.

When I returned to Thailand, and booted up my little computer, I immediately noticed a difference in battery life.  Sitting in my closet for five weeks didn't do the battery any favors.  My computer seemed to be unable to hold a charge at all.  It was very, very frustrating.  One of the beautiful things about owning a laptop is the ability to take it where you want, without worrying about it.  I used to take it downstairs, outside, to friends' houses, to coffee shops and never think twice about the power cord.  Well apparently, my laptop didn't like hanging out in a closet, and was rebelling against me.

I thought that the battery issue would pass with time.  But, I'm a computer idiot, and I was very wrong.

When I came back to the States in December I watched with envy as Garvey and Chip went for what felt like days without plugging their computers in.  Silly, sling.

Garvey made fun of me for my lack of battery life, and judged me as I frantically ran to get my power cord before my computer died again.  He went into my Utilities folder and opened System Profiler, something my computer idiot self had never opened.  He looked at the Power section and laughed.

"What?  Only 300 life cycles?  Poor condition?  That sucks."

Well, thanks for that, Garvey.  As though I didn't already know I had problems, you had to show me how to constantly check how serious my problems are.  That's awesome.

But, here is my moment to redeem myself.

Since that afternoon in Arizona I have been nursing my battery back to health, to the best of my ability.  I allow my computer to fully charge, and as soon as the green light clicks on, I unplug it.  I allow my computer to die, and then I plug it back in.  A month and a half later, and it looks like my hard work is paying off!  Last night I checked my System Profiler, and my battery's condition is Fair!  No longer, do I have an extremely sick battery in "Poor" condition.  No, siree.  My battery is just a little bit sick and in "Fair" condition!  Woo hoo!

Green light on?  Time to unplug!

2:47 after unplugging it for a few minutes?  I'll take it!

Read it and weep.  (I nearly was weeping last night)  Condition: Fair

Nerd alert.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

A more fitting title would be, "Meaghan, I have a feeling I'm not in Thailand anymore," but there isn't a youtube clip to go with that one.  

I went for a run this afternoon, and it became blatantly obvious that I'm not in Thailand anymore.  If I hadn't already noticed that I'm not in Khon Kaen, this run made things very clear.

I started running in Khon Kaen as a way to tire Manao out before I went to work every morning.  Then, I really enjoyed it.  And for a while, I felt as though I was rockin' it.  I was running six mornings a week, with at least three of those mornings involving 7.2 miles in 1 hour and 6 minutes.  I knew everyone that ran, they all smiled, waved and gave the me the thumbs up or counted on their fingers with every lap I finished.  Then, life happened.  I had a terrible sinus infection, then the accident, then the traveling, then the move, and here I am as slow as ever.

My run this afternoon really put things in perspective for me.  For one, I was passed.  By Thai standards, I was pretty quick.  And by New York standards, I'm a joke.  But, my speed is not the only joking matter anymore.  Let's break down what I realized on this run.

lululemon spandex with discreet zippers and strategically placed reflective material: cool

vs.

Reebok pants that are in the limbo phase between being spandex and being sweatpants: not cool

Tech shirts in fluorescent colors that breathe and wick sweat: cool

vs.

Hooded Alma College sweatshirt from the Champion outlet with imperfect screen printing: not cool

Running because you are fast and good looking: cool

vs.

Running because you want to be fast and hope to eventually look good: not cool

Clearly displaying your iPhone, and most likely listening to Pandora as you run: cool

vs.

Clipping an iPod shuffle to your shirt and jamming to B Spears: not cool

(But I think I win this one- no one wants commercials while you are running, and Britney is my number one motivator!)

Black and/or neon colored sneakers, preferably Adidas or Nike: cool

vs.

White, teal and gray Mizunos that are comfortable and very supportive for my knees and back: not cool

(Also, I think I win this one as well.  My back feels good and I love my sneaks.  LOVE them!)

But, no matter how silly I looked running along the East River, I had an incredible afternoon.  Just look at these photos, how could I not love running here?  

I can run to see the Statue of Liberty!  That's awesome!

Hi, Brooklyn.  Last night was fun.

I'll be back on the river tomorrow, probably rocking a very similar outfit, but loving every second of it.

I miss Paul

When I visited New Zealand I was going through a very tough time.  I was leaving Thailand, knowing that I had only 48 hours left with my best friends for more than 2 years.

Jennifer and I talked a lot.  She could clearly see the internal demons I was fighting.  I was struggling with emotions from all different continents, corners of the world and different relationships.  The first thing she addressed was the issue of Paul.  And to be perfectly honest, I don’t know if Paul reads this blog or not, but either way, it won’t change the story.  

Jennifer first asked me what the real relationship was between the two of us.  So, to clear the air for all of you wondering, (I like to pretend I have people following me out there) we are best friends.  From the moment we began spending time together, Christmas eve of 2009 to be exact, we were instant friends.  Something between us clicked.  We understood each other.  We understood each other’s sense of humor, and at times, lack thereof.  There was something about us that worked.  From the moment it happened, I was thrilled.  Yes, I had Koreana in my life, and living right next door nonetheless, but I craved male friendship.  I had spent the majority of my life having a male best friend, and I missed it.  Throwback to the years in grade 4 and 5 with Garret, 7 and 8 with Joey, 10, 11 and 12 with Kareem and Devin, university with Drew, and Dave when I would come home for the summers... Well, you see the pattern.  I always have a male best friend in my life.  And yes, while in the past I have had some trouble with mixing friendships with attraction, I have always had man friends, and I am still in contact with all of them.  

So when I arrived in Paekakariki and Jennifer said, “tell me about Paul” I responded as I would to anyone: “he is my best friend.”  

I told Jennifer a little about him, how we first met, where he is from, etc.  And for those of you who don’t know, he is from New Jersey.  Yes, as my mother said in her loudest, and most motherly voice, “you went all the way to Thailand to meet a boy from New Jersey?!”  Yes, I did.

After I finished the basic explanation, Jennifer waited, allowing me to finish my thoughts, hoping the silence would coax me to continue.  When I didn’t she asked, “is that it?”  I think she, just like everyone else in my life, thinks that he and I have had something more than just friendship going on.  She eventually broke the silence by saying, “well, from reading your blog, he clearly plays a huge role in your life.  I thought there was something more there.”  (Jennifer, please forgive me if I have misquoted you, but this is how I remember the conversation) 

She was right.  Jennifer was completely right.  He did play a huge role in my life.  He was my best friend.  He was my coworker.  He was my drinking buddy.  He was the owner of my Manao’s dog friend.  He was my business partner with the after school program.  He was my exterminator.  He was my Didine- eating, movie- watching companion.  He was my moving company.  He was my taxi company.  He was my voice of reason.  He was my voice of immaturity.  He was my everything.  Nearly.

Coming back to New York was thrilling.  I was beside myself when I was able to see Kareem again.  My eyes welled up with tears when I saw Devin.  And Dave, well, he made a few inappropriate comments, I blushed and told him he was embarrassing me, and we were back right where we had left off.  Now all of these boys are short phone call or text away; I don’t have to dial internationally, use precious minutes and  hold my breath for the off chance he may pick up the telephone.  But with Paul, I have to do all of those things.

I’m incredibly grateful to be back in the States and close to so many of my friends and family members, but I still miss Thailand.  And I still miss Paul.

Unfortunately, there are zero photos of the two of us.  So here is a dark, blurry and cropped PhotoBooth photo.  

We have better photos of our dogs than we do of ourselves.

Things I learned while living in Thailand- Part Fifteen

I love me some sniffers.

When I first moved to Thailand I noticed that people would have bizarre white plastic sticks in their noses while traveling.  Busses, song teaws, tuk tuks, or just hanging out, there were white sticks hanging out of their noses.  Occasionally, a person would simply pull the stick out of his or her pocket, take a whiff, and put it away, but they were everywhere.  Koreana and I couldn’t figure it out for the life of us.


After lots of questions and some 7- 11 research, we figured out the mystery.  Sort of.  The plastic sticks are called “aromatic inhalers.”  They are usually peppermint, and Thai people believe they will cure just about everything.  Vertigo, stomachaches, headaches, motion sickness, and boredom, these aromatic inhalers are the cure-all.  And, when Koreana and I realized that every single Thai person suffers from motion sickness, the inhalers made a lot more sense.  But did Koreana and I ever purchase inhalers?  No way.  We were content enough knowing what was dangling from the locals nostrils, we didn’t need our own.

Jokingly, I bought a few inhalers for Garvey for his birthday last year.  And, the rest is history.  He immediately became obsessed with the sniffers, as I have learned to affectionately call them.  Soon, I was shipping the sniffers to my other siblings, and a second shipment went to Garvey.  I realized I needed to see what all the hype was about.

They are great.  You know that smelly neighbor on a bus?  Take out a sniffer!  Someone nearby farted?  Sniffer time!  A stinky local fish market?  Open up that sniffer and take a whiff!  

Heather forgot her sniffer at the market!

Garvey came to visit last Christmas, and while he won’t admit it, I am convinced that he brought a second (and mostly empty) suitcase just to fill it with sniffers to bring back to the States.  Heather also became a huge sniffer fan when she came to visit, and she bought a large variety of colors before her flight home.  And when I experienced some stomach trouble in New Zealand, it was the sniffer to the rescue!  


When I arrived home Erin immediately asked if I had brought her any new sniffers.  Shoot.  I meant to spend the last of my Baht on sniffers at the airport, and I completely forgot!  It looks like Paul will be bringing an extra suitcase back in April!