Hi everyone!
Just here for a quick two-year update and hopefully to restart writing regularly (well, let’s be honest– semi-regularly). As most of you reading are family, I’m sure the news that I have boyfriend (Hi, Paul) has spread faster than the news that I’ve moved to Oman (Paul’s still putting up with me, don’t worry). But let me just catch you all up and help preserve my memory:
I landed in Muscat, the coastal, breezy capital city of about 1.5 million just in time for the New Year. I’m here on a Boren Fellowship, which funds US graduate students to go abroad and study languages deemed critical to national security and that not enough Americans (government employees, anyway) know. So that’s basically any language except for the Western European ones. You’re probably wondering why I’m not learning Polish. Maybe I should be. I could have applied, but the way my career path is hopefully headed Arabic will be more of an asset. But don’t worry I haven’t given up on Polish! It will happen one day.
Anyway, I applied for this fellowship in January 2021 to go to Jordan from January – December 2022. After all the ups and downs with Covid and global case numbers, by the time November rolled around cases in Jordan were too high, but I had the option to switch countries and programs to Oman. Which I couldn’t pass up! So here I am, in a beautiful, quiet country taking intensive Arabic courses, enjoying the warmth, living in a city by the beach (both firsts for me!), and loving life (though missing you all).
I’ll talk more about my classes and adventures in Oman in future posts, but for now: What else has happened in these crazy last two years? After I returned home from Namibia abruptly, I applied for a few graduate programs. I received a Coverdell Fellowship (fellowships available to returned Peace Corps Volunteers) from Kennesaw State University in Georgia, so I took the free education option and enrolled as an online master’s student in their International Policy Management program. Which I have LOVED! It’s so great being a student, and such a switch from my undergrad courses. My professors are great and I’ve gotten to work for two of them on various projects related to human rights, the Middle East, NGOs, and refugees.
I stayed in Pagosa at my parent’s house for most of this which was so great. One night after having enough wine, however, I signed up for Hinge, an online dating app. A few weeks later, some kid named Paul who went to Bayfield high school (small world!) shows up and we haven’t been apart until now. On our second date we went on a “weekend” visit to Big Bend National Park that turned into an 8-day road trip and a relationship. Two weeks later we found ourselves in Costa Rica. Paul is in law school in Montana, but spent the summer interning for a federal judge in ABQ, so we split our time between there and SW Colorado. The end of the summer took us on a three-week trip to Europe and back to Montana, where I spent the fall. Let’s just say I’ve found my adventure buddy.
Also, I think all of you know, but Iza got married! It was such a perfect fall day in the mountains.
I think we’re all caught up now… I’ll just share a few more pictures of my last overseas adventures and from my few first weeks in Oman. Love and miss you all!
Second (and 3rd/4th/5th…) Date Road Trip with Paul
Costa Rica:
Euro Trip 2021:
Montana
Last Road Trip of 2021
