Catching up - a new year, new name and new blog design!

Hello my faithful readers:

I've been quiet of late - my last post was nearly 5 and a half months ago now!  Wow what a difference a few months makes.  It's really hard for me to believe that I spent the last year living abroad and seeing the world. The year away changed me indelibly.

The reason for the silence has mainly been as a result of me processing this sudden change in my life.  I'm living at home for the first time in about 10 years.  The first month and a half were torturous for me - although I was happy to be home, surrounded by my family, I wasn't quite sure of how to  deal with living with my parents.  Especially after having lived alone for almost six years.

I also feel slightly guilty because I haven't done much to explore my hometown.  Nor have I tried to re-connect with childhood friends.   It's as if I'm in a weird holding pattern, waiting for my life to start.   I have to say that my parents have been very supportive of me through this phase - they are indeed a blessing to me.

Although they have been supportive, I must admit that initially there were a quite few squirmishes with my parents.  Sometimes they still happen, but I believe it's a normal part of life and growth, etc. My mom has accused me on more than one occasion of being arrogant.  I think it's simply the fact that she doesn't get my snarky sense of humor or that I am not afraid to voice my opinions on issues and I refuse to let her make judgments (or statements) in my presence that I don't agree with (as I would have a few years ago).  I challenge her a lot more now mainly because my view of the world and of people is a lot more open-minded than it was even a year ago.  

My dad and I used to have regular stand-offs about who would do the dishes.  I hate doing them, but since I'm living here pretty much rent free of course I pitch in to do them.  I prefer an alternating schedule, at first I got the impression he thought I was the hired help.  We had a discussion about it and came to an understanding, now things have improved a great deal.  

I've also started to cook more than I probably ever have in my life...it's a creative release and gives me something to think about other than the fact that I do not have a job. The initial adjustment period was rough, but after the first couple of months I finally managed to settle into a groove.  

My day typically starts with me waking up, catching the morning news shows, then I work out for about an hour at least five times per week (mostly weekdays).  The working out has become necessary because here in my hometown no one walks anywhere;  here everyone drives for even the shortest of trips.  I was starting to gain weight at an alarming rate and I decided that I needed to get working out or turn into Miss Piggy.  I also realized that I have absolutely no will power when it comes to all of the cakes, cookies, candies and unhealthy foods that my mom keeps buying. 

In order to make myself slightly more competitive in the job market - I'm working on learning Spanish, since I have a lot of time on my hands.  I'm watch Spanish TV (normally a 2 hour block of what has become my latest obsession La Fea Mas Bella the mexican version of Ugly Betty) and use Rosetta Stone about one hour each day to learn.  I also recently ordered a few grammar books from Amazon.com that I hope will help me with some of the finer points of conjugations and word order.  

I have to say that when I first started with just using Rosetta Stone alone I didn't feel like my comprehension was all that great, but now that I watch the show daily throughout the week - my comprehension is a lot better. My next goal is to start speaking the language with a few more of my native Spanish speakers friends.  

The major focus of my life is job searching.  I tend to spend a lot of time researching the companies that interest me, industry trends and people that I should network with. My search started as this really narrow project and now I'm starting to broaden out and try to think a little bit differently about the way that I'm looking.  The one thing I noticed was that there are lots of jobs that seek people who can speak Spanish, my biggest motivator for learning the language.  

A few weeks ago I took a two and a half week trip out to San Francisco to have a few informational meetings with some of the companies on my target list.  I also met with a few who weren't on my list.  Ironically most of the meetings were made because of my friends helping to connect me with some of their friends and colleagues.  I found most people in the SF Bay area were quite generous with their time and offered me wide ranging advice from info about the job market, which companies were hiring, recruitment cycles and what to expect lifestyle wise if I were to move to San Francisco.    

The trip out west and returning home made me realize that I need to live in a major city.   My hometown isn't small by any means, in fact I'm quite impressed by how far it's developed since I was growing up here.  I felt at home in San Francisco.  I felt like I was waking up from a long nap.  There's something, a special energy about living in a metropolitan city.  Being in San Francisco also made me think about returning to NYC.  I'm open to the possibility now that I've been in San Francisco for a visit, because although I loved San Francisco, I realized that it's no NYC.  And I miss NYC. A lot more than I'd care to admit.

That's the update for now.  I'll try to blog more often...although most of my thoughts happen on Twitter where I have lots of little 140 character blogs daily.  :)   Thank you as always for reading.  I didn't mention it before, but the blog has a new name and design.  What do you think?

Mwuah,

Georgia Peach

Where are you from?

Hello my faithful readers:

I'm back in Istanbul again and I have to say that Turkey has been a blast. It's a lot different than Greece, but overall the people I've met (in Turkey) have been just as nice (as the Greeks). Since I've been on vacation the first question that I always get asked is "Where are you from?"

It became a running joke for Oksana and myself because it almost invariably is the first question out people's mouths when they saw us. I'm exotic looking (read: I'm black) when compared to the other folks you saw walking around in Greece & Turkey. When they realize that Oksana and I were traveling together they express surprise and immediately try to figure out why an American is traveling with a Russian!

I especially love it when the pushy vendors trying to get us into their restaurants, rugs or souvenir stands try to start up conversations by speaking to me in French or Portuguese to get a reaction. I have observed that here in Turkey they are likely to start with French instead of English when addressing me. I'm sure they think that I'm either French or African (from a french-speaking country) although one guy in Greece started speaking to me in Portuguese at first.

I've even started to ask this question too because let's be honest, it's the easiest ice-breaker there is when you're meeting someone new. I've met some of the nicest people from around the world on this trip including: Australia, Canada, Greece, Germany, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey and yes even the US. Hopefully we'll keep in touch - I exchanged information with a lot of the people I've met.

I'm here in Istanbul solo for the next two days. This morning my travel buddy Oksana headed back to Belgium to attend our graduation ceremony. I won't be attending the ceremony because the scheduling didn't work out for me, but as of Monday I'll officially have my MBA. :) It's also the day I head back to NYC for an overnight layover until my morning flight home to Georgia.

This trip has been magical for me - I really have loved every single moment both here in Turkey and Greece! When I get back to the US, I will have to hit the ground looking for work. But for now, for the next two days, I'll focus on savoring the last few moments of my vacation! Enjoy the pics of some of the people I've met while along the way!

It's time to lose some weight...

Hello my faithful readers:

This morning I'm sitting here on the patio of my bungalow and realizing that my life is pretty freaking amazing. I wake up pinching myself everyday that I've the opportunity to travel and see the world when so many are suffering right now. I'm currently in Paros and I think this will be a laid-back place for us after the frenetic sightseeing in Athens and the festive party atmosphere of Mykonos.

So far Greece has treated me well - all of our accommodations have been solid. Our room in Athens wasn't as spectacular as I'd hoped, but if that's the worst thing we'll experience then it was still fine –I loved the hospitality I was given there.

I'm also starting to feel much better now that I'm kicking the cold or bug I started getting in Athens. Yesterday I got a little over heated (too much time in the sun) and I started to break out in hives again, but today I'm clinging to the shade, avoiding direct sunlight and covering up my skin so that I don't melt like the vampires in "True Blood."

I’m also learning a lot about not getting so attached to my material things on this trip – at every location I’m leaving something behind simply because I have way too much luggage for all of the moving around we’re doing. We have been lucky with our transfers from the ferries in Mykonos and Paros, because our hotels picked us up and dropped us off for free. If I had to carry all of my luggage on public transportation - it would be absolutely horrendous.

The motivation behind the shedding of my seemingly unnecessary belongings is my superstitious hope is that if I leave something behind, eventually I’ll return. I’m mostly happy that all of the things I’ve left behind have been on purpose (I’m known to leave very important things unintentionally).

Now the only thing I have to do now is make sure I don’t weigh a million pounds by the time I leave Greece. So far the food has been good and I’m making my way through all the Greek desserts as well. I'll have fun trying them all though. It's worth every pound I'll gain. :)

Mwuah,

Georgia Peach

On the road again...

Hello my faithful readers:

The past few weeks where a whirlwind of activity for me. I barely had time to think, much less update in any detail what was going on for me. My twitter feed gets a lot more updates on my life because it's only 140 characters and I don't have to spend a half hour thinking about what I want to say there. Now I before I head out for another day of adventures I figured it would be good time to share some of my current thoughts.

I've finally completed all of the requirements for my MBA program at Vlerick. This year has been one of the best years of my life and as I spent the past few days in Leuven saying goodbye to all of my new found friends from the program - it was a bittersweet moment for me. I was happy that the hard work was over, but I realized that as a result of the work ending I won't be seeing and talking my friends everyday like I did when we were in class.

I've mentioned it before, but most of my learning this past year has been through random conversations with my new friends from the program. We've shared our thoughts on topics as diverse as business (we were MBA students), politics, healthcare, travel, love and life. I'll miss these moments full of laughter, great stories and fellowship most of all.

Now that I've packed up my little life in Leuven, I'm on a whirlwind adventure through Greece. Yesterday was my first full day here and I have to thank one of my classmates Orestis for all of the great advice he's given me for my trip. The hospitality of the Greek people has been amazing. From the moment I arrived at my little hotel everyone has been more than helpful. I've NEVER had so many people on a trip offer their phone number for me to just give a call if I needed help with anything or even just wanted to meet up for a trip. I LOVE IT HERE!

Yesterday on the walk up to Acropolis I also met a few Americans who were living in Europe. One young lady is studying here in Greece until December (she's from Utah). I also met a cool young woman who used to live around the corner from me in Bedstuy and is currently living in Paris. I'll try to post a few more blogs during my 20 day odyssey as I head to Mykonos, Paros and Santorini (in Greece) and Istanbul and Cappodocia (in Turkey).

Now I'll try to figure out how I'm going to survive moving all of the luggage I brought with me. I have the feeling that a few pieces of clothing will be sacrificed for the sake of lightening my load by the end of this trip. I'll be moving around a lot with my classmate Oksana, who is joining me later tonight!

Mwuah,

Georgia Peach

All good things must come to an end

Hello my faithful readers:

My Giving Back Project for School of Life (SOL) International Foundations in Roatan, Honduras is drawing to a close and it has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. For the first time in a long while, I feel that my work will actually be used and will make a real difference to the organization I’m helping.

Yesterday in the morning we had a meeting to discuss the comments and suggested changes for the plan we submitted to SOL last week. We submitted a comprehensive plan covering the areas of action (activities and operations), financial, fundraising and marketing. Our entire group met with Dave (one of the SOL founders) and Andrea (our project advisor). I was delighted to hear that they liked our suggestions and would be presenting it at their upcoming annual Board of Directors meeting.

After our morning meeting we went out for a glass bottom boat cruise with some of the SOL kids in the afternoon. It was a pleasure seeing the excitement of the youngest kids as we floated by all of the exotic sea creatures at the bottom of the sea.

I’m happy that I came to work on this project. Being here has made me appreciate some of the things I take for granted on a daily basis like constant internet connection, hot showers and even shoes! The one thing I won’t miss is all of the mosquito bites!

I’ve also had a lot of time to reflect and although if you were to ask me today where I think I’ll be living come October, all I could tell you is where I don’t want to live. The great news is that I have started to write down my goals through the next year and a half. I intend to write out my more long-term goals before I leave the island. After today’s meeting I added one more thing to the list --I want my work to be used and appreciated in my next job. I can’t tell you the number of times I wrote tour and festival strategies at my last job that went unused (and probably unread).

The experience here in Roatan has been challenging, lots of fun and something I hope to never forget. We’ll get out of here a little earlier than anticipated and I’m thinking about the air-conditioning, hot showers and constant internet connection waiting for me in my next destination (I'm leaving early and will be visiting my family and friends in Georgia for the weekend)!

As always thank you for reading and for posting your comments! I love hearing from you.

Mwuah,

Georgia Peach

Trust yourself

Hello my faithful readers:

I’ve been here in Roatan for exactly two weeks now and it feels like so much longer. The word to describe how I’ve felt in the last day has been languorous…it’s impossible not to relax when you’re semi-disconnected from the real world. Even the sun poisoning and the resulting hives I’ve been dealing with have decided to chill out (but only a little bit, since I still have them).

It’s not as if I’m not working while I’m here in Roatan, as we’ve actually done quite a bit of working on our respective plans for our project. I’m responsible for the marketing plan and we’ll deliver the full plan for review to our project advisor on Tuesday. But even with all of the work we’re putting in – Roatan has such a relaxed vibe that I’m enjoying sort of just going with the flow of things.

One of the things that I’ve had the time to think about a little bit more is the whole – “I’m- graduating-from-my-MBA-program-soon-and-I-haven’t-really-scratched-the-surface-of- job-hunting-at-all-issue.” Alas, the beaches of Roatan make me want to become a beach bum and travel the world in search of endless paradise. Would that be such a terrible thing?

Coming into the MBA program was my opportunity to learn more about the world. I’ve done that, and I’ll continue to do it as much I can, but I realize that in some ways one year was not remotely enough time. Learning is, in my opinion, a continuous process and I’ll cycle through being the student or the teacher (as determined by the situation).

The one major lesson for me this past year was that as an outside observer –it’s easy to think the grass is greener on the other side. Sometimes that other side of the fence has weeds or infestations of bugs that you couldn’t see from your side of the fence though. Yes – it’s an old lesson, but I’m hard-headed and I needed to learn this particular one on a much grander scale.

But I’m happy to have learned this lesson again, because looking at things from my neighbor’s side of the fence gave me much needed perspective on my life. I’ve discovered some things about myself that I have to improve in order to become a better me, as well as some things that are working well for me.

The one thing I’m working out for myself now is what balance means to me. I’ve always heard that life should be balanced, but what exactly does that mean? It’s something that I’ve thought a lot about lately and I’m still thinking about it now. In the past I’ve focused almost solely on my career. I recognize now that yes, my career is important to me, but there are other things in life. I’d like to spend a little more time focusing on those ‘other things’ in life now.

It’s time to write some new goals for myself, because the year has led me to a place that I didn’t expect initially. I had a plan before I arrived in Belgium, but I’m not quite the same woman I was a year ago. I'm a little more mature, a lot softer and I recognize now that the old plan won’t work for me anymore.

Here’s a quote I read today that resonates with me:

Trust yourself. Create the kind of life you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into the flames of achievement. -- Foster C. McClellan

I’ll start with this – trusting myself to do what’s right for me. Then I’ll work on creating the kind of life I’ll be happy with (for the rest of my life). That’s most important for me now – a happy life.

As always thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I appreciate all the comments and support you give me.

Mwuah,

Georgia Peach

I'm an adventurous woman now

Hello my faithful readers:

This weekend I became an “adventurous woman” as my friend Javiera called me. If you know me well, then you know that I don’t do so well with heights. You’re talking to a girl who is more than a little frightened of going on a down escalator. So the fact that I actually got up the nerve to zip-line across the Honduran jungle is a pretty big deal.

The experience zip-lining or “canopy” as it is called here on Roatan, was the beginning of my birthday weekend celebration. The trip was organized as a treat for some of the more well-behaved kids from the tutoring program for SOL. Once I relaxed a little bit (about halfway through) I had an amazing time and just enjoyed the view from up in the air. For me zipping through the air was rather peaceful once I forgot that I was terrified of heights. Seeing the happy expressions on about 12 of the SOL kids after getting through the course was rewarding as well – they truly inspired me to face my fears.

After my morning of the canopy tour – we ended the night by going out for dinner and drinks in the West End section of the island – the part of town where we generally hang out most when we want to grab drinks or dinner. We went to local Balleda stand for dinner where I had a tasty pollo (chicken) one. Then we headed to Sundowners Bar (refreshing frozen margaritas), Mayan Lounge (vodka 2 for 1 special & the much needed ice-cold air-conditioning), then to the Blue Marlin (delicious brownie with vanilla ice-cream). After the Blue Marlin most of the group was tired from such a long day and we made a relatively early night of it and I was home and safely tucked into bed by 11 PM.

On my actual birthday I woke up super early again (it’s hard to sleep here past 6:30 AM because it’s so sunny and hot by then). Our power went out around 7 AM so I went outside to cool off at the docks. We’d decided that we would do a day-trip to West Bay (the area on Roatan where most of the resorts are located). After a 5-10 minute water taxi ride from West End we arrived to a strip of resorts and lots of beach. We walked the strip enjoying the cool water lapping at our feet. Then we had a lunch then headed back here to Sandy Bay. It was a relaxing day for me and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my 32 years on this earth.

Mwuah,

A Broad