We live in a big world and I haven’t seen nearly as much of it as I plan to. This blog is an outlet of fun, adventurous, and occasionally helpful narrative on my efforts to fix that. And then write about it! What’s more, I love hearing from people who are undertaking the same challenge, so feel free to comment (I’d honestly love to hear from you all) and without further ado, here’s a quick intro to me…

A Little (or A Lot of) Uncertainty’s Okay

My first month of adulting was a little disorganized… Yeah, let’s call it that! When I graduated from high school last year, I found the world to be very, very disorganized. Looking back, I don’t know what else I was expecting, but a little warning would have been nice. The majority of my friends were and are older than me, and not one of these “responsible adults” said a word (beyond the occasional reference to “life”).

Before graduating, all that was expected of me was to do well in school (and I did). Beyond that, I basically did as I pleased. And fancying myself a modern Renaissance man, I tried to do everything. Nothing was too odd to be studied or practiced. At age 14, I joined my sisters in their Circus Arts class at STEP Gymnastics Center. At 16, I decided that rock climbing looked like a good idea. Shortly after my 17th birthday, I decided to study the gentle art of folding clothes with the people still inside at North Idaho BJJ! I still do all of these things.

Only, now that I no longer have high school to make myself look accomplished; doing them jobless and out of my parent’s basement felt a bit like not having a purpose. And the truth is we all need to have a purpose in order to be happy. So, I spent a month looking either for something cool to make me money or a school with a really good academic scholarship. I signed up for a TEFL Certification course and cold called various professionals to ask advice. Only to have this happen:

One day at Jiu Jitsu, it was announced that a friend’s dad was the captain of an Alaskan fishing boat. A boat that needed a new deckhand! Though I initially had no thought of volunteering. Or that I’d even be excepted as a candidate, my sparring partner at the time was sure enough for both of us that this was a great idea.

On my way home afterwards, I considered it. I wanted adventure. Well here it was staring me in the face and I was considering not taking it. Looking back, it’s definitely a good thing I committed so fast, because I was sitting in a bush plane flying over the Alaskan Peninsula before I had time to more than freak out.

The two and a half months I spent on the Bering Sea was probably one of the luckiest, most ruthless, and most life changing things that ever happened to me.

Coming back home afterward, I had two huge weapons that I never would have had otherwise. One: Money. Two: I figured nothing could be harder than what I’d already done and I felt ready to try anything.

So I went to Thailand. I mean, why not. Right? In Chiang Mai, I trained Muay Thai four hours a day, six days a week. In Phuket, I learned how to ride a motorbike. In Koh Lanta, I got my Open Water Diver Certification. All while eating copious amounts of Thai food and getting a TEFL Certification (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) online.

Now I teach English online and I enjoy it. But what I enjoy even more is writing. So here it goes!

I’m currently writing my first book; based on my journal entries and memories of fishing on the Bering Sea.

As I prepare for a return to Southeast Asia next week, I’ve promised myself to keep a detailed journal and publish a blog entry at least once a month.

For better or worse this is what I want to do. I want to see the world and Put It In Reading!