Authors Note: I recommend reading this post while listening to “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes.
Forgive me, please. I know it’s been quite a while since we’ve updated our loyal readers with news of our whereabouts. Well, good news. We haven’t been imprisoned in roach infested Indian jails, nor have we been kidnapped or shanghaied into indentured servitude. No no… quite the opposite. We’re in… sunny Southern California!
Surprise!
The real surprise happened when we showed up at the Hadlock’s house the night before Thanksgiving. They had no idea we were coming to visit, and they were shocked to see us. We got to spend about 6 days hanging out in Ohio before we flew to Portland to pack up our belongings, buy a car (a car!!!!), rent a uhaul, and drive down to Orange County, California.
Why Orange County, you ask? Well, Nathan was offered a job here at a place that makes sensors to analyze the amount of certain chemicals in gas emissions. Pretty cool!!
All of this happened in a crazy kind of way. We were in India, chilling out in this ancient town called Hampi. Not sure if I wrote about that, but… it was way awesome. Lots of giant boulders and old temple ruins everywhere. Anyway, Nathan got an email from a guy he used to do some work with at his previous job, Warren. Warren told Nathan about this job opportunity, but we were like ehhhhhh we’re in India… no thanks.
Then we started thinking…
And started looking around…
And we started to realize…
OH MY GOD IT’S SO DIRTY HERE! EVERYTHING (I MEAN EVERYTHING) IS COVERED IN DIRT OR PARTICLES OF FECAL MATTER!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!
We also looked at our plan, which was to travel until maybe around May of 2011. Then we’d come back to the states (broke), and have 4 weddings to attend that summer, and then try to find jobs, maybe I’d be starting grad school that fall… and we’d be sooooo broke.
It’s not often that someone just throws a job at you, so we thought… hey, Southern California can just be our next adventure. Nathan interviewed over the phone, and they gave him enough assurance that he would get the job that we got tickets and flew out the next day.
Arriving in Los Angeles about 48 hours later was such a trip. I guess it takes spending half a year in third world countries to drive in LA traffic and think “wow… it’s so peaceful, it’s so clean!” Nathan’s future employers put us up in a hotel, and when we opened the door we were like giddy little kids, jumping on the bed, rolling around on the floor. Just saying over and over again,
“Everything is sooooo cleeeeeeeeeean!!!!!!”
“We can drink out of the faucets!!!”
“There’s warm water in the shower!”
“They have real coffee!”
“No cockroaches!!!!!!”
“No black mold!”
We spent a couple of days at the hotel, experiencing some wild culture shock. Also just thinking how crazy it was that just 2 days before we were in some dingy Indian guesthouse. It’s so amazing you can just get on a plane and fly to the other side of the world. Just takes a few hours, and then you are in a whole new place. You guys should try it.
So now here we are, staying at an Extended Stay hotel while I search for a long term place for us to live. Nathan is really enjoying his job, and that is so cool. Though he is a wild adventure-seeking traveler, he is also a geek at heart. So he is getting a kick out of playing around with algorithms and sensors all day. I have taken over operations for our online business ventures. And after traveling and doing everything a little half-assed, it is now a full time job just to get all of our information organized. It’s a lot of work to run your own business! Especially when you never studied anything about business… but I’m having a good time, anyway.
So we’re very excited about this new adventure. We certainly hope that since we’re on the same continent as (most of) you, you’ll come visit us. I hear it’s cold… everywhere. Not here though! It’s 2pm ,the sun is shining and I’ve already dipped my toes in the pacific.
We’re headed to Las Vegas for Christmas- spending it with Nathan’s family. I’ll miss all my Ohio folks, but hope to see you all again soon!
Lots of (Californa) love!
Kaede