Tick tock, tick tock

Today is Thursday, the 12th of March. On the ides of March, I will receive word about where I will call home for the next two+ years of my life. I know, for someone who isn’t yet in the Peace Corps, I write an awful lot about it. Well, hopefully the ides of March will be less dramatic for me than for that guy Julius.

In terms of life altering decisions, I tend to make plans only slightly in advance of their time. I think that this probably greatly limits my options, and I’m not interested in things that limit me that way.

So I am changing. The first step was to apply for the Peace Corps – a goal I have long held but never acted on – and then proceed as if the results will not work out in my favor. I’m trying to do this this way so that by making contingency plans for the upcoming year, I will not be disappointed if things don’t work out. Of course, on the other hand, I will be overjoyed if this opportunity presents itself to me. So as these last few days drag on, from now until the 15th, I will continue to toy with my alternate plans.

What are they?

Well. Regardless of the PC, I will not be keeping my teaching position where I work for next year. My contract ends in June and I’d rather be a garbage man than renew my contract. Truly, I have never had a more tedious work position ever. That includes my time waiting tables. So I’m looking for a job now, for when this ends. I don’t mind relocating, and I don’t mind changing fields. It’s just a shame how few professional fields I have skills in. But I do the best with what I’ve got, and I have a fall back job offer for next year if I really can’t find anything.

Security is nice, isn’t it?

This summer I’d like to go on an adventure. My sister’s June baby and the slew of weddings I must attend throughout the summer will keep me stateside, however. But I’ve found a plan I’ve really latched onto. The last of the weddings requiring my attendance is the first week in September. I think that after that, I will go walk the Camino de Santiago, in Spain. Well, it begins in France and crosses the Pyrenees, and continues its 500+ mile trek through Spain. It takes a speedy, fit person a month to walk it end to end, staying in small towns and little hostels along the way. I’ve wanted to walk this pilgrimage since I was about ten. Now I may have the opportunity.

Many people walk the Camino every year, from all religions and walks of life, and for all sorts of reasons. I don’t know that I can say my reasons are completely religious, though I must admit that soul searching and thoughtful semisolitude are my main reasons.

After that, who knows. It will undoubtedly take me more than a month – my short stature and general lack of urgency will probably add at least a week. Before I go I will surely need a plan for after, a job lined up, a place to live. But for now my attention goes to planning this little adventure, and reveling in the freedom which it will afford me.