Alhamdulilah

Thank God. And that's not just an expression - I am incredibly grateful to be where I am right now. I'm not always happy with/about the job I'm working, or the friends and family I miss, or the things that I would do if I could but can't, but I'm not sure I could be much more happy with where I am. I've recently realized that I am actually doing the things that I wanted to do the most - be financially independent, learn how to cook, get 8 hours of sleep most nights, manage my health better, learn about how the world works, and sit down and really think about where I want to be in it.

And what have I determined about that last important question? After cycles of thought every few months for 1.5 years, all I can definitely say is that it is subject to change. But I think getting some experience teaching English abroad would be a very good base and starting point. After that I've had all kinds of ideas - some kind of environmental work, development, or research; starting my own business; continuing some kind of specialized teaching career; working for an American Embassy abroad; writing or getting published; going back to music; starting some kind of non-profit; etc.

I know I want to go back to school eventually. I had someone ask me recently what I would do with a million dollars. After all the other, "hey, I have money" fun stuff was done, honestly, for some reason I would just take that money, go live in the eco village by LACC (LA Community College), take a bunch of math classes (I hear they have good teachers for that) and just see where it leads me. So I guess in essence, I'd almost do undergrad over, only with more science and math involved - at least in my thinking at this point.

Other than that, I continue to learn about myself and about the world. My only hope is that I continue to find things I hadn't expected, always changing...