Big Bear: Week Two

Pretty typical study break in the cabin

Apparently, it's Saturday. I had no idea what day of the week it was until I turned my phone back on this morning and noticed. The last week has flown by... every day more packed and blurred, with fits of hysterical laughter, hours of midterm-week style studying, spontaneous games and dance parties, and a generous dose of sleep deprivation.

It's amazing how quickly we've all bonded with each other - a week in, and I've already found myself saying "keen" and adding "as" to the ends of words, (favorite phrase of the day: "mates as!" - meaning "great friends") and making jokes at and nicknames for people who eight days ago were complete strangers. ISV always has a way of doing that somehow - "bringing likeminded people together," (as I've memorized from my meeting script) but really. I can't believe that these passionate and extroverted fellow travel addicts aren't just new friends ... they're coworkers. And in four short days we'll all  be out there on our own to do our job - afterall, that's why we're all here. But I'm still going to miss this little summer camp and those crazy Australasians. 

Big Bear, California

Fifteen Americans. Fourty eight Kiwis and Aussies. A Swede, a Canadian, and a total of sixty flamboyant extroverts, placed in a summer camp and instructed to mingle and scream our heads off for nine hours a day. Welcome to ISV recruiter training - two days in, and it's already one of the most exciting, unpredictable, and challenging experiences of my life.

Our study sesh, night one

In the last 48 hours, we've memorized about six pages worth of material, performed it while jumping, sprinting, doing over-the-top hand gestures, and in front of an audience of seventy, who are instruced to yell "F*** YEAH!" everytime we do it well and make them excited. We've run around with balloons tied to our ankles, played "never have I ever" musical chairs, bonded over cafeteria-style meals, and slept in camp-style bunk beds, laughing ourselves to sleep after exhausting fourteen-hour days full of activity.

This is going to be an insane next few months. Maybe even more than I predicted. We have an eighty page binder full of information (about 40 of the pages we need to have memorized) and we won't find out until mid-next week where we're going, who we're traveling with, or what exactly we should expect from the next three to four months with this job. And yet, after stumbling over the words to my announcement and being hugged and applauded  by a crowd of my new international friends, the future has never felt so optimistic.

I'll keep you updated asthe week continues, but for now - a couple "little ditties":

Shaun (from New Zealand) doing "the shuffle" over our lunch break

Words and Phrases from Aussies and Kiwis (the list will continue to grow)

• "Sweet as": not to be confused with "sweet ass" as I interpreted it when my cabinmate Rhys said "sweet as" and walked out of the room. (He later clarified that it means "awesome, cool." or "great." Not that he was complimenting my ass.)
• "Puffed" as in "man, I just went on this run and I'm puffed!" (meaning out of breath, really tired.)
• "Frothing" as in "I'm frothing about these concert tickets" (meaning soooo excited about)
• "Heaps" as in "this is HEAPS of fun!" (which they say constantly)

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An Introduction

My luggage, in all of its glory.

This isn't the first time I've attempted to fit my life into a suitcase. First, there was freshmen year of college... but that turned into a suitcase + bike + overstuffed U-Haul. Then there was Greece. Mom talked me into using space bags to keep my clothes organized (good idea, in theory) and I returned with a pile of crumpled space bags, and an extra backpack filled with souvineers. (Highlight: the ash try I bought at a flea market, convinced that it was a relic from ancient Greece.) Then of course there was Australia... a nice intro to ISV's "no worries, just pack 3 seasons into a backpack!" mentality, and a year later Spain, which finally adjusted me to this whole nomadic lifestyle of grabbing a pair (or in my case, a pile) of clothes for the road, and hoping for the best in my next adventure.

So fittingly, that's why I created this blog. Travel for me started as a bug, and has now turned into a lifestyle. It all started with a study abroad stint, then perpetuated into a volunteer project, a longer study abroad stint, visiting friends in Europe, and now my first post-college job as a traveling recruiter for International Student Volunteers, a non-profit company with headquarters in Sydney, Australia and Yourba Linda, California.

"Where the hell is Michelle?" started as a joke refering to the FAQ among my family and friends, but now, I've decided that it will be my *official* blog for the next indefinite period of time that I'm traveling, working, and living out of a gaudy fuchsia suitcase.

So follow me to the mountains, the beach, universities in big cities and in the middle of nowhere... or wherever the hell else I end up. Life is always an adventure, and I hope to share mine with you.