WHAT A GLOOMY SUNDAY

Last week I worked a crazy 60+ hour week so I was extremely exhausted and pretty much hit the sheets after coming home every night or I just walked around like a zombie. This week will be a little less hectic with fewer hours and shorter driving time but...I get all four of my wisdom teeth out on Friday morning! Cue the horror movie music. 

I am terrified. 

I've never had any type of surgery or anesthesia or drugs so I have no idea what's going to happen to me! Granted, I've grown up getting all sorts of work done in my mouth but that's why I loathe the dentist and dread every visit there. When they told me it was time for my wisdom teeth to be extracted, I got one too many butterflies and wanted to chicken out. However, being an adult and what not means doing things that aren't necessarily comfortable but need to be done. So, that's what I'm doing, getting my wisdom teeth out. 

Hopefully I am not in too much pain so I can start writing some posts again, I miss all my wanderlusters and writing! This summer has just taken several unexpected turns and I haven't been able to write as much as I originally planned. I know that when I return to Prague in 2 1/2 weeks that I will be writing more and more and I may have some exciting news coming to you all in September! 

Wherever you are in the world, I hope it's sunny and beautiful out because where I currently am, it's gray and gloomy. I was planning on going to Philadelphia with my sister today but staying in bed until 1:30 (13:30) just seemed like the perfect way to spend my Sunday. 

Well, it's back to the work week grind and it's time for me to watch a movie and relax for the rest of the night!

Travel on wanderlusters!

BUT I'M TIRED OF DRIVING TO WORK

I came across this article regarding the bizarre ways that people commute to and from either work or school. I found this funny because I remember back in high-school, the dad of one of my former best friends' took a kayak to work EVERY morning, regardless of the weather!

So, if you are bored of either taking public transportation to work (like I did when I moved to Prague) or driving to work and getting stuck in traffic (been there, done that too) then here are some other alternatives:

1. Kayak, canoe or paddle-boat to work.
2. Ski or snowboard (if you live in say, Alaska or a region where snow is common).
3. Zipline (the example in the article was in Colombia, South America).
4. Skateboard or longboard.
5. Bike- regardless of the miles. One man bikes 40 MILES every day!
6. Run- again, regardless of the miles. One man runs 10 miles EACH WAY!
7. Unicycle there...if you are that talented.

Hope this makes Friday a little more enjoyable and you have a new way to work starting next Monday! I finished working last Sunday so this is the first Friday I have had off since February, cue the Harlem Shake style dancing.

Travel on wanderlusters!

FREE TRAVEL

Whaaaaat, free travel?! Yes, you read right. Well, some of it is very, very cheap and some are free. I loved reading this article because as a college student who is an extreme wanderluster, you are always looking for budget-friendly or even free travel opportunities. From EscapeNormal, they offered 23 ways to travel for free or close to free, I will give an explanation after each one:

1. Work Away- free food and accommodation just handed to you on a silver platter by families in places throughout the world...in exchange for volunteer work.
2. Escape Normal: Adventure Jobs- (I would assume offered by the website) job postings in many locations doing many different things: exotic retreat centers to kayak guiding.
3. Back door jobs- fear of commitment? me too...this is perfect because it is numerous short-term jobs throughout the world doing the most random of jobs (cheese-churning?).
4. Coolworks- a job search engine in places throughout the world- both long and short term.
5. Retreat Finder- think Bali in Eat, Pray, Love. Bliss.
6. Couchsurfing- you literally couch surf...well not literally, literally, but you sleep on random people's couches...don't worry they have backgrounds checks beforehand so you aren't walking into a death trap. I have had several friends who have done this and said it was a great, free experience.
7. WWOOF- volunteering on farms throughout the world, if you are into agriculture and what not.
8. Help Exchange- similar to the above, but with a wider range of options...volunteer work in exchange for food and accommodation.
9. Footprints TEFL- Teaching foreigners your native tongue for money...good deal, good deal.
10. Kibbutz- volunteer program for about 2 to 6 months, you have to pay a small amount of month to reserve your spot though.
11. Peace Corps- (I have actually considered doing this) it's a 2 year commitment doing volunteer work in one place, no leaving for 2 years so if you can't sit still in one place, don't even think about it. You get paid for your volunteer work and also afterwards until you get on your feet with a stable, steady job.
12. Summer Camp Counselor jobs- exactly what the name says. You can be the one calling the shots this time at summer camp...maybe they will offer band camp?
13. Au Pair- Nannying for families in countries throughout the world, I actually applied for a Au Pair in China but I never heard back :(
14. TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language)- again, teaching your native tongue to foreigners in another country for an extended period of time for pay. You have to take online classes and get certified first however.
15. Yacht Crewing- working on a yacht, not a cruise ship...it could be good or it could be horrible and stressful- depending on the yacht owner ultimately.
16. Americorps- a 1-3 year program based on volunteering for social issues (poverty, disease, women's rights, etc.) that you receive a pay for, healthcare, training and another bullet point on your resume/CV.
17. Se7en- free or very cheap volunteer opportunities throughout the world.
18. Home swap- ever seen The Holiday? Think what Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet did, switching their homes when they traveled to the other's country...not sure I would do this, pretty risky if I do say so myself...
19. Caretaker- of a mansion, castle...celebrities and the world's wealthiest hire people to care for their house and pets when they are away for pay, a free stay and a taste of the sweet life.
20. Craigslist Rideshare- forget planes, trains and buses, you can car-pool with other travelers to various places for a small amount of money.
21. Vantage- where you are the trip leader with friends and family...it'll be free for you but not the others.
22. GVI Careers- amazing, interesting and diverse job opportunities throughout the world...might check this out at work today.
23. Idealist- cause-based jobs and volunteer opportunities throughout the world.


Now, yesterday I mentioned I would talk about something I have been thinking about lately, a decision that I think I am going to make in coming weeks, months, maybe in a year. I graduate university with a BA in Journalism and Communications at the extremely young age of 20 (I was one of the youngest in my grade during high school and the BA programs here are only 3 years), so I was planning on just packing up after that summer (2015) and moving to Melbourne, Australia. This was my plan for some time now. However, then I got to thinking, after writing this blog and trying to sort out my life...why would I want to begin working and being committed to a career for the next 30+ years of my life when I am only 20 years old out of college? I should want to travel, explore and see what is out there before I have to plan vacation days and enter the big girl world. So, with that, I think I have decided that I will spend a year, year and a half after university and just travel around to as much places as I can, ending my trips in Melbourne, Australia where I plan to begin my career, my big-girl life and so on. I want to travel to different countries where I would do volunteer work and work in smaller villages to get a little more than the city life experience. I am thinking of maybe going to some places in south-east Asia, New Zealand, South Africa and maybe some central African countries, South America, Hawaii, Philippines, Alaska and maybe Japan. A random island might by nice as well. I have to do my research of course, but I think the volunteer work and travels would be a once in a lifetime experience. Plus, after I start working, have a family, settle down etc., there won't be time to travel when I am young, only when I am old and my knees have officially given out (I have knee problems already at a young age).


P.S. For those of you working this weekend, like myself, here's 17 ways you can be happier at work...who would've thunk...I won't be officially happy for the long-run in a job until I am working with either a travel magazine, fashion magazine or TV station.

1. DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS...this is a great tip, it's hard not to but you will only make yourself feel worse if you continue to do (or start doing this).
2. NEVER OBSESS OVER THINGS YOU CANNOT CONTROL...I'm guilty, I'm guilty, I do this too much in every job I work.
3. KNOW AND KEEP YOUR PERSONAL BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS.
4. DON'T OVERCOMMIT YOURSELF OR YOUR TEAM.
5. REMEMBER THAT YOU GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AS EVERYONE ELSE, EVERYDAY (that means on a 24 hour clock).
6. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY, NO BODY ELSE DOES...I am guilty of this at times, I beat myself up over silly mistakes.
7. DAYDREAM MORE RATHER THAN LESS...I need to do this in work more often.
8. DON'T BOTHER WITH HATE; IT'S NOT WORTH THE EFFORT.
9. MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PAST LEST IT CREATE YOUR FUTURE.
10. DON'T TRY TO "WIN" EVERY ARGUMENT...hard for those of us who are very stubborn.
11. REMEMBER THAT NOBODY IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR HAPPINESS EXCEPT YOU...so if you don't like your job, get out and try to find a new one that you will be happier at. It's not worth working a shit job that gets you down.
12. SMILE AND LAUGH MORE FREQUENTLY.
13. DON'T WASTE PRECIOUS ENERGY ON MALICE AND GOSSIP.
14. DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT YOU; IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS...when you learn not to care what others think, not only does it improve your work ethic but it improves your overall quality of life and the way you look at thing. Best thing to let go of, ever.
15. TRASH EVERYTHING IN YOUR WORK AREA THAT IS NOT USEFUL OR BEAUTIFUL...sheesh, the trash can is about to be full...
16. REMEMBER THAT HOWEVER BAD (OR GOOD) A SITUATION IS, IT WILL CHANGE NO MATTER WHAT..."there is a reason for everything" or "after a rainstorm there is sunshine."
17. BELIEVE THAT THE BEST IS YET TO COME, NO MATTER WHAT...I absolutely love this. Not only does it apply to work but to life in general.

Travel on wanderlusters!

You Know What I Miss?

MY CAR!! 

I would do anything to have my car here in Prague with me. I miss taking road trips and just driving around when I wanted to. I'm looking forward to doing that back home in the summer. I would love to take a road trip here in Czech Republic and the rest of Europe for that matter. A quick trip down to Italy or over to Switzerland. To be honest though, I am a little scared of driving here. I have been in the car with my uncle several times and he drives about 180 kmph and people around him were driving even FASTER....not sure I could keep up to 180-200 kmph. 150-160 kmph is more like it. Hmmm, we will see what happens in coming months I suppose!

The sun is FINALLY showing today in Prague but I have to spend the first half of my day inside doing the mass amounts of homework uni has gifted me with and then the other half at work. Woo-hoo! I feel pretty old for only being 18. Uni, work, internship, side jobs, sleeping, eating, gym, friends. I'm too mentally old :o

Summer is almost near though...I can be a lazy sack of potatoes then. Minus the road trips I am planning which I will talk about in tomorrow's post!

Travel on wanderlusters!

Terrible Tuesdays

Stressful days are the worst! Today has been just one of those horrible days where you don't want to wake up because you know you have a lot of things that need to be done and no where near enough time to do them. 

Sometimes you just need a big cup of your favorite tea; a good, dramatic 5 minute cry and 'me' time to get yourself sorted out. So, that's just what I did. Spent a majority of the day watching Pretty Little Liars and True Blood (my newest obsession), drank too much tea and slept until my evening class. Usually, when I get stressed out, I will take a few deep breaths, stretch myself out, watch my shows or oogle on Pinterest or my favorite clothing sites. A few minutes...or an hour...of doing that and I feel relaxed again. 

When I was at work last week, in the bathroom, there was a sign on the door about how March is mental health month and all the different things you can do to avoid a mental health breakdown or how to improve your mental health. I laughed because it was literally in my face, almost like it was telling me that I am too busy this semester and that I just need to slooooow down. Sheesh, I wish. Summer is just around the corner though, that's what keeps me moving at a full pace.

What do you do when you are stressed out? Whether it's from work, school, mid-terms, finals, big projects, family, friends, relationships or just life in general. We all have those moments where we realize we are moving too fast and trip over our own feet. It's then we eat pavement, lie face down for a few moments then pick ourselves back up and start moving again, but at a slower pace.

Happy almost hump-day and keep it moving! Travel on wanderlusters!

P.S. found this article today, pretty funny because as much as I love traveling, I dread the airplane flights and the whole process. I like being in the airport, just relaxing and exploring but that's about it.