Don't FORGET the small stuff..

My superb friends,

I've just caught up on reading all your blog entries (I had very limited access to the internet on the rural Oregon coast) and I am so happy to see everyone's summer has had one adventure or another already.

Life at the coast has been simple. So far, every day has consisted of either working at Wanda's Cafe as a line cook, or in the garden with my mom. Most often, I spend the afternoon on the beach (rain or shine) running, meeting shoobies (a local name for the tourists), walking around and taking the bus. One day I met a guy from Texas on the beach. He told me he just dropped what he was doing at home and took off by himself to see the Northwest. It was a journey of personal discovery, I believe. He described the Oregon coast as a mix between Jurassic Park and the Garden of Eden. As he put it, he was just "waiting to see Adam ride out of the dunes on a T-rex." I have never heard anyone describe the coast that way. A couple friends have come to visit me. It was great to spend time with some of my Bearcat buddies. Home is always much more interesting when you have a new face to show it to.

Besides living simply, I have been working on finishing up all the details before I travel abroad. After much confusion and several phone calls to the Danish Consulate in New York, I finally got all the paperwork in order for my residency permit application and sent it in with my passport. What a load off my chest! The "details" were over....

Or so I thought. This past Saturday night (about 1 in the morning), a week before I leave for Bali, I was dreaming peacefully. Suddenly I opened my eyes and said "oh, shit." My realization? I sent my passport to the Danish Consulate in New York. This is required, because they have to issue the permit in the original passport. Well, I can't go anywhere without a passport, so at 1 in the morning that Saturday night, Bali seemed like a scary impossibility. Naturally, I called a few people to call me down and, though they were half asleep, they did so a bit. Monday morning I called the Danish Consulate and the staff was very helpful. They overnighted me my passport and even issued me my residence permit! That process usually takes 2 to 3 months, but they did it for me in 2 weeks. At the end, everything worked out perfectly. The moral of the story, my friends, is don't sweat the small stuff...but don't forget it either.

Presently I am visiting a few friends and family members around Portland and Salem before my flight on Sunday. Now I really feel like I can be excited!

I will most likely have access to the internet in Bali, so I will try to keep you all updated. I also have an email list for those who are not on the blog. Let me know if you'd like to be on that too.

Safe travels, happy adventures and warm weather!

Love Meg