BACK IN THE US!
Obviously..
Feb 7th 2013 marked the beginning of my 5 month journey. It's been an entire year since then.
I've been back in the US for around the last 7 months. New faces and places have greeted me since my return.. More experiences that I can share, and hopefully a grounding for a constant blog will be made. Let's recap...
My last week in Costa Rica, as I remember, was a whirlwind of smiles and tears. It was filled with goodbyes and last adventures in the country that had become yet another home. I'm still in contact with my host family, it's bitter sweet to read the regular emails. A sweet remembrance and recognition of the life I made in CR, yet not being in Costa Rica and not having the capability to touch the wondrous surroundings and see their faces is saddening...
Arriving back in Arizona, I went to California for a writing camp at Stanford. Expanding my horizons in poetry and speech, I also met 5 girls who I consider some rockin spirits... It's incredible the strong relationships that can be built within 2 weeks, such a short amount of time. When telling friends about my CR experience, I found that my going abroad for 5 months at a tender age of 16 was extremely surprising to them. It's hilarious the responses I get, from a laugh of disbelief to a full round squeak of excitement, which branches into a sometimes simple, sometimes complex questionnaire. Whilst answering these questions, I actually find myself in disbelief that I did it. It all seems like a dream. 5 months that developed my mind, my self-esteem and my perception of others; An acceptance and understanding of who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. Deep, I know..
Anyhow, the writing camp was stellar, expanding my poetic devices as well as my songwriting.
When I returned to Arizona, I had one week left until the move to California. You may be thinking.. what?! Didn't you just get back from California? You're moving? Just after getting back from Costa Rica? We both wanted a change from the Arizona setting. Despite the great loss of close extended-family, we would have both my brothers in California. Scottsdale Preparatory was full of people I loved also... the goodbye was painful, leaving a group of girls I still miss.
The move was previously planned before I left for Costa Rica.. Whilst I was overseas, my mum worked to sell the house and pack up our belongings, taking several trips to California to look at schools etc etc... So, leaving the dreaded August AZ heat where you feel like you've stuck your head in an oven when you go outside, wasn't hard. We made our way to the "sunny-state" with two spilling-at-the-rims-full pods of belongings following us. No house to go to, no concrete plans made, just two ladies in a Prius. [Plus my brothers who both helped tremendously along the way]. Two cities to look at: LA (close to my older brother, Barnaby, at Occidental) and San Francisco (close to my second-to-oldest brother, Dylan, at St. Mary's).
The first stop was LA. I fell in love with the beach as I knew I would. On the contrast, my mum was keen on moving on up to San Francisco because of the widespread of jobs available as well as the "good feeling" that was known to be in the Bay Area. Skipping all the gory details of arguments and petty complaints (mostly from me), we settled in a house in Menlo Park, near Silicon Valley, in the Bay Area. San Francisco, home of fogs, was now our go-to city instead of the heat-infested Phoenix.
Fast-forward... I just entered my second semester at Summit Preparatory High School, a charter school really close to my house... It's alright. The people are fantastic (mostly;) yet I don't find the environment full of sanguinity; I find my cheerful surroundings while working out now-a-days... rowing for a crew team. I joined when I started at Summit, beginning of junior year, and it's been a fuse of pain, laughs... pain and more pain. I'm no masochist; the intense 5ks that my coach has us do every weds are dreaded. Yet the unity that I have found among my teammates and I has been something to treasure. Not only this, but my coach is brilliant. A true nerd at heart (grad from Cornell in computer science), awkward in so many different ways, and he is absolutely incredible.
Crew is a enormous commitment, taking up to 2.5 hours on 4 of the 5 school days, plus Saturday 3 hour practices and Sunday races. Junior year has been overwhelming to say the least...
I'm still writing songs here and there and I plan to join a local center for the arts.. The practice I get is mostly when my brother, Dylan, visits and we sit down and have a jam session with his uke or guitar. Times like those, I cherish..
Song of the week: Buuuudapest - George Ezra, in honor of his gorgeous face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiEMLOk9BwU
until next time
PS. s/o to the first Myers to get married #strittmaterwedding #beautifulpeople
check out the costa rica full album:
https://www.facebook.com/clionaaudsley/media_set?set=a.10200169921307433.189015.1133426356&type=3
Insta: clionaaudsley
I've been back in the US for around the last 7 months. New faces and places have greeted me since my return.. More experiences that I can share, and hopefully a grounding for a constant blog will be made. Let's recap...
My last week in Costa Rica, as I remember, was a whirlwind of smiles and tears. It was filled with goodbyes and last adventures in the country that had become yet another home. I'm still in contact with my host family, it's bitter sweet to read the regular emails. A sweet remembrance and recognition of the life I made in CR, yet not being in Costa Rica and not having the capability to touch the wondrous surroundings and see their faces is saddening...
Arriving back in Arizona, I went to California for a writing camp at Stanford. Expanding my horizons in poetry and speech, I also met 5 girls who I consider some rockin spirits... It's incredible the strong relationships that can be built within 2 weeks, such a short amount of time. When telling friends about my CR experience, I found that my going abroad for 5 months at a tender age of 16 was extremely surprising to them. It's hilarious the responses I get, from a laugh of disbelief to a full round squeak of excitement, which branches into a sometimes simple, sometimes complex questionnaire. Whilst answering these questions, I actually find myself in disbelief that I did it. It all seems like a dream. 5 months that developed my mind, my self-esteem and my perception of others; An acceptance and understanding of who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. Deep, I know..
Anyhow, the writing camp was stellar, expanding my poetic devices as well as my songwriting.
When I returned to Arizona, I had one week left until the move to California. You may be thinking.. what?! Didn't you just get back from California? You're moving? Just after getting back from Costa Rica? We both wanted a change from the Arizona setting. Despite the great loss of close extended-family, we would have both my brothers in California. Scottsdale Preparatory was full of people I loved also... the goodbye was painful, leaving a group of girls I still miss.
The move was previously planned before I left for Costa Rica.. Whilst I was overseas, my mum worked to sell the house and pack up our belongings, taking several trips to California to look at schools etc etc... So, leaving the dreaded August AZ heat where you feel like you've stuck your head in an oven when you go outside, wasn't hard. We made our way to the "sunny-state" with two spilling-at-the-rims-full pods of belongings following us. No house to go to, no concrete plans made, just two ladies in a Prius. [Plus my brothers who both helped tremendously along the way]. Two cities to look at: LA (close to my older brother, Barnaby, at Occidental) and San Francisco (close to my second-to-oldest brother, Dylan, at St. Mary's).
The first stop was LA. I fell in love with the beach as I knew I would. On the contrast, my mum was keen on moving on up to San Francisco because of the widespread of jobs available as well as the "good feeling" that was known to be in the Bay Area. Skipping all the gory details of arguments and petty complaints (mostly from me), we settled in a house in Menlo Park, near Silicon Valley, in the Bay Area. San Francisco, home of fogs, was now our go-to city instead of the heat-infested Phoenix.
Fast-forward... I just entered my second semester at Summit Preparatory High School, a charter school really close to my house... It's alright. The people are fantastic (mostly;) yet I don't find the environment full of sanguinity; I find my cheerful surroundings while working out now-a-days... rowing for a crew team. I joined when I started at Summit, beginning of junior year, and it's been a fuse of pain, laughs... pain and more pain. I'm no masochist; the intense 5ks that my coach has us do every weds are dreaded. Yet the unity that I have found among my teammates and I has been something to treasure. Not only this, but my coach is brilliant. A true nerd at heart (grad from Cornell in computer science), awkward in so many different ways, and he is absolutely incredible.
Crew is a enormous commitment, taking up to 2.5 hours on 4 of the 5 school days, plus Saturday 3 hour practices and Sunday races. Junior year has been overwhelming to say the least...
I'm still writing songs here and there and I plan to join a local center for the arts.. The practice I get is mostly when my brother, Dylan, visits and we sit down and have a jam session with his uke or guitar. Times like those, I cherish..
Song of the week: Buuuudapest - George Ezra, in honor of his gorgeous face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiEMLOk9BwU
until next time
PS. s/o to the first Myers to get married #strittmaterwedding #beautifulpeople
https://www.facebook.com/clionaaudsley/media_set?set=a.10200169921307433.189015.1133426356&type=3
Insta: clionaaudsley
