Hiatus

Hello, World.

If you haven't noticed, I took a break from writing this blog (but I don't think any of you have noticed, because I got one hit on my last post, and that was probably me). Why did I not write to you? Was I a slacker? Did I escape from the world and end up eating pizza and Sour Punch straws all day? Nein. I actually was writing a weekly email to my friends and family all the while I was in Peru. Now I am about to leave Peru to go to France for a couple of weeks and then back to the States, but I wanted you to know I haven't forgotten about you. My commentary just took on a different form, and now it will switch back, because I don't think my extended family cares that much about normal life as much as South American adventures.

So, where am I at (not physically)?
I am about to embark on putting my dreams into reality. I already did some of that by choosing to go to Peru. However cliché it is, being here has changed me. I've been able to see things clearly, and my own reflection has been shown more to me. 

What's been going on the past six months?
I travelled to Lima and Nazca before doing an internship in Chiclayo, a northern Peruvian city. I did editing for the marketing department. I had never done marketing nor editing as a job, but it turned out to be really helpful. Apart from the diverse group of people I got to know who have a lot to learn from, I was able to learn more about my capacities and skills. At the end of my internship, I took another month to finish up my travels in Peru before I come back decades from now and reminisce about my formative months here.

What have I learned?
I have learned I need to be me. If I am not confident in myself, no one else will be confident for me, at least not in a sustainable way. I have also learned I have been given talents and skills that are important to develop, so it would be the best idea to see how my gifts can be used in a professional setting to improve the lives of others on this planet (obviously, I don't have a specific vision for my next job). 

But, what are my skills?
I am a thinker and observer. I am organized, and I like things to be visible and transparent. Take, for example, my possessions: I find it hard to concentrate on important things when I have a lot of stuff and when that stuff is not neatly stored in its own place. Therefore, I try to reduce distractions by having less stuff and placing it neatly in rows and things. Apart from that, it has been confirmed to me that I am a decent writer. I like explaining things clearly that I have learned, and I use writing to try to figure out my world and ask questions. I am also a documenter and preserver. I like making things to last, and I like to remember things that have happened. I have also learned that I can cultivate these skills--and others yet to be quantified--with the help of the Lord. He made me to be without limits, and I am the one who puts those limits on myself. If I just trust in Him and his plan, I can be far more successful that I can just by myself.

So, where do I go from here?
The biggest task seems to be to find a job that includes the following in some way:

• An opportunity for me to write original content
• Edit other people's work
• Proofread materials before publication. This could also include working to improve graphic design content.
• I could do well editing English that was written by a non-native speaker.
• I could work in a place that deals with travel.
• I want to keep up with my Spanish.
• And young people might be my most effective audience.

It will take more introspection and reflection and asking to see exactly in what direction I will go, but I am confident that I will be successful in putting these skills to work, because they were revealed to me. They are part of my true self, and my true self deserves to be cultivated and enhanced.

I hope you can also act on your true nature and put your unique skills to work, because there is no one quite like you who can offer the world what you uniquely have.