Home Away From Home

In recent news, I passed my defense yesterday!!! Yippee! It feels so good to be finished. Well, not totally finished, I still have some corrections to make to my thesis before I get the final approvals and turn in the final copies, but I am mostly there. Yesterday was such a good day. Afterwards, my family and Katy's (my grad school partner in crime, who also defended yesterday) family went to dinner with our mentor professor. It was a really fun time to celebrate and relax. I tried to post some photos, but it didn't work, sorry!

I read a blog by two of my favorite authors, Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt. A recent by May post inspired the real reason for this post. She wrote "I think everybody has a spot in the world that just speaks to them". This totally made sense to me, as I feel that Brazil is my Home Away from Home. It is the place in the world that just speaks to me. After I came home the first time, I felt like I was supposed to be born Brazilian (sorry Mom!) because I just fit in there! Personality characteristics of mine that are weird here (read: close-talking, how much I touch people when I am talking to them, spontaneous dancing, etc) are totally normal part of Brazilian culture! I was actually normal there!! :) Before my first trip, I was worried about the cultural and language barriers, but it really was surprising how instantly I felt comfortable in a completely foreign place. I'm sure if I were to move there it would be a challenge for sure, but both of my visits have been true blessings. I feel like my time in Brazil (and hopefully future times there as well) have really become a part of my identity, and helped me to learn a little more who God has designed me to be. Through my experiences in Brazil I have discovered passions and talents I didn't know I possessed (like mimicking ship sounds for example...) and I am forever changed because of this. Until I read this other blog post, I didn't really know how to put this feeling into words, but Brazil speaks to me. There is no other way to say it! We have begun planning this years' college trip in December. I am not sure I will be able to go, depending on where I am working, but I pray that I will return someday soon. What is your spot in the world that speaks to you?

Hooray!

This week was an exciting one. I finished writing my thesis, which somewhere in my mind I never thought I would be able to. But I did it! It is such a relief, I don't even know how to begin to describe it. Thanks to everyone who supported me during the last few weeks with encouraging phone calls or emails. I really appreciate it, and sorry if I haven't gotten back to you. I now have the time to being returning those calls. The process isn't completely over yet. I still have my defense next Thursday, the 22nd. Please be praying for this. I am not really nervous yet, but I know I will be. After my defense I will have some corrections to make to my thesis before it can be completely bound and finished for good. But the large part of the work is behind me!

I celebrated by taking this weekend off from school work. Last night I had the opportunity to walk in the Relay for Life with my college group from church. It was a really neat event to be part of. My walking shift was from 2-3am, which was a stretch for me, but it was fun. So needless to say, after staying up all night, I am taking it easy for the rest of the weekend. What fun to be able to do that without feeling guilty for not doing school work! I have been truly blessed!

A Lot to Pray About

No! I am not getting married :) I wanted to show you all the gorgeous gowns that I could be working with in the near future however. Amazing! I have an update of how my interview went, and some other news as well.

Tuesday was my interview with the bridal company in Salt Lake. I went up to Portland the night before and stayed with some friends, which was really fun. My flight left PDX at about 10:30, so it wasn't too early of a morning. When I arrived at the airport in SLC, I was picked up by the President and Vice President of the company and taken on a driving tour of the city. They showed me some things I had seen on my last trip (including The Gateway, or as I like to call it, the Mecca of outdoor shopping!) and some new, hip areas of town as well. It was definitely a "you could be living this life" experience! We spent the car ride talking and stopped for some iced tea at one point, which is where I finally realized that this was the interview! Ah! I had thought we were just chatting away, so I freaked out for a bit and tried to play back everything in my head making sure I was sounding professional and knowledgeable. Haha, typical me, no? Didn't even realize I was being interviewed :) After our drive, we went to the offices and took a tour where I met the other employees, and sat down with a few of them. It was fun to be back a second time, and really realizing that this would be a fun job. That evening we went to a nice dinner with one of the girls who has the same job as I would, which was nice for me to be able to pick her brain. Then back to the airport to fly home. I spent a whopping 6 hours in SLC! What a jet-setter, right?

After being home for a few days, I have had a lot to think about. I didn't leave Tuesday with a job offer, but as it stands now, basically if I want the job I can have it. This is so exciting and intimidating at the same time. This job would be using my degree to the fullest, which is awesome. I would get to travel around the world, be working both with customers as well as designers and manufacturers, and commentating fashion shows at markets. It is basically all my separate dream jobs rolled into one big one. And that is what makes it intimidating, it is a big job! I'm sure a lot of college graduates feel this same way, but am I really ready for this? I know I have the education, but I lack in experience. Most of the other people working at this level in the company are 27 or older. I will be 24. Eek! So I have a lot to pray about.

Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally perhaps, the advising position here at OSU was finally posted when I got back. So I have now applied for that job as well and am waiting to hear back about an interview. Everything seems to be happening all at once! So I covet your prayers as I have to really start thinking about what I want to do with my life after school. I also have only two weeks until my thesis defense, so things are a little stressful at the moment. Stressful, but exciting, and I wouldn't have it any other way, because I know who's driving this ship!

Day Trip

I am going to see a man about a job. Some exciting news...tomorrow (May 6th) I am going to Salt Lake City for the day to interview for a job at the bridal company I spent some time with last summer! They are flying me down for the day, which makes me feel like a total jet setter :) I am leaving from Portland tomorrow at 10:30 am and get back in around 9:30 pm. I will only be in SLC for about 6 hours, which is so weird to me! I just wanted to let you all know how you can be praying for me while I am gone.
A) Safe travels, and that my flights would be on time and everything
B) Presence of mind: I am going into this interview without knowing what specific job I am interviewing for, so I think I will have to be quick on my feet. Also, I am starting to stress about my thesis, so I need to be able to put that behind me for a day and focus on this interview.
C) God's will: I am constantly tying to discern whether moving to SLC is the right choice for me. I am a little nervous about the prospect of moving away from Oregon, but I also want to be fearless in my faith and trust that God will provide for me no matter where I am.
D) The hearts of those at the company: Many of the employees of the bridal company are Mormon, so I am trying to use every interaction with them as an opportunity to witness, and to differentiate myself. This could be a huge challenge working with so many Mormons, but it could also be a huge ministry. I pray that God would be moving in their hearts and causing a sense of unrest with their current faith.

Thanks for your prayer support...I will update the blog sometime after my trip and let you know how it went!