Backwards and Forwards

I have completed the first trimester of the YOOT. Here is the recap with a few lessons learned.

• September: Best friend from childhood got married. Studied for the LSAT. Watched a lot of Friday Night Lights.
• Locations slept in: Chicago, Cincinnati
• Lessons: 
• Studying for the LSAT will make you lose your mind, fully.
• Living with Mona Yeh is truly amazing.
• Coach Taylor (from Friday Night Lights) could inspire a wet blanket to play great football.
• Always make lists when you leave a place.
• October: Took the LSAT. Bike tripped with my dad. Personal statement writing at the cabin. Kept watching Friday Night Lights.
• Locations slept in: Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Ringrock (Ely, MN), Chicago, Ann Arbor
• Lessons:
• VFW hall karaoke bars have corrupt politics. Pay the DJ if you want to sing.
• Southwestern Wisconsin is extraordinarily beautiful in the autumn.
• When transitioning, always bike.
• A cabin and a brother are the perfect writing companions.
• November: Moved to Cincinnati. Worked for my dad. Applied, applied, applied. Shadowed juvenile judges. Occupied Cincinnati. Celebrated Thanksgiving GG style complete with live action 60th birthday celebration, "Al-The MusicAL". Finished entire series of Friday Night Lights.
• Locations slept in: Cincinnati, Hudson
• Lessons:
• Network when planning next steps. Those in the field are the best guides.
• Cincinnati might be a better home in 10 years.
• Cincinnati activists speak a unique truth resonating with major city concerns and also connecting to Appalachain roots.
• A psychic told me I needed to fast from television...she was probably right.
• December: Finished applying. Finished working for my dad. Family time in Minnesota. Moved away from Cincinnati.
• Locations slept in: Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Ringrock
• Lessons:
• Always pack less than you think you will need. It will still be too much.
• Eating Indian food twice a week for seven weeks will affect one's body.
• Working as a law clerk was a smart call, but ultimately I do not like being the least knowledgeable in an office even if my dad is the boss.
• January part 1: Cabin fun. Visited Friends. Started hearing back good news from schools. Feeling ready to adventure.
• Locations slept in: Ringrock, Chicago, Boston, Amherst, Brooklyn
• Lessons:
• Winter in the U.S. is not very travel friendly--plan a trip to Mexico if you do not have a home.
• While cabins appear to be the best place to retreat and reflect, this is not true during the holidays. But, you will play lots of games.
•  If your friend chronically rolls her ankle, never let her hold the groceries on the walk home.
• Ladies' nights are always a good idea.
• The LSAT does not wholly determine your law school admittance.
• New York City is still magical for a girl from Ohio.
• If you find yourself in a room full of artists and nude figures with live music, draw.

I could go on and on with lessons learned, but I think they are still seeping in. And right now I am mostly looking forward. At 1 am on January 26th, I am boarding a flight to Oaxaca City and I will not be back until the end of March. I have loose plans including some meditation and yoga time, some Spanish studying, some exploration of the organizations and issues, and some travel, but nothing is in stone. I do have an amazing friend with an apartment for me to stay in and the willingness to answer lots of my questions.

I have been YOOTing for over four months now, but a lot of that time has been full of logistics and deadlines and dependency. It has been great, but also really hard. There have been lots of questioning moments about whether I did the right thing. I left a city I love, a job I love, and so many people I love to follow some vague plan and transition into some vague place. Am I crazy?

2012 has brought a welcoming shift. Going to Mexico will bring a nice change of scenery. The world I am opting out of does not seem to be going anywhere for quite some time, so I might as well get away when I can.