Before I leave | The Scamp Abroad

Mama Scamp’s Birthday

Posted on April 6, 2015 by erranteditor

Today is Mama Scamp’s birthday!

She started out as a curious little tyke with the crazy bowl cut.

She was a crazy dare devil growing up, having broken most of her bones at one point in time. She played baseball, basketball, and has had the same exact smile since she was a little kid. Everyone who knew my grandma will see a lot of her in my mom.

My mommy has always been a hottie. I’m not sure how she managed to skip over the awkward stage that most of us have (or in my case, am still having), but she did.

She is definitely my favorite person. No matter what I do, she supports me 100%. She paid for my first degree, has helped me move to and from countless apartments, and has done her best to help me whenever I ask. She has yet to complain that I am moving back to Scotland in 60 days.

She really is the only one who gets me. We laugh at things no one thinks are funny, we can spend hours watching cat videos, and she supports all of my crazy ideas for back-up careers.

She lost her mom 20 years ago and I think that made her work extra hard to make sure that all of us kids were taken care of. We know we can always come home, always call her for help, and count on her to do something to make us laugh. She spoils us rotten (but I am totally okay with that).

She is my best friend and favorite person. I pity people who do not have a mom as awesome as mine.

The Scamp and the Gratitude Challenge Weeks 12 and 13

Posted on March 29, 2015 by erranteditor

I’ve been in a daze the last few days. I’m on spring break, so I have been trying to tackle the hardest mission of moving: spring cleaning.

So far I’ve filled two boxes, five bags, and an entire rubbish bin. I have no idea where all this stuff came from. Every time I think I got things down to a manageable level, I find more things that need to go with me. I know that I should be excited about the move and my upcoming position, but I am just getting more and more stressed. I am having a really hard time finding a place to live, still do not have the paperwork I need for my visa, and I have yet to figure out how to get all of my stuff to Scotland with me. I found out this week that I will now be attending a conference in at the end of June in England, and while I should be excited about that, I find myself a little more stressed. I feel like I do not have enough time to make this all happen.

I’m trying not to stress. I really am.

Which brings me to the gratitude challenge for last week and this week.

Last week’s topic covered a personality trait that I am most proud of, and this week covers something that I have overcome.

That one is easy.

The one thing that I am proud that I have overcome is the whole sorted mess with CSUF. I got kicked out of the program after being bullied for a year, and in less than three months, I have already managed to pick myself up and move on to a much better place in life. I may not be around long enough to see that program and the people who run it get what they deserve, but I am so happy that I was able to escape mostly intact. I have 68 days until I leave and can put this all behind me, and in the meantime, I am going to make sure that I can be as much at peace with what happened as I can.

That leads me to last week’s challenge: a personality trait that I consider my favorite. I would have to say that is my ability to worry and stress over everything.

I kid, I kid…..kinda.

Beside my sarcasm and snark, my favorite personality trait is my perseverance. There have been more than a few times that I wanted to just pull the blankets over my head and call it a day. I almost quit so many times before I got the boot against my will. I almost gave up on my dream of moving back to Scotland and getting my life sorted in the one place that I am truly happy. I know that my perseverance will allow me to make it through the next few weeks and get everything sorted before I leave the US for good. I also know that my perseverance is what is going to allow me to succeed when I finally settle in my home.

“You must read, you must persevere, you must sit up nights, you must inquire, and exert the utmost power of your mind. If one way does not lead to the desired meaning, take another; if obstacles arise, then still another; until, if your strength holds out, you will find that clear which at first looked dark.”
― Giovanni Boccaccio

The Scamp and the Gratitude Challenge Week 11

Posted on March 24, 2015 by erranteditor

I’m way behind. Way way way behind with the challenge. It is to the point now that I feel guilty when I miss the post, and it gnaws on me. That being said, I have been grading poorly written midterms, celebrating birthdays, and minorly freaking out that the paperwork for my new life in Scotland is not yet complete. March is almost over, and I need my passport on June 5th, so the days are slowly trickling away. I’m starting to freak out and stress a bit.

But, back to the challenge. I’m supposed to be focused on the good, not the bad.

Week 11 is all about a person that inspires me. This was hard for me. I’ve spent a long time with my head buried in the sand lately, so it is hard for me to really think of who really inspires me.

There are a lot of people that would fall under this category, but I ultimately settled on a fellow gypsy soul, who not only understands the value of seeing the world, but does a pretty amazing job of writing about his adventures along the way.

Nathan and I met in 2009 when we both registered for a literature class dedicated to Mark Twain. I was working for Professor Gregg Camfield at the time as a project manager for the updating and renovating of the museum at Angle’s Camp. The class served as research assistants, and each of us was in charge of putting together a small presentation for the Mark Twain exhibit. I was in charge of keeping everything together, and for helping the museum map out how the exhibit would come together. Nathan and I got to know each other over discussions of literature, and then the poor guy got to know me even better (or at least see me in my penguin pajamas more than anyone should) when he started dating my roommate. After I graduated from UC Merced and moved to San Diego for my MA, Nathan and I would occasionally chat through Facebook, but I would not call our relationship more than a casual acquaintance.

It was actually writing that offered us a chance to reconnect. When I moved to Scotland the first time, Nathan was one of my original readers. Despite not actually seeing each other since 2009, social media and the internet has allowed us to have some interesting discussions about books, writing, and the need to travel.

After he graduated from college with a degree in Art History, he found himself in a life that was not making him happy, so he did what many of us would never have the courage to do, he quit his job and bought a one way ticket to Europe. He started a blog, and has been making money by writing and chronicling his adventures as he explores every corner of Europe. You can find his writing here: http://lifeisacamino.com/

This is the part of him that really inspires me. I spent a long time thinking that there was something wrong with me because the thing in life that made me happy was traveling. I do not know many people that love adventure and writing as much as I do, but Nathan is definitely one of them. His writing skills, honesty, and sense of adventure makes me jealous more often than not, but reaffirms my desire to travel and explore the world as much as I can.

Sadly, his adventure is about to come to an end. He will return home in May, and hopefully he continues to write and explore, and be a gypsy soul. He has inspired me to write more of my travels, and not second guess my choice to be a wanderer while I am still able.

“There’s a race of men that don’t fit in,
A race that can’t sit still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain’s crest; Their’s is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don’t know how to rest.”
― Robert W. Service

The Scamp Jumps: The Video Edition

Posted on March 18, 2015 by erranteditor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l9UsBgBviY

I especially enjoy the parachute getting twisted and Brad telling me we will be fine.

oh, and the site of me almost puking and passing out at the end. I’m a hot disheveled mess.

I wouldn’t change any of it.

The Scamp Jumps

Posted on March 9, 2015 by erranteditor

I turned 28 by jumping out of an airplane. It is one of the most thrilling, and stupid things that I have ever done.

I signed away my entire life, and talked my dad into doing the same thing. I am really not sure why I wanted to jump out of a plane, other than the fact that it was as close to an adventure as I could get right now. I wanted to know how it would feel to fly. My mom and brother trooped out to the lovely little city (extreme sarcasm) of Perris, and after a two hour wait, it was time to fly.

After getting suited up, taping a pre-jump interview, an awesome flight suit, and some safety instructions, it was time to board the plane. I was lucky enough to get the good looking Brad. He was a great guy. He laughed, joked, and made sure that I was entirely comfortable the whole time. If I did not have my heart set on getting out of the US as fast as possible, I would have flirted with him a lot more….well, more than sitting in his lap and holding on to him while he got our parachute untangled.

I have no words for how incredible it was to jump out of the plane. It wasn’t the stomach dropping excitement of being on a roller coaster, or the scary feeling you get when an airplane dips while flying, but it is an incredible rush. You forget to breathe, forget to be afraid, forget that you are even hurling toward the earth. I loved the free fall. I’m not sure my dad felt the same way.

The adorable Brad let me steer the parachute, we played merry-go-round with the cameraman, and practiced some crazy turns that left me feeling really a bit sick. I did not land gracefully. Brad ended up on top of me, and I managed to get myself tangled in the parachute, but it was worth it. A funny thing happened to me when I landed. All of the adrenaline finally left my body, and I got a bit sick. I didn’t know if I should puke or pass out, and I very well almost did both.

Not sexy.

Brad was great about it, and once I was free of the jumpsuit, I found a nice spot on the grass to lay down for a bit. I got a shirt, video, and pictures to mark the day. I plan on taking the picture they printed out for me to Scotland to hang on my wall.

I finished off the day with a dinner with the wombmate and her friends. While it was not really how I wanted to spend my birthday, it was fun, and she enjoyed herself.

28 is starting off with a bang. Now I have three months to find a flat and figure out how to ship my stuff to Scotland. Where is the apartment fairy when you need her?

A Scamp in Denial

Posted on September 1, 2012 by erranteditor

I had a plan. When I started this blog I had decided that I was going to chronicle my adventures leading up to Scotland, and then chronicle every detail of my life in Scotland. The last time I posted was a month ago, and with only 4 days until I leave, I did not do a very good job of recording the journey. The best reason I can give for that is that I am in denial. The big day sorta crept up on me, and I have run out of time.

I’m in denial of the fact that I leave on Tuesday. Complete and total denial. I’m not done packing, I keep sneaking shoes into the bag, and I didn’t even plan a goodbye party. I have been trying to scatter around town and see everyone before I go, but so far I am not doing such a great job. Instead of dwelling on that (or finishing the packing that needs to be done) I am going to lay on my bed and watch old episodes of Warehouse 13. That sounds like a good time to me.

A Scamp and Stress

Posted on August 5, 2012 by erranteditor

When I get stressed I turn into a monster. I try not too, but it always seems to happen. I start to get crabby and cranky, and I pick fights and generally become a pain in the ass.

Right now, I am being a pain in the ass. I have things I need to do, people I want to see, conversations that need to be had, and I have neither the time or the energy to do any of these things. With less than a month before I leave, I still do not have my passport back, I still haven’t purchased a plane ticket, and I still have no idea how I am going to get everything I want/need with me to Scotland. I should be spending my time figuring all these details out, but instead, I am sitting on my couch watching TV, or hiding in my room watching TV on my computer and picking fights with my boyfriend because he refuses to acknowledge that I am leaving soon. I need a telaportation device, the visa fairy, and the money fairy to come through for me so I can continue to be lazy and not feel bad about it.

Until then, I will clicked through old TV episodes and lay in the sun and try to get a little bit of a tan. I hear vitamin D is good for stress.

A Grown-Up Scamp

Posted on August 4, 2012 by erranteditor

Although you wouldn’t always know by looking at me, I am in fact an adult. I had a “big girl” 40 hour a week job, my own insurance, and my own “big girl” apartment in San Diego. With all of that, I still spent most of my time dressing like a contestant on “What Not To Wear”. On more than one occasion my colleges at Saddleback thought I was one of the students, and many of the people I encountered at USD thought I was a student worker. While I don’t mind my youthful appearance, all of my leopard print dresses, flip flops, and jeans do not exactly lend me to a credible working woman. My goal for Scotland is to not only grow up and mature, but to look grown-up and mature. Thanks to my mother, I now have a wardrobe that fits that idea. Gone are the jean skirts, sundresses and cute little slip on Vans, and in their place are skirts, cute tops and high heeled shoes (okay, small wide heel, after all, I am not trying to die on the cobblestone streets of Edinburgh). What I like about my new wardrobe though is I still feel like it has the retro vintage feel that I love. Great pencil skirts in bold colors, striped dresses and blazers, and a killer red dress that will make me stand out anywhere. I also still have my assortment of fun jewelery and hair pieces, so I feel like I will still be taking a bit of my across the pond.

It was ridiculously hard though not to buy all the cute little sundresses, and funky canvas shoes I saw. I had to put a lot of things back, and resist the urge to try things on though. I guess I should have picked a place with sun. In the meantime, I did make packing a lot easier for me, and I hope that in the next few weeks I start to feel like the adult that my wardrobe suggests.

A Scamp Unpacked (For Now)

Posted on July 31, 2012 by erranteditor

I never realized how small the room I grew up in was until now. I suddenly have no room to move, no room to breath, and certainly no room to put all of the clothes and things that I have gathered in the last seven years of living on my own. The boxes are all stacked up in my parent’s garage and there is a layer of dust and I am sure many many spiders making residence in my boxes. Soon they will all be moved into storage (if I can get them all to fit) and I will have everything I own in a couple of suitcases and a few carry-ons. I think it is really starting to hit me that I can’t take call of this stuff with me and I will have to pick and choose what I take and what I leave behind. I’m starting to see the beauty of my roommates plan to sell all of her stuff. I have no idea where all of this stuff came from, and I have no idea what I am going to do with it if it doesn’t fit into storage.

All of the stress and the fact that the clock is quickly running out for my time in the US is leaving me with a lot of doubts. I’m starting to think that this was not the best idea I have ever had. Storing my stuff is going to be an issue, leaving my family will be an issue, and leaving David is going to suck. I’ve only been at home one day and I already miss him like crazy. I know that things will be different when I am in school and things are busy, but I am just dreading that separation. I wish that he hadn’t been so quick to turn down coming with me, and as much as I understand why he made that choice, I can’t help but think how much fun it would be if he wanted to come with me. He is constantly tempting me with the life that we will have together when I get home, and sometimes I can’t help but wonder if part of that is a dig at me because we could have that now.

I think that once I readjust to living at home, and can put some of the boxes and bags and other things away I will feel better, but in the meantime, I am very glad that my mother understands my need to be in my room by myself for long stretches of time, and that she is willing to give me that space to readjust. I am hoping that in the next few days I settle down and adjust to being home and start to process the next stage of my life.

A Scamp Exhuasted

Posted on July 17, 2012 by erranteditor

On average I take about ten pills a day. That is how many it takes to keep this scamp going. I take one pill to keep me going during the day, one pill to help me sleep at night, two pills to fight the pain, three pills to supplement my shitty diet, one to battle the depression that comes with being sick, and one to regulate my body with all of the other crazy things going on. Some days I feel like drug addict because of my complete reliance on these drugs to get me through the day. Many days I am so tired that I can barely remember what I did during the day, but overall, I feel lucky that my disease has not progressed very quickly and I am a lot better off than I could be.

The pills and the daily ins and outs of my disease are not the only things that have me exhausted. My upcoming move and the the California State Bar exam have also been pushing me to my limits. My boyfriend claims I have been very understanding and been great throughout the whole process, but the truth of the matter is I’ve been a pain in the ass. He has been great about having dinner with me or giving me an hour or two a day as well as the occasional sleepover, but I usually pout and make sad faces when I have to leave. I know that he is trying to stay focused and I know that I am not being the most supportive girlfriend, but these 8 days can not go fast enough. He will finish the test in time for me to move out of San Diego. I’m so stressed about us not being able to see each other and what we will do when I move that I am almost too exhausted to enjoy the time we get to spend together. Hopefully when the test is over we can finally have a few seconds to have a normal relationship.

The boy keeps trying to remind me that this is all temporary and that everything he is doing now is so that he can get himself a good solid career that will take care of us and our munchkins for the next 60 years, so what is a couple of months of being tired and cranky when the rest of our lives will be great. I just hope that I am not too tired to enjoy it when it finally comes around.