What are you waiting for?

It's that time of the year again. The Christmas music has come out. I'm a big Christmas music fan. It just feels cozy to me. But I'm a bit bitter at the moment, it seems, and I'm noticing a theme in my thoughts about a lot of the songs that have been coming up. Two in a row in particular that came up were women singing about wanting a man (whether a specific one or just one in general) and all I could think is how these women are waiting under the mistletoe for a man to come and find them (or for Santa to bring him), and I got to thinking about how much of our lives we spend waiting.
I'm not talking about waiting in line for coffee, or in traffic, or whatever menial thing we might have to do on any given day. I mean waiting to do what we really want to do.
And thus I want to ask you, what are you waiting for?
Once you've come up wit an answer to this question, I want you to stop waiting and do it.
This does not have to be something giant. I know there are some things you need to wait for. But that person you'd like a date with? Ask them out. That novel you want to write? Write it. That raise you want? Ask for it. The result will be the same whether you do it now or later, and waiting is only going to make you unhappy in the meanwhile.
Even with larger things, stop waiting quite so long. Want to quit your job? Start looking for a new one now. Want a new car? Pass up that night out and put those $20 in the bank.
Basically, we need to prioritize, what do you want, and what are you willing to do to get it? You can save money a lot more quickly if you're motivated. So know what you're saving for, and when you've thought it out, you'll realize that your daily coffee could be $1000 in the bank at the end of the year. And that's just a coffee. Get a coffee pot.
Maybe you might read this and think I'm naive, but hey, I'm moving abroad in less than three months,  I've figured out what I want, and I've gotten it. So what are you waiting for?

Pictures, #3

A few more shots.

Please share/use if you like.

Please give me credit/keep the ©
I have larger file sizes if you like.

Fly Away
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Vista
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Porque Piedras Trae
Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile

A Few More Pictures

I'm trying to limit the number of pictures per post down so it doesn't take forever to load.

I didn't mention in the last post, but I have these in larger size also if anyone wants them. Just don't forget credit/leave the ©

=)

Out for a Cruise
Valparaíso, Chile

Vibrance
Valparaíso, Chile

Torres Del Paine
Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile

A Few Pictures

I've been meaning to put some of my photography up here. These aren't necessarily my favorites, just the first ones I got around to uploading.

Photography is something I love, so please let me know any thoughts you may have on my shots. And you can feel free to share/use them, but leave the ©/credit me please.

Unmarked graves of the unidentified victims of the Pinochet dictatorship:
National Cemetery, Santiago, Chile. 

Stairs to...
Viña del Mar, Chile

Relaje
Valparaíso, Chile

Prompt #23 - Tech

Prompt #23 of 30 Days of Indie Travel
Where would today’s travelers be without smartphones, GPS, iPods, iPads, or even the internet? Share one item of tech you can’t live without or tell us how technology has changed the way you travel.


Ok, so I know that over the last year and a half or so the iPad has become the cliche gadget of choice for, well, everyone, travelers included, but this is one of those times when the product really does live up to the hype. While I don't have an iPad 2 (nor any plans to upgrade), I feel like even the original product really does have exactly what a traveler needs. Translator? Check. Currency converter? Check. Lonely Planet guide? Check. Even flight trackers, Skype, and the super-important-when-your-plane-is-delayed Angry Birds. And, of course, and iPod. Battery life could be better, but I bring it everywhere.

Wherever you go, there you are.

This quote comes to mind when I think about my current complete lack of motivation. I spent a year on five continents, took part in a revolution, got a whole new family, learned a new language and greatly improved another, and now I'm in school. And it sucks, to be honest. But New Orleans is a great place,  and I wish I could enjoy my last month here, because for so many people this is a destination. So that's my goal for the next (almost) month. There is plenty of photographing to be done in this city, and I'm gonna do some of it.
If I ever write this paper so I have time.

Prompt #22 - Transport

Prompt #22 of 30 Days of Indie Travel
The word travel comes from a French word meaning “work” and sometimes, getting there is work. Between crowded buses, long airline delays, overnight trains and crazy rickshaw rides, transportation can be stressful, but it can also be a rewarding part of the tip. Tell us about a time when the journey became more important than the destination.


This prompt very quickly brought back a favorite memory of mine that I think pretty well conveys how accustomed I was getting to Cairo before I had to leave. 


On what turned out to be my last full day in Cairo before being evacuated, I took a minibus for the first and second times. Minibuses in Cairo are... interesting. Particularly when your Arabic leaves a lot to be desired. And particularly when you're a foreign woman. The first time, I was with my roommate Matt. We had bought some koshari and were bringing it to Tahrir with us, and our fellow passengers had plenty of questions for us, like why the hell foreigners were headed to Tahrir. But Matt handled most of the talking, since his Arabic is considerably better than mine, and pretended to be my boyfriend when the dude I was talking to turned out to be a bit too interested. But the ride back home was much more entertaining, for me at least.


On the way back, Matt was talking to an Egyptian friend he had made, and the dude kinda creeped me out, so I was walking a bit separate from them, further ahead. As we got back to the side of the river we lived on, where the roads were pretty much clear and a few minibuses were still running, I saw a minibus up ahead and dashed for it, not wanting to walk the rather long distance home from downtown if I didn't have to. I assumed Matt was behind me, but I was more interested in the bus. He wasn't behind me. Whatever, I got on. I was, of course, in the seat farthest from the door. I did have a window though, so I was fine with it as that meant sitting next to fewer possible creepers. I was ok with it until I realized I had to get off first, because this bus was going all the way to the 'burbs and I lived on the outskirt of the city, but still inside the city. In a bout of what I like to think of as Egyptian ingenuity, I climbed out the sliding window while we were stopped at a red light (we were one of te only vehicles on the road).


I'd like you to picture that. A white, young 20s woman climbing out the side, rear window of a dingy Egyptian minibus at a red light. It was a small victory. But it was awesome. I was figuring out how to get along in Cairo. If only I hadn't had to leave the next day...