My brother, Mike, and I took to the Phoenix streets last night. Not for anything shady... unless you ask the evangelists preaching about hell fires from their portable loud speakers. We were there for the First Friday Art Walk. We had been there before, but made the mistake of going early (around 5pm) when it was still very, very hot. Still, there were tents up all around the downtown Phoenix area, and we were pleasantly surprised at all the refurbished historical buildings to walk among. It was such an interesting mix of people, too! 

When a friend and I decided that we needed to experience a few European Christmas markets, we asked around about which ones are the best. Everyone had different opinions, and for a wide variety of reasons; we eventually narrowed it down to Prague because we were drawn to the descriptions of the markets being charming, laid back, and in a classic European market style (and, TBH, because I really wanted to visit the Mucha Museum- see below). When we went in December 2014, we did in fact love the markets, as well as the city in the midst of winter. And one day, I want to return in the summer to the city from a different perspective!

I lived and worked in southern China for a little less than a year. During the 2003-2004 school year, I wrote a lengthy blog post nearly every day. Posts were about funny incidents with staff or students, delicious or exotic foods I’d tried, new discoveries of self, encountering the otherness of a foreign culture, etc, etc. It was incredibly cathartic to write, but also a great way to stay connected with friends and family back home.

Fast forward twelve years, when I decided to start a new blog to chronicle my experiences in a new culture: Doha, Qatar. And yet, after three months, I was struggling to describe my every day life here. ​

My big news is that I am moving to India! I have accepted a school counseling job at an international school in New Delhi. I will be working with Pre-kindergarten to Grade 2 students. It will be quite a change from my last position at a school in Doha, Qatar! 

While I was living in Qatar, I had many opportunities to travel, but I never blogged about my experiences. I'd like to take a look back at some of the super cool places I've visited, as well as continuing to chronicle my traveling adventures going forward. Here's a list of places I have been since August of 2014:

• Paris, France
• Prague, Czech Republic
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Scotland (10 day road trip)
• Cape Cod, Providence & Boston, MA, USA
• Barcelona, Madrid & Seville, Spain
• Austin, TX, USA
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Lisbon, Portugal
• London, UK
• Arusha & Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
• Muscat, Oman
• San Francisco, CA, USA

So I thought I'd try a new format. I'm going to use the acronym ADVENTURES to shape my thoughts:
Art: beauty, in all its forms, found at that site
Description of the location in three words
Views and sites to see
Entertainment unique to the location
Noshing: all the best food & drink
Transportation & Tours
Ultimate: site, art, restaurant, etc- my absolute favorite person/ place/ thing
Real world details: anything you might need to know to make life easier as a visitor
Experts: books, websites, and other information to check out
Shopping: Items to look for as souvenirs or gifts

I look forward to looking back at some of the cities I've visited in the past two years. And you are welcome to join in!

In the months since I made the decision to move to Qatar as a school counselor, I have had many diverse reactions. They range from excitement to concern to complete disinterest, but there have been a few common questions that pop up repeatedly. So I thought I'd share a few of the questions I commonly receive, and an answer to each. Feel free to ask more in the comments below!

1. Where is Qatar? Is Dubai the capital city?

It doesn't feel like I started driving down to Arizona just yesterday. I am on summer vacation, so I haven't felt a need to rush. Also, I have a slight obsession with airbnb as a safe, budget-friendly way to get to know places in a more relaxed way (and with super friendly hosts!). The big debate then became: which route to take? There were so many options. I leaned toward the desert, where I could see Moab and Antelope Canyon… but I am moving to a desert for the next two years! Then I thought I'd stop by Crater Lake in southern Oregon, pass through Reno, and head through Flagstaff… but I am planning a trip to Flagstaff with friends once I get to AZ. And when would I get the chance to see the Pacific Coast again? So I chose the route using the 101 & 1 highways.

Turns out that I am glad that I did. Not only have the views (and thus the pictures) been fantastic, but my car did in fact have trouble. Or should I say troubles? As in plural?

Late last month, I went on an adventure in San Diego. I'd spent the previous few months sorting out a one bedroom apartment's worth of worldly possessions. I divided it all by what I most need to take with me in my impending around-the-world move, what could be put in safe keeping for 2+ years, and what should be purged (the latter being remarkably painful, btw. Who knew I'd be sad to part with worn sweaters or my pretty-but-warm duvet cover?)  The storage items were heading to a family members' home in Arizona via minivan… and that meant: ROAD TRIP!

There was no rush to get said storage to Arizona, but I was not going to miss my friend Karen's nuptials for the world! It was set for June 28th in San Diego. My brother and I packed up a minivan in Portland and headed down a few days before, then he dropped me off in San Diego and continued on to Phoenix on his own. I then had a few days to roam San Diego, exploring and seeing friends at Karen's wedding. It was a gorgeous, joyous event and I am thrilled that I was able to attend!

It was a conversation that happened the evening following the wedding that got me thinking about this blog, but also about what makes me most passionate. During dinner with the newlyweds, my old friend Karen reminded me of a (now defunct) Yahoo group I maintained while teaching in southeastern China, and asked why I had never had the stories published. I called that Yahoo group "Adventures in Yulin," named after the city in which I resided from October 2003 to July 2004. I had posted stories from my experiences there almost every day. This moniker actually inspired the name of this blog & website, The Adventurous School Counselor. My friend requested that I chronicle my adventures in Qatar in a similar, storytelling manner… and this is where I stopped to reflect.

So here's the thing. I love storytelling; it's one of my passions to read, listen to, tell, and write stories. Funny stories, serious stories, suspenseful stories, fictional stories… even rambling stories that make you wonder if they will ever end but somehow come together in this frenzied, coincidental, satisfying end. I particularly love stories about people and about travel, and about people who travel. But I am a sucker for transformational stories in particular. It was a delight to write down the stories from my life in China, and share them with others. 

…but as I started a blog about school counseling, I found myself hesitant to write personal stories about the people and students with whom I work- even if they were positive or inspiring (and that can be so hard to pass up when big changes occur!). So I stuck to the "facts:" the structure, organization, and techniques that were implemented in the counseling program at my school. Then I got the overseas position and I thought, "it can't work to throw my personal travel stories into this structure, can it?" So I started another blog on the same website in an attempt to separate the two- not just separate topics, but different style & tone, too. I'm thinking that the school counseling blog will be geared toward fellow school counselors & educators and will stick to a more structured, professional format. On the other hand (or page), the travel blog will focus on the more personal aspects of my experiences in Qatar and will be more storytelling in nature. I am hoping this will work! What do you think? Is it confusing to have two blogs? Which one(s) would/will you follow?

Now I am wrapping up my last couple weeks in Oregon (possibly forever?), living out of suitcases, trying to check times off my bucket list and saying my goodbyes to lovely friends. Then, I will head down to Arizona for another month of catching up with family and friends before heading off to Qatar and a new school counseling job. This means many more nomadic stories to share on the travel blog in the coming weeks and months!

As I am preparing to move across the world, I am finding that there are two distinct audiences for any blog posts I send out. One is to counselors in hopes of sharing ideas, but the other is geared toward students, families, and friends who are hoping to follow along on the travel portion of my move. Thus, I thought I'd create two distinct blogs at the same website. I am planning to dedicate this blog to the move, including preparation and research, and any other places I will travel. Please feel free to leave comments requesting information or topics you'd like for me to cover!