new work adventure

in 2009 i found work in japan. in 2011 i have found work traveling in the SW USA as a brand ambassador. i will leaving in 4 days to being a new eight month adventure. i will be representing a popular local cheese company from oregon. the main part of our job is to have new consumers taste the delicious product. there is a team of 8 of us (2 managers, and 6 BAs). each day we will do events in cites at three grocery stores per day (2 BAs per store). sometimes we will go to larger consumer events and have a booth there (farmers markets, zoos, etc). along with handing out cheese, we have coupons, cute buttons, recipe cards and information about the brand. i love to talk and i love to boast about my state and things from my state so i am very excited about this new job. getting paid to travel and talk - what more could i ask for?! we will be in phoenix, san diego, LA, bay area, sacramento, salt lake city and denver. i haven't spent much time in most of these cities so i am super stoked to see new places and take it all in. i hope to update this blog more so i can post photos and share excerpts from my life on the road!

i have not written for a l-o-n-g time. i first made this blog to help share my experience in japan. i spent a year in nagoya. i came home at the end of march 2010 and since then i have worked a couple different jobs.

first i worked as an educational assistant for a summer school program. shortly after that ended i worked as a tutor part time and also for the boys & girls club of america in one of their after school programs. i was pretty busy, running between different schools but was only working about 20 hours per week and pretty low pay. i did enjoy working with the kids and all my different experiences in education has made me consider pursuing a master's degree in education to become a teacher.

while i worked the two part time jobs i kept looking for jobs and i found a different one as an assistant at a high school. still part time at 25 hrs/week but more per hour and less running around. i am currently working at the high school. i work as an assistant to the career & counseling center teacher and i also keep a computer lab open for after school hours. i have had a good time there so far and have gotten to know a few students. the people i work with are all super nice and it's a good atmosphere.

a big thing that happened since i came home was accomplishing one of my dreams. in august i bought a '72 volkswagen beetle. it's yellow and i named her penny! it was somewhat of a fluke. i just randomly looked on craigslist that day and was browsing the VWs. i went and test drove a light blue junker that was for sale for $1,500. it was way too much of a project for me. then i found a little gem located down here eugene. i called and was coached by dad as i got the specifics on the car; used as a tow vehicle for an older couple, had a complete restoration in the 90s and was overall in good shape with only some paint chips from towing. i was freaking out. i have wanted a bug since i was about 4. after the first phone call i arranged to go see the car. after an hour of freaking out i called back and got their voicemail. i asked if he wouldn't sell the car before i took a look at it (just in case someone came to see it before we got down there) and he agreed. so off my dad and i went! the car was everything i wanted in a little bug. i was a little shaky on stick shift but i drove her a tiny bit and fell in love instantly pretty much. i had cash in hand because i just had a feeling i would probably get her... and i did!

the people i bought penny from with their grandson. i named her, she didn't have a name when i bough her.

beep beep!

a happy girl in the cutest little car, ever!

i have since mastered driving a stick and even though i have had her for about 5 months now, i get a smile every time i see my little car. true bug luv!

now and again i do get a little nostalgic for japan and my friends there. i keep making myself remember details about my time there (my bike ride to school, my apartment, downtown) so i will never forget it. i may plan a visit there sometime soon!

i plan to start updating this regularly, ok who are we kidding, at least semi-regularly now. bear with me ;)