Two weeks in, blog started

I wasn't going to do the whole blog thing. But I really would like to make sure I remember all the things that are happening every day, and well, this seems to be the way to do it. Between this and my journal, I'm hoping to actually have a functioning memory of my time here. Here's the deal. October 1 I was offered a job as an English Lecturer at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. By October 17, I was here in time for the last day of new teacher orientation. It has been a whirlwind of a month. Saying goodbye to my family, my friends, my job, and my new apartment weren't exactly easy, but opportunities like this are not happening for almost 30-somethings at home right now. It's really gratifying to use my brain a bit instead of punishing my body during shifts as a waitress/bartender. But I do miss Philly. I miss the familiarity of my neighborhood, the sense of comfort in knowing that at any time, one of my family members could be with me in anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on where I was in the city. I miss texting my sister just to tell her my hair looks hilarious, here, look at it. I took the fact that my parents were only an hour away for granted, and didn't spend nearly enough time with them. But they're all so supportive, I'm incredibly lucky. I have my Skype, my email, and facebook. In this day and age, I can talk to my whole family with ease. It makes it all a little less scary, a little more comfortable. It's a strange position to be a homebody and someone constantly desiring adventure. As the hammer is set to fall on my 30th birthday in a few months, I couldn't stand the idea that there wasn't much substance to my life. After 30 years of existence, what was I proud of? The list was short. Now, hopefully, with this program, in this place, I can get a taste of the adventure I crave and some pride in my actions. Maybe this will be my time to finally shed the social anxiety, to really embrace things that are different without being petrified. Or, I'll be an utter hermit here and regret everything I didn't do because I was afraid. It's time to be done with regrets. I've already dived in, now let's explore the waters.