Though I'm sure everyone is sick of politics by now, in honor of election day I decided to write about what politics are like here in Wyoming.
Wyoming is definitely a completely different world from Ohio when it comes to politics. For one, Wyoming is a solid red state. No swinging here. I must say, that is one nice thing about not living in Ohio this election season; I have observed minimal campaign commercials (although being able to watch TV only via the internet and therefore not being forced to watch commercials at all might also have something to do with that). But it is especially odd for me having spent most of my time surrounded by moderate to liberal peers and having lived in a fairly liberal college town, now being thrust into a completely different political climate. Here in Wyoming, almost everyone votes Republican. As an avid Obama supporter, the past few months have been pretty hard on me politically. But out here, politics are completely different altogether. It almost makes sense to me that so many people identify with the Republican party, because Wyoming just faces different issues altogether.
For example, back in August I attended a political gathering with a coworker, which was basically a party for someone who was running for office. During the event, there were multiple speakers who talked about the issues they were running on. One issue that was mentioned was "Meatless Mondays," which apparently is an initiative started by Congress to limit the amount of meat allowed to be produced on Mondays, in order to cut back on toxic emissions and focus on healthier foods other than meats. Now normally, this would sound like a great idea to me because it leads to better environmental and health benefits. However, the speaker reminded us that with cows being the number one product in Wyoming, a Meatless Monday would be extremely hurtful to the economy. I had definitely never thought about that before living here.
Another thing about Wyoming politics is that the social issues that I personally am very passionate about - i.e. women's rights, LGBT rights, rights of people of minority races and ethnicities, religious freedoms, etc. - don't play as big of a role. Wyoming is a state made up of predominately white, Christian, heterosexual families. Not to mention it is the least populated state in the country. These issues of diversity don't weigh as much as other issues (such as the economy and healthcare) because there simply is not a multitude of diversity here. It's just interesting to think about these things, especially as a liberal Ohioan.
So I did vote absentee because I know as an Ohioan my vote really does have a bigger impact than voting in Wyoming would. And though I am a pretty hardcore Obama fan, I do not disrespect people who don't agree with my views. I think the important thing is to vote, no matter who you vote for. Obviously, I think it would be lovely if everyone would vote for the person who is not just trying to solve economic issues, but also human rights issues, but I think at this point people aren't really going to be easily persuaded by my opinion. All that really matters is that you exercise your fundamental right as a United States citizen to elect the people that you feel will make the best decisions for our country. So many people fought for your right to vote. Don't waste it.
Happy Election Day!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
How to Be a Grown-Up
After living truly on my own for more than two months now, I have learned some things about this "grown-up" stuff. Every child wonders what it is like to be an adult, and I have (some of) it finally figured out. So here are my top five tips to being a grown-up:
1. Do the dishes... regularly.
I thought about posting a picture of my sink, but I admit I am too ashamed. After a long day at work I usually come home and immediately have to think about cooking dinner, and by the time I'm finished with that it is after 7:00 and I just want to watch Netflix and go to bed early. Doing the dishes is just so much work when you don't have a dishwasher, and it takes away from time that could be better spent watching Mad Men. But being an adult is about being responsible, and that means cleaning your house so it doesn't get infested with bugs and other creatures. So I try to do my dishes every couple of days (before it gets too bad) and I do a deep clean of my small house (as in vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, etc.) every week or so. Yay, I'm a little bit more grown-up now!
2. Try new things.
After moving halfway across the country, I think I've got this one covered.
But really, being an adult is definitely about putting yourself outside your comfort zone, even if it is just for something small. For example, the CEO of my organization made an antipesti dish for an event we had. It consisted of tomatoes (actual ones, not just sauce), and some green stuff and white saucey stuff and other stuff, all on a cracker. Let's face it, I tried it mostly because I didn't want to say no to my CEO, but I actually did like it (don't tell my mom!).
I think my biggest "new thing" is coffee. I drank coffee occasionally in my life before Wyoming, but there is something about working 40 hours a week that just makes it a necessity. So I finally broke down and bought a coffee maker and now drink it often. Crazy!
3. Budget.
This tip is actually very serious, and it is something I wish I had spent more time on before I jumped into this grown-up world. Having lived in the residence halls all through college, I never paid rent and utilities. I paid one fee each term and that covered everything. I have been fortunate enough for my parents to pay for my cell phone and car insurance, so I really had never had bills before moving out here. Now I pay for rent, gas and electric, internet and part of my cell phone, as well as groceries, gas, etc. Since I get paid at poverty level, it was very necessary for me to learn to budget myself, especially if I want to have enough money to buy a plane ticket home for Christmas. Honestly, I would be quite happy living in a world where money doesn't matter. Unfortunately, life is a little expensive, especially for grown-ups, so budgeting must be done.
4. Set aside time for personal reflection.
Notice I did not say "alone time." At least for me, alone time is time when I am not physically in the presence of another human but I might be online or watching TV or doing something that just involves me being alone. Instead I say reflection. Whether it is in the form of yoga or meditation or going for a walk or just sitting in silence with your eyes closed while calming incense burns, all adults should talk time to just think without distraction. It should be a time to forget about anxiety, let all your stress leave you, and just sit and reflect. Think some positive thoughts every day. I personally try to force myself to wake up early and take time to do this before I start my morning. Reflection can help you stop worrying and be happy, which is exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up.
5. Never grow up.
It seems contradicting, but my last lesson for becoming an adult is to never grow up. My mom always says the number one rule for any activity is to have fun. So have fun! Stay youthful, stay energetic, stay excited. I think this comic from xkcd.com sums it up:
1. Do the dishes... regularly.
I thought about posting a picture of my sink, but I admit I am too ashamed. After a long day at work I usually come home and immediately have to think about cooking dinner, and by the time I'm finished with that it is after 7:00 and I just want to watch Netflix and go to bed early. Doing the dishes is just so much work when you don't have a dishwasher, and it takes away from time that could be better spent watching Mad Men. But being an adult is about being responsible, and that means cleaning your house so it doesn't get infested with bugs and other creatures. So I try to do my dishes every couple of days (before it gets too bad) and I do a deep clean of my small house (as in vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, etc.) every week or so. Yay, I'm a little bit more grown-up now!
2. Try new things.
After moving halfway across the country, I think I've got this one covered.
But really, being an adult is definitely about putting yourself outside your comfort zone, even if it is just for something small. For example, the CEO of my organization made an antipesti dish for an event we had. It consisted of tomatoes (actual ones, not just sauce), and some green stuff and white saucey stuff and other stuff, all on a cracker. Let's face it, I tried it mostly because I didn't want to say no to my CEO, but I actually did like it (don't tell my mom!).
I think my biggest "new thing" is coffee. I drank coffee occasionally in my life before Wyoming, but there is something about working 40 hours a week that just makes it a necessity. So I finally broke down and bought a coffee maker and now drink it often. Crazy!
3. Budget.
This tip is actually very serious, and it is something I wish I had spent more time on before I jumped into this grown-up world. Having lived in the residence halls all through college, I never paid rent and utilities. I paid one fee each term and that covered everything. I have been fortunate enough for my parents to pay for my cell phone and car insurance, so I really had never had bills before moving out here. Now I pay for rent, gas and electric, internet and part of my cell phone, as well as groceries, gas, etc. Since I get paid at poverty level, it was very necessary for me to learn to budget myself, especially if I want to have enough money to buy a plane ticket home for Christmas. Honestly, I would be quite happy living in a world where money doesn't matter. Unfortunately, life is a little expensive, especially for grown-ups, so budgeting must be done.
4. Set aside time for personal reflection.
Notice I did not say "alone time." At least for me, alone time is time when I am not physically in the presence of another human but I might be online or watching TV or doing something that just involves me being alone. Instead I say reflection. Whether it is in the form of yoga or meditation or going for a walk or just sitting in silence with your eyes closed while calming incense burns, all adults should talk time to just think without distraction. It should be a time to forget about anxiety, let all your stress leave you, and just sit and reflect. Think some positive thoughts every day. I personally try to force myself to wake up early and take time to do this before I start my morning. Reflection can help you stop worrying and be happy, which is exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up.
5. Never grow up.
It seems contradicting, but my last lesson for becoming an adult is to never grow up. My mom always says the number one rule for any activity is to have fun. So have fun! Stay youthful, stay energetic, stay excited. I think this comic from xkcd.com sums it up:
So there you have it. Be responsible, drink coffee, pay bills, meditate and always have fun, and you can be a grown-up, just like me.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Camping in the Tetons
I. Love. Camping.
Since I went to college (actually, probably since my later high school years) I have not had the opportunity to go camping as much, due to being away from my family and having a busy social/extracurricular/
So when the other VISTAs I work with and I planned a camping trip for the Tetons for the long Labor Day weekend, I was so pumped. I love the Tetons, I love camping, I love actually getting to hang out with people my age, so it was going to be great. We had borrowed tents, tarps, and sleeping bags from our bosses, so regardless of us not being the most experienced campers, we thought we were adequately prepared.
The campground we were staying in had no electricity, no showers, and only vaulted toilets. Though this was different from what I was used to (I had always camped with access to a shower house, or at least in a camper that had a shower), I was unconcerned. 3 nights in the wilderness with no shower wouldn't be a big deal. We had also heard a lot about the possibility of bears, but we concluded that as long as we kept any food in the car when we weren't using it, we would be fine. We knew there was a chance of rain during the weekend, but since we had come to our various towns in Northwest Wyoming, we realized that it does not rain here very often (the Big Horn Basin, where we live, only gets about 5-10 inches of rain annually), so we were not terribly concerned about experiencing bad weather.
So we left Friday morning and began the 6-8 hour drive to Jackson Hole, and then continued on to our campground, for which we had to go through Idaho (woo, new state) to get to. After we set up camp we went for a walk, during which we just happened to see a bear. The next day we of course bought bear spray. Saturday a couple of us went to Jackson for the day and saw the beautiful Jenny Lake. Saturday night we were all forced to hang out in the car while it was pouring rain - I guess in the mountains it tends to rain more than in the basin. On Sunday we went to Jackson again and spent a while at String Lake, swimming and just enjoying the view and the sunshine. It had finally stopped raining and we were able to relax with a campfire and s'mores on our last night at the campground.
Overall, it was an interesting experience. I learned just how lucky I've been to always have access to a trailer, and how refreshing a shower feels after 4 days without one. I think it also allowed us VISTAs to get to know each other better. Mostly it was nice to enjoy the other side of the state. I hadn't been to Jackson Hole in about five years so being there again definitely brought back some fun memories.
Anyway, I have nothing else insightful to say about this experience, so please enjoy some pictures I took during the trip.
We saw this guy hanging out by Snake River just outside Grand Teton National Park
I honestly had never seen a rainbow so bright! It was gorgeous
Jenny Lake
String Lake
The Grand Teton
Sunset on the mountains (picture taken by Rachel)
The four VISTAs (picture not taken by me)
Relaxing by the campfire (once it finally stopped raining!)
Monday, August 27, 2012
Some words before we begin
In my high school yearbook, my senior quote reads "And now, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." It is a slightly modified quote said by Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I chose it because at the time, though I was sad to leave high school and all the good times and great friends I had there, I saw my next life step (i.e. college) as a giant adventure. Since that time, I have come to see each new life experience in the same way.
After graduating college in just three short years and sharing some bittersweet goodbyes with the friends I still have there, I set out on the most exhilarating and terrifying adventure yet. About a month ago I moved to a small town in Wyoming, where the closest person I knew lived six hours away. I had lived in a moderately big city my whole life, and before moving here I thought my college town with a population of 20,000 (not counting the students that attended the university) was small. Now I live in a town with less than 2,000, where every knows me simply because they don't know me. I am a volunteer with the government, receiving a stipend that places me at the poverty level. Part of my job is to help enhance the community I'm in, while I am still just becoming familiar with it. I live in a trailer (which is actually a lot nicer than I would have assumed) and work 8-hour days in an office. It is all very different from what I'm used to and nothing like I had expected.
When I graduated high school, I never in my life imagined this is where I would be after three years. I thought I would be working for a public relations firm or at a magazine and simultaneously writing my first novel... or more likely, that I would be enjoying my 4th year of college instead of skipping it. I did not foresee my picture being on the front page of a small-town newspaper, or predict the miniscule amount of money in my bank account, or anticipate the heartache I feel when talking to my four-year-old niece and realizing how far away I am from her... But although I've had those moments of loneliness where I can't stand being without my friends and family and the life I'm accustomed to, it's been an exciting journey so far. I've made some new friends, had some new experiences, and done some interesting work. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to move out here, even if it's only for one year.
In this blog, I hope to introduce you to some of these adventures I've been having; the good, bad, and just plain strange. I hope you enjoy it. And now, let us pursue that flighty temptress...
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