Skype

As per step 17 of 26875 in my Mexico departure preparation plan (and who knows what step of my voyage into the delights of the 21st Century*), I’ve finally set up a Skype account. So if you want to drop me a line while I'm gallivanting around please do - shoot me an email and I'll happily provide my id.

* Not an easy thing for a would-be Medieval Historian, I might add.

FAQ: Leaving Gainesville?/ Roadtrip!/ Come visit me in Mexico?

Now that we've dispensed with the pleasantries we can get to the heart of the matter: my upcoming trip to Monterrey and points beyond. Come what may, after this I'm not (planning on) coming back to Gainesville. Because I’ve been fortunate enough to have this conversation a couple of times already, instead of giving you the whole spiel I’m going to give you the gist of things by way of a little FAQ. [I don’t know quite why, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. :)]

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When do you leave?
A: My semester there begins in early April and they way I’ve planned it, come Spring Break (March 10th, to be precise) I’ll be out of town for good.


Q: Where are you going?
A: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico – a city about two hours south of the southernmost point of Texas and just about as far from the Gulf of Mexico – to study at to the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey’s [ITESM’s] Business School, also known as EGADE.

Q: Wait, you know Spanish?
A: Well… yes and no. My Spanish is improving all of the time but fortunately my courses will be in English and my internship will be at a bilingual company. I consider it Spanish with training wheels.

Q: What does this mean for me?
A: A lot of things, incidentally. Just to name a few:

1) My days in Gainesville are limited – if you want to hangout or otherwise spend time with me (and I do want to spend time with you, otherwise we wouldn't be here), do it soon: as of today I’m at 35 days and counting.

2) Even though I don’t have classes, I’m leaving during Spring Break for a reason – I want to take a roadtrip with some of you lovely people.
I already have a couple of people on board, but as always the more the merrier. The plan, as it stands: drive from here to the Great Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee for three or four days of camping and hiking. En route to and from, Gatlinburg and Ashville. For more details all you have to do is ask!

3) I’ll be lonely in Mexico. No, really, maybe not – but you should come visit me anyway.
My schedule stands to be fast and loose for the first few months and I want desperately to see as much of the country as possible, so I’ll go just about anywhere. Proof of concept: trips to Mexico City D.F. (May) and Chitzen Itza (July) are already in the works!

Q: What should I do now?
A: Drop me a line!

Get Caught Up: The Story So Far

The reasons (such as they are) behind this blog (such as it is) keep changing and as a result I have changed - and and will continue to change - this explanation.
The latest of my little rationales is as follow:

After several years of a rewarding, if somewhat nondescript, studies at the University of Florida I finished college at age 21. I graduated with a degree in Medieval History* and, as you might expect, no prospects. So, rather than own up the facts I applied to graduate school not in History but in International Business. It was, I think, the best idea I have ever had. In the last year I've traveled to more than a dozen countries on four continents and so - as I write this in Mexico nearly a near after I began that Master's program - I can happily say my life is completely different than it was. Sure, it may still be nondescript but now, at least, it's internationally nondescript!

All the above is just my way of saying this: this a blog not so much about my life but about my travels in Mexico and beyond. My life is just as boring as everyone else's but for one year (and counting!) it has, at least something to write home about.

* No joke.