California Sunset

Hello and Welcome!


This is the new official Thunder Blog of Awesome!


In case you have not been paying attention to the goings-on of Nomad Hansi, I am currently in Ventura, California, the small beach town where my mom grew up and current residence of her side of the family.  I'm here because I have recently packed my life away into two (surprisingly small) pieces of luggage and am making my way toward Sydney, Australia.  I have been talking about this life-altering trip all year and have been on and off the idea of actually doing it.  Well, with less than 24hrs left until my 20-something hour flight departs from LA, I think its safe to say I will be going.


Why are you going? Where are you staying? Do you have a job? Do you know anybody who lives there?  These are all perfectly valid questions but the answers, I'm afraid, were not the intention of this blog post.  It may or may not temporarily pacify your raging hunger for information to know that all will be explained in the following posts.  So...here goes:


Being so near to the start of a new chapter in my life, I thought it pertinent to do some end-of-chapter reflection.  Honestly though, I'm finding that a bit difficult as this closing chapter was one of the shortest I have ever experienced.  Having only returned from my previous adventure mid-june,  I spent only about 3.5 months in good ol' 'Murka (fives weeks of which was spent at work, away from home) before scratching my newest wanderlust itch.


The short time I spent here has shown me that there are some things I will always miss about the USofA which can not be found elsewhere.  Apart from all the great things like home-cooked burgers, bon-fires and just a lazy day on the lake, one thing that never fails to amaze me is that feeling of never having left home when reunited with good friends.  There is something truly special about friendships that don't require constant communication and "maintenance" to remain strong.


One major aspect of my American life that I don't appreciate as much is my lack of independence.  Don't get me wrong - I will never reject an opportunity to stay at mom and dad's and get taken care of for awhile, but after about one or two weeks, it can get very old, very fast.  I have discovered that I am someone who simply needs to be on my own, doing my thing, and truly owning my own life.  So as saddening as it may be to leave mom and pop once more, nothing compares to the rush of excitement and longing I get when I think of getting out there and standing on my own two feet again.

So as I watch my final stateside sunset over the pacific ocean, I know that the comforts of home will be left behind and unseen, possibly difficult times lie ahead.  When I finally see the sun rise again on the other side of the world, it will be shining light on not only a new day, but a new world brimming with unfamiliar faces and strange lands begging to be explored.  But for all my excitement and anticipation for my new world and new life to begin, I think, for right now I'm just going to sit and enjoy my California sunset.