Vagabond to Ecco-bond

I should still be in lab right now, setting up an experiment, but around 5:30, I was hit by an overwhelming desire to just leave all responsibility behind, so I hightailed it outside to catch my bus back downtown. Since it was earlier than people normally leave, none of my classmates were on the bus, and I was left with ample opportunity to amuse myself. I pretty much just fell asleep. An hour and a traffic jam later, I was walking the 5 blocks back to my apartment. I entered my high-rise building and took the elevator up to my posh 22nd floor studio, which is of course, completely devoid of furniture. It was then that I noticed something - there was actually enough light in my apartment that I didn't need to turn the lights on as soon as I entered in order to avoid running into a wall. Rejoicing, I made myself a cup of jasmine green tea and sat down on the floor in front my computer with a plate of ginger snaps, intending to relax for a few minutes before doing some serious thinking and planning. By the way, I recently learned from my brother that putting the computer against the wall is the incorrect way to go about minimalist living, so I may need to rearrange my living space sometime in the near future. So, two hours later, here I am, having done nothing productive but yet still intending to accomplish Herculean tasks before going to bed.

Unfortunately, when I leave lab early, which means that I am not starving and/or exhausted, I have plenty of time to think, which is dangerous. Thinking about my life generally makes my head hurt, so I try to only do it in small doses. Most of the rest of the time, I turn off my brain and watch episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report on my computer. I shudder to think how many things I might have actually accomplished if it weren't for Stephen Colbert. I owe him eternal gratitude for helping me keep my reputation as a slacker.

By this time, I'm sure you're wondering what the title of this post has to do with anything. I'm getting there, very slowly and very tangentially, but that is my destination.

Despite my near-constant complaints that it was going too slowly, college seemed to pass me by in a whirlwind, leaving me staring like an open-mouthed idiot. I spent time in 5 countries, took over 50 flights, and made a frightening number of irrevocable life-changing decisions. I spent a summer in India, a summer in Maryland, and a summer/winter in Chile. I flew all over the place to go to interviews, missing weeks of school at a time. The drivers of the SkyRide began to recognize me.

The experience that really uncovered my love for wandering and discovering new places was my semester abroad. After I finished the requirements for my chemical engineering degree, I made the spontaneous decision to study abroad in Santiago. At the time, I thought I was making an uncharacteristically moronic decision, but I realize now how moronic my thoughts were. This is becoming convoluted, isn't it? Now, if I were to tell you that I often spend vast amounts of time arguing with myself in circles, you would probably understand how that happens. Anyway, it was in Chile that I began to learn to let go of my inhibitions and need to plan. There were many weekends where I just packed up and left Santiago to go explore other parts of Chile. I actually began to feel like an adventurer as opposed to a shy, sheltered girl who was afraid to walk home in the dark. Once I got back from Chile, I continued my travels during interview season, flying to both coasts and many places in between.

Then, I moved to Chicago. The reality of my situation has now struck me. I will be in Chicago for close to a decade, and this is a certainty. It's kind of daunting to have plans for the next ten years that have very little likelihood of changing. I'm getting reacquainted with the student lifestyle this summer, and it seems kind of dry compared to how I spent the last year. I spend most days in the lab (I've even been there on a Saturday), and I don't have much of a social life. The most exciting thing I can look forward to on weekends is going grocery shopping or having dinner with friends, a far cry from my South American lifestyle of flying to Argentina for a weekend visit.

You may be wondering, what the hell is Ecco-bond? Well, let me enlighten you. Ecco-bond is a type of glue. It is a strong adhesive and resists thermal and physical stress. Why do I mention it? It is reminiscent of my life in Chicago - I am here for the long haul, despite any thermal or physical stress. Let's say that thermal stress is mental stress: your brain heats up when you get stressed out, or something. Despite any physical and mental stresses I may incur in the next ten years, I am STUCK in Chicago. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a sure thing.

I've gone from being a wanderer in body and spirit, an adventurer seeking out remote corners of the globe, to a staid student glued in Chicago. It's going to be a long one, so let's hope the ride is fun. When it's over, I hope I have the opportunity to wander again.



One of the highlights of my time as a vagabond...