So I missed a few days.

Mostly having to do with the fateful "blue screen of death" that arrived on my laptop thursday evening. I admired my tech-genius brother's recommendation to check out the advice for self-repair via youtube and google . . . but after a dizzying hour at the library, I began to think that perhaps people are computer science majors for a reason, and I shouldn't mess things up worse than they already are. whew.

Now my library computer is threatening to time me out . . . so unless I return this evening to update, it may be another few days before I begin writing frequently. excuses. excuses.

You know when there’s that book you’ve been meaning to read or a movie you’ve been meaning to see but never quite got around to it due to some semi-subconscious effort to wait for the “right moment?”

Well for me that book was emily giffin’s love the one you’re with.

And now is that moment.

Thank you . . . I’m sorry . . . I’ll always love you. They were all true—and still are—but were better left unsaid, just as I decided never to confess how close I came to losing everything. Instead, I hold that day deep within myself, as a reminder that love is the sum of our choices, the strength of our commitments, the ties that bind us together.
-emily giffin

Reading this book helped me find a better grasp on the many dynamics of relationships, the ups -the downs – the blahs – and most importantly the uncertainty, excitement & curiosity that comes with the other one.

“But maybe that’s what it all comes down to. Love, not as a surge of passion, but as a choice to commit to something, someone, no matter what obstacles or temptations stand in the way. And maybe making that choice, again and again, day in and day out, year after year, says more about love than never having a choice to make at all.”

The whole thing reminds me on one of the phrases taped on my mother’s desk:

Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? –Arab proverb

“I think of how life takes unexpected twists and turns, sometimes through sheer happenstance—sometimes through calculated decisions. In the end, it can all be called fate, but to me, it is more a matter of faith.”

And I hope to keep that faith. To keep believing in love. That although it comes and goes—ebbing and flowing like the tide on a new england beach—love brings such joy to our lives that it is important to relish every moment.

my new goal is to write everyday, in order to improve my writing abilities and become a more reliable person.

perhaps this seems frivolous, but it is something important.

besides, how else can I be documenting a journey without sharing the details?

-random thought-
sometimes I find where I’m living so ridiculous it makes me chuckle while driving in the car.
Not only am I in the home of the:
worlds largest county fair
largest waterpark
wurstfest (sausage & beer festival)
but also to the largest number of inebriated floating toobers per square foot.

However, I am soon to realize my attraction to places culturally rich and slightly off-the-wall
considering my closest family and friends
burned a fifty foot tall puppet to the ground this past Thursday
no doubt surrounded by a sweet smelling smoke and people of all ethnicities shouting “Que Viva.”

What a world.

Just finished Life of Pi by Yann Martel, beautiful story.

Loved a number of aspects of this novel, particularly the shout out to swimming, tribute to faith, and glorification of the power of a great tale.

As a lifelong competitive swimmer (who was more fond of practice than competition until my final year), I felt Martel beautifully described the glory of being a swimmer. “Swimming instruction, which in time became swimming practice, was grueling, but there was the deep pleasure of doing a stroke with increasing ease and speed, over and over, till hypnosis practically, the water turning from molten lead to liquid light.” The joy of this feeling.

Next time I am in Paris I have to check out the Piscine Molitor. Sounds incredible.

I enjoy how young Pi seeks out and conforms to three very different religions at once. Reminds me of my bic days. My favorite of his descriptions includes “Christianity stretches back through the ages, but in essence it exists only at one time: right now.” That is what I love, that it seeks out the right now and being the best you can right now, loving your neighbor, your enemy, and your God. Pi’s love for God and stories kept him alive during those frightful days overseas, and it can keep us alive every day.

And in summary, to examine the ever powerful Chapter 21 & 22. To avoid the “glum contentment that characterizes my life” I agree that it is important to take part in “the better story” and belong to “an alignment of the universe along moral lines, not intellectual ones; a realization that the founding principle of existence is what we call love . . .”

So it’s been a while since I last wrote, but have accomplished much in that time.

Throughout June I traveled through seven countries in five weeks, seeing and temporarily immersing myself in the cultures of Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Geneva, Paris, Caen, and London. I will refer back to moments of discovery, growth, and challenge as I write.

I am blessed to have this time of post-graduation for self-discovery and research, which has been both enlightening as it has been frustrating. But with more light.

Reading helps me continue to grow, and if you have any recommendations please pass them on. My current obsessions are the alchemist and 48 days to the work you love. Next on my list are how to win friends and influence people as well as a “fun” read of love the one you’re with. When these are read all depends on their availability at the library, which I believe I will visit today.

I had a good experience on Monday as I toured the heb headquarters with a good family friend and learned about his career path. Immediately after, I met up with my aunt for a margarita on the riverwalk in san antonio. Both visits revealed to me how little, in the bigger picture, “what you do” has to do with who you are. It was so interesting to see my aunt in a light besides her obsessing over the wearabouts of her three children, and just talking to her about her. In life, it seems that people (good parents) immediately put all of their personal wants, needs, and desires aside once they have children.

This is not a bad thing, I have discovered, since it leads to productive and intelligent children. But it has helped me realize that this time, right now, is my time to make any difference I may make as an individual. To volunteer, create and discover as much as possible until the day where I may join and begin another family.

Time to go be productive and make that difference. Take out the recycling, check out those books, and exercise.

Introduction

Welcome to the blog that will follow my adventures, experiences, and reflections on life. I chose the name Chiripada's Journey as the title for a little something to make my page unique. My family began using the term chiripada after my parents visited the La Chiripada Winery in New Mexico. The name means "a stroke of luck" or "a lucky fluke" which describes the way things often turn out.
Any time we find a great parking space, or catch any type of a lucky break, we shout "Chiripada!"

I have been very fortunate in my life, and feel that Chiripada is a fitting description for the journey that I am on . . . many little strokes of luck!

Welcome!

In about a week I will leave for a five-week experience where I will study entrepreneurship in Europe. With this blog I hope to share my adventures with family, friends, and curious others.

I decided to study entrepreneurship to continue learning in an interdisciplinary manner and to have flexible career options when I graduate. The European Experience Study Abroad Program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to visit international business centers, meet with entrepreneurs, take classes, and travel extensively. Attending the trip has been my dream since I became a business student, due to the exceptional prospects for educational development and personal growth.

From my Baylor education, I have gained knowledge about the fundamentals and applications of numerous subjects, grown in faith, and developed a better understanding of who I am and where I am called to go. I seek to work in the business world because I feel that I have an ethical perspective on business practices, as well as many qualities and experiences that will distinguish me as an outstanding employee.

I have a passion for fusing my backgrounds in business and sociology, and I plan to use this approach to improve ethics and functionality in the business world. It will also make a highly effective outreach and education tool for people without thorough business knowledge to make smart financial decisions.

Attending the Entrepreneurship Study Abroad Program will allow me to gain a first-hand global perspective of business and interact with international entrepreneurs. Upon my return from Europe, I will enter the workforce and use the knowledge gained from my experience to help others make worldly business decisions.