The only thing permanent, is change.

Let me tell you a little story about how change affected my summer of 2012. My original plans were to go back to teaching at my same University in Saudi Arabia. I had a great school year teaching from 2011-2012, and the company had asked me to return the following year. This was all good, and I started making plans for my summer. I was going to spend some time back in Hawaii to visit friends and apply for the proper work visa to return to Saudi Arabia. Then I planned on renting a car in Vancouver, Canada and touring the west coast of the USA, heading south then eventually east through Las Vegas to then arrive in Colorado to spend time with my family. I would then return to Saudi on September 1 to begin teaching another year. Then June came. My contract was up and my company was not able to secure a contract with the University before all the teachers left. So plans changed.

I arrived to Hawaii, and decided that I could still do the road trip while I hunted for a job. After a few interviews, I landed a job in the city I wanted to be in near the water in Saudi Arabia, and as a bonus I was going to have access to the Aramco Compound. Its basically like a military base without the military. They have a private beach, cinema, women drive, and overall its a westernized city in Saudi. I signed the contracts and was ready. The thing was they wanted me back July 1st! This meant no road trip, and that I needed to head straight to Colorado for some family time before I returned. A week later I was on a flight.

So once I arrived to Colorado and visited all my family, I emailed the company to ask a few questions about my departure. There response was that the company had to move the start date til September 1st. Not what I wanted to hear, but instead I looked into toys to play with on my extended vacation, since I now had my full summer back again. I bought a Kawasaki KLR 650 Enduro bike and decided to do that road trip afterall. I knew I had my Masters degree program starting in late August so I figured i should return in time for that and enough time to pack for my job starting September 1st. 4427 miles, and 33 days later ( you can read my road trip blog in a previous blog post ) I returned to Colorado.

Upon my return, my brother and father were in preperation to go to Burning Man ( can read my previous post on that). They had one extra ticket. We had planned that 2012 would be the year that my dad and his two sons would all go to Burning Man, but they had not been able to get tickets until the very last minute. Now they had one extra ticket, and I had a choice to make. I wouldn't be back til september 4th, and my job was due to start September 1st. So an hour before they departed I emailed my company and decided that if they could push the start date two months, that I could push it 4 days more. They said that it was okay. After a short discussion with my parents about what happens if I come back and the job is no longer available I packed my bags in 22 minutes and off we went!

After an epic week at Burning Man I returned home hoping to see an e-ticket in my inbox. None was to be found. I promptly contacted the company and was told that they were having trouble acquiring the visas and that they don't know how long it may take. They also ended by saying it may be smart to look for aother job. They then offered me a position in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. They even tried to sales pitch it to me. I've been there, and really the capital is landlocked with a desert 4 hours in every direction. Thats a far cry from a beach town with a park on the water and a Starbucks where all the motorcycle riders hang out and chat. This isn't the best news after the main hiring season has already passed and schools have already started teaching September 1st. So I quickly got online and started sending out resumes again.

After a few days I had offers lined up in Oman, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Riyadh ( capital of Saudi, but much better job than previous one), and in Thailand. I was really hoping for Oman since it is greener than Saudi Arabia, and is much closer to Dubai. The problem was that Oman wanted their teachers to have Masters Degree's, of which I did not. Luckily in the end they needed teachers bad enough that they offered me a position. I gladly accepted!

This summer has been an unstoppable whirlwind of changing events and all I could do was just enjoy the ride. In the end, I went to Hawaii, I did my motorcycle road trip, I went to Burning Man, and I got my job of choice in Oman. Everything fell into place PERFECTLY. I honestly couldn't have asked for it to have gone any better. I don't know how or why my life is so great, but man is it incredible. Thank you to all my friends and family that help mentally and emotionally support me along the way. I know some of you think I'm crazy, but I love and appreciate everyone that is in my life. You all make it special, and worth living!

At the time of writing this, I will be boarding a plane in about 5 hours to embark upon my next journey. I'm excited. I believe it will be my 26th country to see in our awesome world. Adventure awaits!

So how are you living out your dream life, and what are you doing to improve the lives of others?