Contraire to popular belief I am not in fact a pizza fiend but rather a seafood and travel fiend. My taste for seafood is very broad and because of that people believe that I travel to eat. Though I do eat my weight in seafood while traveling, seafood is not the sole nor even main reason for my adventures. The need for exploration is what fuels me but seafood food in general happens to just be an added bonus. As much as I love traveling and seafood, these 2 things do not comprise all of my likes and interests.
Nature, animals, life, creation, science, glaciers, corals, earth, Antarctica, cheese, mountains, cats football, reusable water bottles (I LOVE WATER SO MUCH), sleep, camping, cultures, hiking, documentaries, conservation, running half marathons, and Olympic weight lifting are just a few of the other things that bring joy to my life. In fact, nature, cultures, and conservation fascinate me so much that I have decided to pursue a degree and eventually a career in those fields. In order to do so I originally wanted to get my degree in Environmental Sustainability but due to my work schedule I was unable to pursue that particular degree program. Luckily I was able to apply and be accepted into the Multidisciplinary Studies Program where I am using my previous credits in Anthropology (my first major) as well as take courses dealing with the environment. I get the best of both worlds with this program!
After I graduate (fingers crossed for spring 2019) I plan on moving to Canada where my boyfriend currently lives. There I will continue my education and pursue a position with either a government organization or with a NGO, maybe even try my hand at the Peace Corp and apply.
So I suppose I can discuss a little bit about my past and a bit about where I am now.. I'm originally from Oklahoma City and my mom has actually lived in the same house my entire life. I went to Bishop McGuinness for high school and the basic training for the Oklahoma National Guard after graduation. When I completed military training I started my college career and life in Stillwater at OSU (sorry, I happen to be an OSU fan). I eventually made my way back to OKC where I worked full time for my National Guard unit until we were deployed to Afghanistan in 2011-2012. During my deployment I decided that I wanted to be an anthropologist after working with some of the local women and children in surrounding villages. Upon arriving back home I took a short hiatus from school but eventually enrolled in the Anthropology program before taking another hiatus to work and adult. Currently I work full time at Tinker and am taking classes full time with the hopes of graduation in the spring!
Speaking of work, I should probably get back to it! Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to chitchatting with you all in the future!
P.S. Below is a picture taken in July while flying to Seattle, where I happened to eat a ton of seafood!
Hi Nicole!
ReplyDeleteYour introduction was a fun read. I found it interesting that you enjoy seafood, as this is hands down one of my favorite types of foods. That’s always my go to when traveling, as good seafood is sometimes hard to find in Oklahoma. We also have a few shared hobbies in nature and exercise. Best of luck this semester!
-Andrew
Oh, anthropology AND the environment: that is a beautiful combination, Nicole! And how great that you are a person from Oklahoma who feels this strong connection to the waters of the world... Oklahoma is the most landlocked place I have ever lived, and my favorite place was the Bay Area, where I was able to see water all the time (I love to go out to the Berkeley marina to study). Maybe you will want to do a water-related project for Indian Epics, with so many great stories to choose from, like Ganga/Ganges and her descent to earth, the incarnation of Vishnu as a fish before the world flood, or the story of the emergence of Kerala from the ocean (and yes, Kerala is where there were terrible floods earlier in August)... so many possibilities; water is a crucial issue in the daily life of modern India, and has been a source of many stories in its past also!
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole!
ReplyDeleteI am also a huge fan of seafood! It is very delicious. I also found it fascinating that you are an olympic lifter! Most of my life I have done power lifting and just recently I have began working on olympic lifts such a cleans and snatches. I now know that I was naive to how much focus and practice it takes to perform these movements! Good luck with your semester!
How are the lifts going for you and how long have you been lifting?
DeleteHi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting seeing how much you like to travel and that you want to end up in Canada! I have lived a couple of different places and Canada was actually one of them, and I would for sure move back in a heartbeat. We share a bunch of the same interests such as the mountains, animals, traveling, exercise and hiking. You are a great writer, so I look forward to reading some of your future content! Good luck this semester!
-Drew
Hi Nicole! First things first, do you go by Neko or should I call you Nicole? I liked how excited you seem to be throughout the whole post! My roommate is also extremely interested in the environment and nature, so I think it is cool to see when others go into those type of fields. It is a really interesting and wonderful career path. I hope graduation goes well for you this spring!
ReplyDeleteHi, Nicole! I LOVE you nickname Neko!! I've never heard that before. Did your parents call you that when you were younger or is a more recent thing? Is Neko the name you usually go by? Your life sounds so exciting! You've already done so much and I can tell that you have so much more ahead of you! I'm glad you figured out a way to get the best from you degree and I hope that you do get to graduate in the spring! Good luck with all your future adventures and HAVE FUN IN CANADA!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your introduction! It seems like you have such a fun and busy life. I can't wait to travel some more because I also love adventures and food. Also, I'm glad you got into a program that fits well with what you're interested in. I hope you have a great semester and Canada seems like a fun place to live! Good luck!
Hey Nicole, I've never met such a nature-loving being! Although, it does seem very interesting! You seem to be a very outgoing person who doesn't procrastinate! Your schedule seems hectic, but i believe that you will graduate spring 19! As I hope for that myself! I hope we both make it in the end!
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole!
ReplyDeleteI think it is great with how many things you are doing while still graduating so soon. I really got a lot of this because both my parents work at Tinker and my boyfriend is in the army national guard. It is great to see that it really does work out for people. I am really scared that he will get deployed though. It is one of my worst fears because I just want him to be safe.
I hope to read more of your writing soon! Good luck!
Hi Nicole! Your life seems really interesting and cool. First, thanks for your service! Second, you rock for caring about the environment. As a biology major, I've taken a lot of ecology classes and earth is really cool. I lived in CA this summer and tried oysters for the first time.... amazing. I'm definitely willing to hop on the seafood enthusiast boat.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! It seems like you have had an interesting life so far! I am also a major greenie; it is such a wonderful subject to explore. It is kind of like the background to a lot of problems humans have (like overconsumption and stress) all wrapped up into one problem, which makes it even more fascinating. I also love mountains and that is a beautiful picture!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! You've had a lot of experience so far and it's really impressive with what you've been able to accomplish so far! Unfortunately, I am not a huge seafood fan, but I'm interested to hear what kind of seafoods you like the most! Is it fish, or some of the more exotic forms such as abalone and oysters? Overall, fingers crossed that you are able to graduate in time as well, and I hope you continue to keep up the amazing experiences that you have had!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! It is crazy all of the things you have been able to do in your life so far! I LOVE SEAFOOD. It is my favorite food to eat and to cook. I got to go to Hawaii with my family this past summer, and my favorite part of the trip was all the fresh tuna I ate. I still cannot get over how crazy your life as been and all you have done. Thank you for your service!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! You sound like the busiest person! I dont know how you work full time and go to school full time but good for you! I am a huge fan of seafood and I love traveling because unfortunately Oklahoma is not the best food to indulge in seafood. I cannot believe you want to move to Canada, I have been there a couple of times and I have always loved my experience. I hope you find a job you want and can put your passions to work!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole!
ReplyDeleteI must say that I am very impressed with all that you have done. Good luck with your degree, and I hope you graduate in spring! I too love to eat sea food. I went to Hawaii and ate some of the best fish I have ever had. Since you like to travel and eat sea food, I highly recommend you go there if you have not had the chance.
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI love traveling too, it is so much fun going to new places and exploring and also trying different food. Although I have never had sea food, you make it sounds great. Anthropology sounds like a really interesting major and I don’t know anyone majoring in that. Way to be different! Your picture on the plane has such an amazing view!! I look forward to reading your stories!
Hey there Nicole! I'm so glad to see some awesome traveling pictures on this introduction! I really appreciate someone who is able to have an open mind about worldly things like food and cultures. I also am a huge fan of your major! My major is Religious Studies, and I actually took an Anthropology to religion course last semester and I loved it. I hope you have a great semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole! I'm so happy that you get to combine anthropology with your love for environment, as you get a level of understanding of the relationship between humans and nature that I wish I had as an environmental economist! I'm from Canada and my heart yearns to be back there, especially when it comes to the beautiful places there that you can visit, such as glacial lakes like Lake Louise in Alberta!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! first of all I too love sea food! Well only like shrimp and fish but I am open to trying new things always. I am also in the National Guard! I went to basic and AIT right after high school also and returned from may deployment last fall! It kind of set me back graduation wise so I am also hoping to be graduating in the Spring.
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI too also really love seafood and it is one of the things I eat the most when I travel around for tournaments throughout the year. It is also really cool how much you love and care for the environment. I have never met anyone that is an anthropology major and it seems really cool. Good luck the rest of this semester.
Hi Nicole! I love seafood too! I’m not a big fan of pizza either. I drink a lot of water too! I think staying hydrated is extremely important. I like weight lifting too, but I think it takes a lot of diligence to stay persistent. It’s good that you get to explore several areas of study. Seattle obviously is the place to go for good seafood. It’s nice to meet you Nicole!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! It was great to learn more about you from your introduction blog post! It is so awesome that you have lots of variety favorites you have in your life. I also have never thought about living in Canada, but I bet it is worth the dream you are ready to experience for! Have a wonderful semester and break, Nicole!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! I loved reading your introduction. I love to travel too! I hope you get to travel to many different countries throughout your life. I think it's so cool that you have such a long list of things that you enjoy doing. I'm also from OKC too! I go to this one coffee shop that was an All About Cha but it's called Chae now. It's right by Bishop McGuinness, down Western, so I was going to ask if you've ever been there? Anyway, have a great rest of the semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Nicole! I love traveling, as well. It is such an amazing experience visiting another country and learning about their way of life. I hope you get to travel as much as you wish and see the world. Have a great semester!
ReplyDeleteHi, Nicole! I love traveling, although I have not been able to travel to that many cool places. I have been to London and Paris, though! I would definitely love to go to more places in my life. I definitely hope you get to see the world and go wherever you want! It was really cool to get to learn more about you! Have a great rest of your semester!
ReplyDelete