Unknown Journey!

I don't know where to even begin. I am sitting in a New Orleans airport feeling like I am at the end of some long journey, but it is truly only the beginning. I have met so many different people and been to so many different places the last few weeks its difficult to grasp what is going on. Meeting individuals from all over the United States and the world some of which have defined my life forever people I will never forget and people who will never forget me. The feeling is like going to a new high school every few weeks meeting great friends having memorable conversations and then moving to a new high school to do it all over again. Its one journey that not many have the opportunity to experience, constantly having your energy drained from pure joy of life, its non stop heart wrenching excitement.
I have spent the last few weeks working for Trek America, meeting my fellow tour leaders 8 of us total were hired as training group one, 2010 and we call ourselves the bumblebees by the way and I'll get to this a little later, taking multitude's of tests, going on a training trip, taking a commercial driving test, and then being sent directly on a observation trip of an actual tour, which leads me to this moment of sitting in the airport of New Orleans prepared to go back to Los Angeles only to begin my first tour. Just when I've had an Alice in Wonderland type of journey and think I see the tunnel it only turns out I've just changed paths in this magical world I now live in and the door to reality is no where to be seen for I still have much much more to do! In the real world that exists it would takes many months or years to live the story I'm about to share, but in my time warp its only been a few weeks.

Symbolism

How can one discern what is meant to be and what just is possibly coincidence? I once text my sister on New Year’s 2010 to a “Year of Adventure”, I was just driving home after another day working and preparing for New Years Eve at Red Rock Resort watching the fireworks from my car right down the street from my house and I knew this was going to be a big year a life altering year. Who would have known 2009 was like many years that preceded working my butt off day and night, but the one difference was I knew on January 4^th, 2010 I would be applying for a new job one entirely different than any other I have previously worked. I would be applying for a tour leading job that leads small group tours throughout the United States and Canada. Although it was only January 1^st, I knew that in some form or fashion that I would be getting this job.

There are many events that would fall into place almost like a drawn out puzzle, I didn’t quite have all the pieces of the puzzle but I could see a thin outline of how it was to shape out. Beginning January 4^th, 2010 I sent my resume in to Trek America and within a couple of days I had a response to fill out their application. Their application was one with many requirements from past employment information to DMV Records. I had obtained all information and sent in my application the next day via fax. Within a couple of days, it was Tuesday, January 12^th I received a call from Trek America seeing if I was interested in an interview. Being it was my first day off of two days I jumped at the opportunity, but she told me she would send me an e-mail regarding all the information I needed to know about the interview and if I was interested to e-mail her back a confirmation of the interview request. The e-mail stated that I needed to be knowledgeable of U.S. History, National Parks, and to prepare a 5-min presentation on any major city or National Park that Trek America ventures to. Not a big deal right? Well, luckily for me I had one day for if I wanted the interview it was to be the next day in Los Angeles at 1pm, I gladly accepted.

Heart racing, mind, thoughts swirling around like a dust devil, where do I begin, how do I start to prepare? Juggling ecstatic excitement with the burdening awareness I have just hours to study, prepare, and be mentally acute for the largest interview of my life. I quickly awoke my sister and told her the good news, but that I needed help. For we pulled out the history and geography books, studying online for my presentation, my sister would shout out facts about past presidents, national park information, etc. My mind was quickly becoming stacked with information like books one on top of the other and I’m trying to pile all this information without the books crumbling and losing any of the info, it was quite the balancing act.

Ironically enough the place I knew best was the place I loathed the most, Las Vegas. For the opportunity to get out came full circle when I had to present the city I couldn’t stand in a way where I made the destination enthralling to someone else. To get to where I wanted to be I had to talk up the place I couldn’t stand the most. How ironic is that?

Through studying and mesmerizing information my sister and I left to Los Angeles early Wednesday morning. We arrived in LA drove past the Starbucks on Highway 1 where I would be having my interview at 1pm. We drove straight to the beach for it’s the place of serenity for the both of us. After getting some food at one of the coolest restaurants/quaint café’s in the world with its natural setting, abundance of plant and flower life and tables of tree stumps, we walked to the beach where we set our lounge chairs right at the ocean shore so the water could run right under our chairs, we sat and meditated until it was time to precede to the interview.

Anytime you do anything with people it’s about chemistry. The second I met my interviewer I knew the job was mine all I had to do was be me and execute, which is what I do best. I knew this is a position that comes with being sociable, easy going, knowledgeable, and responsible, all of which comes natural for me. After the interview I knew the job was mine, my sister and I were guessing that she would call Monday being it was a Wednesday and she told me it usually takes 7-10days to get a response back after the interview. Well, Friday, January 15^th working at Red Rock I received the call from Trek that they would like to offer me the position of Tour Leader, I gladly accepted. It was odd for it was a moment of joy and relief, a moment I’ve been waiting to hear or have for what seemed like ages, but this would be only the beginning of a strenuous mountain I had to climb in becoming a tour leader that leads tours across the nation.

My last day of work for Red Rock Resort would be February 28^th, 2010, for I wanted to give myself some time to relax before my new journey began my flight to Los Angeles Sunday, March 21^st. It was an amazing last day my family surprised me at Red Rock and we enjoyed the moment and ate in the buffet. The next three weeks would be some of the most relaxing nerve quenching of my life. No more Casino Bull Shit Hip Hip Hooray! Oh Shit, I need to obtain my passport, CPR, 1^st Aid and commercial driver’s license to become a tour leader. I also had to think about everything that I would need for being on the road for months to come; camping equipment, clothing, electronic necessities (cell phone, GPS, laptop).

Everything was difficult, obtaining my passport which came from much support from my mother obtaining my certificate of live birth which was originally denied, and her and my sister getting in contact with the nurse present at my birth, amazing by the way! This was due to my first attempt of getting a passport being rejected, so we had to obtain further records other than my Certificate of Live Birth. My father also helped immensely getting his transcript records practically overnight as proof of my citizenship being born in Arizona, crazy huh! My CPR-1^st Aid class was also a ten hour pain in a room with no air conditioning and by the end of the day I had a headache so bad it should be illegal. In some magical form from barely being able to drive home with what felt like and elephant stomping on my brain to getting home lying in pitch darkness and meditating for 17 minutes thinking about my pineal gland and clearing it of any toxins my headache was gone. Practically as I woke up my father came over and my sister, dad, and I went and ate a great Mexican dinner. I would later learn that I would or could obtain my Commercial Drivers License in California with the help of Trek, which is the route I decided to take. I would with the help of all my family members this could not of even of been possible without their moral and physical help obtaining all the gear I would need to go off on my journey, which continues today. I would fly out to Los Angeles, Sunday, March 21^st early in the AM from Las Vegas, with my sisters, mother, and Nate there to wish me good luck and say goodbye : ( From this moment on my life has been non-stop on the go physically and mentally every second with emotions crashing on me from every known spectrum. This is the life as I know it of Trek America, one in which I am very still learning, the story of my journey continues with the arrival to Los Angeles, meeting my fellow tour leaders, taking big time pressure tests, and my emotional wave I ride during my training and observation trips, to as I once said, “Year of Adventure”…….