Transition
Pennsylvania to Oman
My older brother Rye and I do a conversational exercise together that we call 311. It is our way to encapsulate a day into three good things that happened today, one thing to improve upon, one thing you are proud of yourself for, and one thing you’re looking forward to tomorrow.
This past spring and early summer made up a transitional period in my life. Staying at home with my parents, I managed to graduate and complete classes despite being mostly away. Since graduation, I’ve been home, but I am ready to fly from the nest once again. On Thursday, I leave for the Sultanate of Oman and the small town of Manah, about an hour interiorly from Muscat on the coast. Excitement.
I figure that 311 would be a good way to share upon this transitional period:
Three Good Things
Historical Method Man on YouTube has been an absolute joy. I love video editing, whether I be making skate videos or history educational ones. ChatGPT has worked wonders for the busywork of YouTube Search Engine Optimization. Other AI tools like CapCut’s Auto-Captioning and Adobe Podcast AI Voice Enhancement allows for the content to be more comprehensible, especially for those hard of hearing or in the Deaf community.
I began working at Bucks County Community College as an AESL - American English as a Second Language - tutor. The students whom I consult are generally adults, many of them coming from a background in Russian and other Black Sea Region languages. It is fun and rewarding to work with adult learners because of their eagerness to master the language and learn.
Skateboarding has kept me social and active. Making friends as an adult is something that intimidates myself and many other of my friends. Skateboarding has taught me that if you show up to the same place regularly, you will make friends. This requires patience, but the payoff is huge. My heart glowed during the Philly Am Skate Contest took place at my local skatepark, Middletown Skatepark. Out of everywhere in Philly, they picked our local, and “local steeze” is real. For Oman, I acquired a Freestyle Skateboard, since there are no parks to skate. They let me know there is a good smooth parking lot around the dormitories. Freestyle is a discipline of skateboarding entirely new to me. It is neither popular nor trendy within the subculture, but we all acknowledge that is is cool.
One Thing to Improve Upon
I could have improved upon getting my money up during this transitional period. This fall in Morocco will be my first time with a regular, livable income stream, and with that comes more responsibility. If you have budgeting tips for abroad, please share them. I have been working on the spreadsheet, but could use some advice and tips.
One Thing I’m Proud Of
The punk band Minor Threat is the most famous band from the Straight edge subculture in hardcore punk. Being radically straight edge is newer to me, but I see it as an act of resistance against consumption and excess. It’s a radical act, and I am proud of it.
One Thing I’m Looking Forward To
In Oman, I am so excited to start conversing in Arabic again. When I was in Morocco, I was in my element. Because of this transitional period, I have not been “in my element” in that same way. My element is meeting new people, learning places previously unfamiliar, and talking with strangers. Arabic is a means to these ends.
Let’s Make This Summer EPIC
RWH