A farewell, I suppose.

Hi there.

Hope everyone had a smashingly productive/restful/amazing/beautiful day.

I’m not really sure what the specific function of this blog is. I’ve decided I’m just going to write what feels right. I figure, my readers (are there any?) want to get to know me. Therefore, anything I write is incredibly pertinent.

Anyways, in my quest to pour a little sliver of my soul in this blog, I need to introduce something.

I love, love, love ballet. But I only started two years ago. I’m not the best, but dancing makes me so happy.

Here's a picture from my favorite ballet, Swan Lake. Beautiful, no?

I’ve just gone en pointe, and it’s so much fun. It’s amazing to see yourself practicing such a beautiful art.

Sometimes I feel as if I were meant to be a ballerina in another life. I watch videos on youtube in my spare time of my favorite ballets. (Shh, don’t tell. It sounds weird.) Swan Lake is my weakness. It’s almost unbearably beautiful. I could literally watch hours of ballet. Live is even better. I take dance at Atlanta Ballet, and watching the PrePros (Pre-Professional) is unlike anything else.

The way a ballerina moves is something you almost cannot describe. The juxtaposition of such grace and control is one of the most magnificent things I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Here are some of my favorite pieces. They speak for themselves.

The Dying Swan

Black Swan Pas de Deux

Bolshoi Academy Pas de Deux Class

You may be wondering about the title.

This may be my last year dancing. Because I’ll be living in Muscat for a year, I will be significantly behind when I return. I hope and pray  there will a way to continue dancing, but I know it will be hard.

This past Sunday, I had my spring recital. It was so fun, and we performed beautifully. But among all the tutus and bobby pins, it felt faintly bittersweet. While everyone prepares for another year of dance- harder classes and new teachers- I stand at the dawn of a life changing journey.

I know that this undeniable opportunity comes at a small cost, but so do all things in life, it seems. But I know nothing can ever stop me from marveling at a dancer’s beauty, no matter where I am.

With much love,

bailey

just a little irrational concern.

Hello!

I was reading a funny little article posted by a friend today, entitled: 15 Signs You Might Have Been in Oman Too Long.

It was rather revealing of Omani culture, even in it’s simplicity. It gave me another minor jolt of excitement. (I tend to experience them randomly, and often without warning)

The first “sign” was interesting, if not maybe a little unsettling (for me, at least)

1. You get resentful when you actually have to work.

Personally, I tend to be a work-a-holic sometimes. If you read my last post, then you know my motivation has been a little lacking lately, but the idea of not working at all is a little scary.

Now, the issue here is not with Omani culture at all. Really, an entire year of minimal work sound lovely. The only thing worrisome is my return. What will happen when I suddenly have to work until my head explodes? (I’ll be diving straight into IB the following year.) Culture shock, to say the very least!

Really, I think I’m just concerned about preserving my work ethic. Right now, I consider it to be one of my best qualities. It is a wee bit disconcerting when a personal defining characteristic is in possible jeopardy.

Funny how an article, meant to be amusing and maybe nostalgic, can make your head spin!

I do realize I am overreacting severely, but hey! It’s my blog. I’m allowed to things like that.

Feel free to sound off below.

With love,

bailey :)

Summer and other musings

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the recent dryspell. My life really isn’t very interesting. Yet.

School’s winding down, just 2 more days! I have finals Monday and Tuesday, and despite popular beliefs, I refuse to cram. This entire year I’ve studied my ass off, and I don’t see the need to review things I already know. Maybe I’m being overconfident.

Either way I’m already gone. مع السلامة (goodbye in arabic)

This summer is going to be productive. I walked to the bookstore today, and make a mental wishlist of books to read this summer. I absolutely love the bookstore. It’s my personal place of solace. There’s something about the scent of paper, coffee and homeless people that is incredibly inspiring. Maybe it’s the thought of all the knowledge housed there, or being surrounded by other bibliophiles. (lovely word, right?) I could spend hours there.

I’ve decided I’m going to study up on all the topics that spark my interest, in the hopes of possibly figuring out what I want to do with my life. I’m going to fix my bike, too. I’m going to go places! What a novel idea, accomplishing things over summer break.

It’s funny how the beginning and end of school have a similar feel about them. They both stir up a sense of purposefulness, and of possibility. This school year was quite constructive, academically at least. I’m planning on making the next 2.5 months the same, if not better. Really, they will be better invariably, but you get my gist.

Anyways, I digress. I realize this has absolutely nothing to do with Oman, except for my clever use of arabic vocab. However, I’m plum dry of pre-departure jitters. It’s just sitting there in the back of my head, getting comfy in the recesses of my mind.

P.S, for any of you guys who are attempting to learn arabic, I found a great resource. This girl named Maha posts various arabic tutorials on youtube. She’s a great teacher, and it’s free and online. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnArabicwithMaha 

Feel free to post any questions, comments or other musings.

With love,

Bailey :)