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Published: December 18th 2009
Alas, has it really been this long since I’ve had some exciting trip to share? India seems so long ago; Japan feels like another lifetime; New Zealand was just a dream. Well, I will finally have something to write about again.
To bring some of you up to speed, here’s a quick summary of my life up to now:
Upon my return from India, I promptly started working and looking into attending graduate school. I assisted my father in creating a non-profit training institute with the hopes of one day starting a skills development program to attract new talent to the industry of non-destructive testing (NDT). Unfortunately, while there is general moral support by industry, academic, and governmental leaders, none of that praise has translated into financial backing. And despite jumping through all the IRS hoops, I don’t think it has a very promising future. But it has been a valuable learning experience and it certainly looks smart on my resume.
I have just completed my first semester of graduate study at UT Austin. I am in the department of educational psychology and am working towards a PhD in educational research. My interest is in doing statistical research for educational policy, particularly in areas that affect minority and/or disadvantaged populations. It has been challenging, especially since I have a demanding part-time job as a research assistant for a higher education policy research group, but I’m enjoying everything so far. One of my professors has taken a real interest in me, and has even invited me to do research with him. He also wants me to consider becoming a professor myself, which is quite flattering really, but I’m not fully sold on the idea yet. However, the roadmap that he has set out for me, which includes getting published in a few academic journals and presenting at a couple of conferences over the next few years, should make me a desirable candidate for a broad range of employers.
To keep my sanity during the course of getting my degree, I made a deal with myself to travel to at least one new and exciting place each year. If I’m going to go into debt already, why not do it in style, right? So this past spring, after I had just accepted my offer of admissions, I started looking for international flight deals. Nothing really caught my eye until this summer… $670 RT to Lima from Houston in December! A dream of mine has always been to do the trek up to Machu Pichu. I did a brief survey to see if any of my friends might be interested in joining and one of my girlfriends (and fellow graduate students) jumped at the chance. Thanks to the university calendar, we get to spend almost a month traveling! Since then, we have added two more travel partners who will be there for the first half of the trip when we visit Machu Pichu.
I would like to thank fellow blogger, Hannah (AKA “Wherever I lay my hat”), for sharing her experiences and advice with me. You were such a big help!
So that’s it. We’re in countdown mode right now. I fly from Houston on December 18th and will be starting the Inca Trail trek on the 22nd. Since we are doing the classic 4-day hike, that means we get to watch the sun rise over Machu Pichu on Christmas Day! While it’s no Christmas at the Bromell’s, I have a feeling that this will be one of my all-time favorite holidays ever.
Happy holidays to all of you! Expect some upcoming pictures and blogs from your Lyssy-pants. 😊
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Nicole
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Have fun!
We'll miss you but I know y'all are going to have an awesome time! Merry (early) Christmas!!!