I wrote this on March 11th 2010 in Oceanside, CA... 

***It doesn't matter which Starbucks you sit in around the world, they are all the same. Whether it's in the slums of Bangkok, the hip parts of Tokyo, a side street in London or next to the beach in California. The array of healthy fruit juices, individually wrapped sandwiches, vanilla frosted cupcakes and various other pastries are always available and there is consistency in their taste. The uncomfortable wooden chairs, dim lighting and the two soft chairs by the window that seem to always be taken by someone else tends to be the general setting of almost every Starbucks in the world.

I am not a fan of big corporations and I do like to support the local, small businessman. But, other than the different languages and accents you might hear in Starbucks in different locations, the familiarity is comforting for a traveller. Knowing you can go somewhere that will be exactly what you expect regardless of the foriegness of everything else outside makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

As I sit here on the wooden chairs (since the comfy ones are of course taken), and sip on my skinny venti chai tea latte, I wonder which Starbucks I will be in next. Rio de Janiero? Vancouver? Los Cabos? Hanoi? Dubai? Who knows......? I don't. I never know. I have just spent the last hour applying for jobs in about 10 different cities around the world. I kind of know what I want. I kind of know where I want to go. But, I can only do so much. What actually ends up happening will be a result of my efforts and whatever the universe wants for me. I hope that the universe's interests are the same as mine.***

It's 2 years and 3 months later and here I am in another Starbucks in another part of the world. Except this time, since I am in a somewhat more remote part of the world, I scored one of the comfy seats! 

So what has actually changed? Well, I'm now in a committed relationship with a man who was at that time, afraid of commitment. We now have clear, more solid goals than we did at that time and although we're still far away from reaching them, there's a certain level of comfort from at least knowing where we want to be. 

My drink is the same and as I sip on my venti, skinny chai tea latte and drown out my peripheral vision and the odd Newfie accents around me, the moment of writing the above piece comes back to me plain as day. I was happier then than am I now in my surroundings and living situation but I was confused, lost and unclear of the future. Now, I am unhappy with this corner of the world I find myself in but I am no longer as lost and confused. We have a goal and we're reaching for it. Yet still, I am hoping that the universe is secretly conspiring to help me get to where I want to be.