It's a few days to 5 months since I've left home and I just thought that I should update a few things about The Trip.

I haven't been able to recount things so well as they are happening on this blog, but instead have been sending pieces now and then to friends in e-mails or locking them in my brain or occasionally pouring over my various notebooks and journals.

My trip has:

Not gone so far well as it has been planned. I spent about three weeks between California - the central valley staying with my friend Trevor, and visiting San Francisco - and Mazatlan in the mainland, where the plan was to stay at for a bit before heading across the Sea of Cortez, to the baja peninsula, maybe for a day or two, and then back across to the mainland, to see the Copper Canyon, and visit parts of Mexico by bus and train.

Well like so often in Life, things didnt go as planned. By the time I arrived in La Paz by ferry, I needed a rest from travelling. I stayed for 2 days, eventually discovering scuba diving and enrolling in the certification course. I met some Swiss and English friends, who had been traveling around the world, and also taught me a few things about travelling, most importantly about slowing down the pace (after all, I was already exhausted after a few small weeks by trying to hard to do everything!) and relaxing, making friends and having some fun.

I was having so much fun relaxing and scuba diving that I decided I would stay awhile and learn to be a really good scuba diver, even a pro. I moved into an apartment and took all of the classes they offered, except Nitrox, and I am now a professional level diver.

I've worked leading divers, worked in the pub as a bartender, doorman, and waiter, been attending fine visual art classes, even modeling for the art class. It turns out that I have created such an involved life here it is quite difficult to leave now.

I have spanish classes at the university 4 days a week, I attend a language school for english to assist in classes, and now I've just begun a diploma program to train teacher's of english.

I'm working hard on developing myself, I've wanted to be an english teacher since my sister Tina has inspired me, and my spanish is improving very quickly. I should stay at least until the semester ends here in June.