Two weeks before the start of my internship, I had the most relaxing three-in-one vacation ❤

The first week was spent with Eva, my sister, at a cottage by the beach. Our porch overlooked a beautiful and peaceful white sandy beach, and all we had to do to get there was walk through the gate. We spent our days lounging, reading and talking about life.

Since Eva is a certified life coach, she also helped me organize my current volunteer and pro bono activities, and think about next steps. The biggest aha moment was when I realized that, if all my current contributions would be directed towards one organization (instead of four) it would be the perfect job – fulfilling, meaningful, creative and with a purpose.

I realized that I love the combination of strategic high level thinking (as a board member), creative work (design and marketing) and being close to the animals and other volunteers (BCR internship, shelter volunteer and photographer). I am not sure yet if that “perfect job” exists, but it feels great to know that I am on a good path. I told myself to relax, go with the flow, and things will fall into place.

The second week, I had a lovely time with Susan at Clearwater beach. We had long conversations about life, realized how happy we both are with our current situations, and just enjoyed spending time together. Of course, wine and champagne was involved 🙂
I greatly enjoyed photographing Pelicans. The seem ancient, almost like dinosaurs, and have become one of my favorite birds.

Susan left on Wednesday, and Luda arrived the same day. It was a great delight to show her the surroundings, visit Safety Harbor, Honeymoon Island, the Dali Museum in St. Pete, and of course, Big Cat Rescue. Just like me, Luda fell in love with the Tampa Bay Area, and we both are sure that this is not going to be our last time here together.

We had a few adventures too: On the way to Honeymoon Island, we witnessed a very serious police chase. It was scary and reminded me of how precious life is. I also learned that you are allowed to turn right at a red arrow, if the road is clear. In CA, you are only allowed to turn right on a regular red light, and in Germany, you would get a serious ticket for either.

After such a fulfilling time with friends and family, I am absolutely ready to start my internship, work hard, learn new things and contribute to a great organization.