One minute you are trying to figure out visas to get overseas the next it is three months later and you are STILL trying to figure out visas to get overseas as well as a million other things!
A lot has happened and I actually meant to sit down and write at least three times now and just…haven’t.
So let me pick up where I left off. I believe that I have narrowed down my options to two. First, I am going to apply for a master’s program in Belgium. School there isn’t free but it is about $4000 per year -not per credit! Or even per semester! PER YEAR! The specific program I want doesn’t open for applications until February, so I have a bit of time to prepare and make sure there isn’t anything I need to do before then! The second option is the DAFT Visa for the Netherlands. Basically this is a special visa for American entrepreneurs to go to the Netherlands and start a business. While I am currently working doing web design that could easily qualify as the business in question, I am much MUCH more interested in getting back into wildlife education -especially because I could have owls and other birds of prey again in the Netherlands. Obviously this will take a LOT more planning than just doing an online business like web design. I need to figure out the permit situation, learn the local laws on captive bred wildlife as well as the laws for exhibiting them. Is it possible to do that in schools and such as I did before? Is there a need and desire for it? Would the public culture support it? Lots of questions to answer, but I have some time to work on it.
In the time since I last wrote we have had a massive nation wide No Kings, An amazing colorful and welcoming Seattle Pride, A continued and possibly exponential decline in the state of this country, and a fucking genius and hilarious South Park episode as a result! All of which are worthy of a whole blog post on their own! But since I am so far behind.. You will have to settle for some captioned pictures.
Additionally, I have been keeping busy with some pet sitting jobs, exploring events in Seattle and other parts of Washington, building my business (or businesses?) And investigating seemingly countless other side gigs that could be fun to pursue!
As part of my exploration of this wonderful city, I continue to try new foods when given the chance- although I have definitely slowed down on my spending by a LOT as I can only live off savings for so long and I need to start bringing in more money to keep up! BUT, as a result of my enjoying this foodie heaven, I have decided to start another blog -as if I need more projects- to rant and rave about the variety of wonderful foods I have been able to try here! I wish I had started this when I first got here because I tried a lot of places right up front and I can’t keep up with that frequency anymore.
So keep an eye out for the food blog! I’ll either update with it here, or post about it in the next Escaping the States entry!
I will end today’s entry with one of many images from the completion of a lifelong dream… seeing WILD Orcas!!! I went on a short whale watching trip in the Puget Sound and was honored with the presence of a family of four wild Orcas!
Escaping The States 
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