Friday, September 18, 2009

...e iré lejos, como un bohemio...

I've made some big, big, BIG life decisions recently, so listen up, peeps!

First of all, my biggest news of all is that I've decided to apply to graduate school at the School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont for Fall '10. Yes, this means that if I get it (fingers crossed please!) I will be gracing you all with my presence back in the NE. The program would be a 1-year Masters in International Education, the focus being on managing international education/study programs, which many of you know that 1) I've wanted to do for a long time, and 2) well, I'm kind of perfect for. :-) So I'm very excited to have discovered this program, and will be working on getting my application in ASAP!

Also, I'll be leaving Buenos Aires, basically for good, the first week of December. This is something I've gone back and forth about forever... do I stay? do I go? keep trying? will it get better? will I learn to love it? Frankly, the past 7.5 months that I've been here have been bittersweet. I've learned so much, grown and changed so much, and gained incredibly valuable life experience, and I wouldn't change that for anything. However, it's also taken its toll on me. The people aren't what I'd --ahem-- wished they would be. It's not an open, friendly place. I have my friends, most of whom are from other countries like me, and I love them to death. But it's a lonely life here. I never quite fit in, never quite made it totally work. Every day has been a challenge with work life, cultural issues, people, and just general navigation of my daily life. And challenges are good, and its been good for me in many ways, but I think I've gotten what I can out of this experience, and it's time to move on. I just never fell in love with Buenos Aires the way I guess I hoped I would.

So, this is not bad news! It's actually very exciting. After spending this whole year teaching (and really loving it in the end), I feel so confident about this decision, and so ready to take on whatever life throws at me next. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and that each decision we make, each turn we make when the road divides and we choose our path, is right. It's right, even when it's wrong. Because as the old saying goes, "when one door close, another door always opens." I live my life by this philosophy, and it's taken me this far.

My next adventure is (well, after I turn in my grad school application, of course) to do a long trip around South America. It's such a huge, diverse continent, with so many amazing things to see an do, and I want to soak up as much as possible before I go. Because who knows when the next time I will be passing through S. America will be! I've decided to travel for approximately 4 months, December-March, then popping back into BsAs for my good byes (and to get my stuff) and then heading back to the States around mid-April.

The very-tentative-and-very-subject-to-change plan is to visit both the northern and southern regions of Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brasil, and Bolivia. My friend Dave will be down for a visit in November, and we'll go to Patagonia together, thus checking that off the list! So the rest will happen Dec-March, and will probably go in the order I listed them. I want a full month in Colombia and another full month in Brasil, I want to climb Machu Picchu, I want to explore Bolivia, I want to spend Carnaval in Rio! I want to do a lot. And you know what, I'm young (for a little while longer!) so why not?

Travel is worth going totally broke for.

So that, my friends, is my grand update. I welcome any and all suggestions you have about my travels, and any feedback you have on these new plans and ideas! I'm very excited, nervous too, but mostly just happy to throw my backpack on and do some serious traveling, and then see my friends and family back in the States again. By the time I get back in April, 14 months will have passed. I think that's plenty.

Love to all!

2 comments:

Allison said...

Wooohooo - VERMONT! I was born in Brattelboro, so it has some good vibes ;)

Amanda said...

I am very excited that you are coming back however, I have one small issue...

MID-APRIL!?!! *cry*

You should come back the beginning of April. Because I'm selfish like that. :P