8 Months - The Countdown to Home

I have decided to leave the family and come home. I mean that in every sense of the word. I am moving into my house with my parents. After months of conversations with friends, the family, my family etc. I made the decision that it was time for me to head home.  The family doesn't know anything about Paris and as far as I can tell it has fallen completely out of the conversation in the last two weeks. 

So now my count down has begun. I have a lot to accomplish before I leave but I have also a great year to look back on and it isn't even over yet! I am going to miss so much about this lifestyle (aka. little work and a lot of play). I have also started to understand how hard it is going to be to leave the family. I have my fair share of complaints but at the end of the day these kids have stolen my heart ten times over! To make it worse, G has begun to make it clear how sad she is that I am leaving and that "I should stay for forever with her."  

This begins the countdown. Summer is around the corner and I have several more trips to be planned before I head back to San Diego at the end of August. I am heading to Spain and Amsterdam this week, Paris (for real this time) in June, a few more places in Switzerland (including paragliding!), and possibly Scandinavia in August before heading home. My schedule is packed and I love it! I am hoping a weekend trip in May to Rome if I can make it work.  I will also be going to the South of France twice with the family not to mention actually enjoying Zurich for the summer! 

Halfway to Nowhere

I have reached my halfway mark. I have been working for 6 months and I have 6 more months to go! Things are going well really well! I have an awesome group of friends and some great travel plans coming up. I am heading out to the mountains for the next week with he family which sounds awful but I think I am ready to embrace a week of isolation with he family( but I will let you know next week how it actually goes!).

What are we going to do next? This question has infiltrated my fellow au pairs' and my regular conversations.  Most of us saw this as a way to travel, attempt to learn a language, and live abroad. (Oh yes and take care of other people's children?) But most of all, as a way to put off being a part of the regular grown-up workforce.  I tried the desk job in DC and it wasn't a great fit. So what's next?

As you have deducted from the title of my blog, I have no idea.  I don't think I am done living abroad but I would like to find a way to incorporate living abroad with actually doing something related to what I want to do professionally. I have also started having he grad school conversation with people again and I know I can't keep outing that off. I have some undergrad classes I need to take before I can apply. And there is the GMAT and GRE to study for. Needless to say it is all just a bit overwhelming.

So that has become an important aspect of deciding what to do next. I have looked into some volunteer abroad programs for the fall. Another opportunity has arisen with the family. They might move to Paris this summer and would love for me to stay. So I am now considering because as you know I fell in love with Paris! So if I stay I have told myself that I will take the classes I need online in he fall and then study I. The spring and apply to start grad school in he stall of 2013.

That is a two year plan with a lit of the plan missing, like he jobs and a but of reality missing by if here is one hint I can guarantee is hat I am having a blast right now and the 2year plan I just laid out will change 10 more times (at least)!!!!

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller

Helen Keller is completely right! No matter if your adventure is a day at the park or moving across the country or world once a year, you need to make sure that you are always creating new adventures and experiences for yourself. I have decided that right now my adventures include moving across the world for the year! 

I have made my official decision to go to Zurich, Switzerland! I am so excited to have a decision made and know what my next step is! It was a very difficult decision but I know that it was worth the struggle. It said a lot to me that the family was willing to go through nearly a month of back and forth to figure everything out with the visa and all, so I think that we are really a great match.

A little about my upcoming life: I will be an aupair for a French and Canadian family living in Switzerland. They are both lawyers.  There are two kids, and in October there will the a new baby! There is a 9-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. Their current aupair has been so very helpful with everything. She has given me honest answers about what to expect as an aupair- both the good and the bad! I will be heading over at the beginning of August through August of 2011! 

I will also be taking French lessons while I am there. I will also be looking into volunteering somewhere once a week or something since I will have some free time while the kids are at school. I am going to take full advantage of being in Switzerland and I really want to get to know Zurich and the rest of the country. My goal for my trip is a country a month and a new city/town in Switzerland every month! 

One of my best friends from high school is getting her Masters in Ireland in the fall and I have another friend who is going to be an aupair in Germany. I will have some tastes of home and of course anyone who wishes to visit is welcome! 

The Flight

So I am off to DC! I was given two journals, both of which I packed and am unable to get to while I am on the plane. I am sitting in between a man reading a magazine about guns, what they do, and how to use them…scary! On the other side of my I have an old woman who is reading a book about Aura and Chakra. I am sitting in the middle listen to Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus (Alyssa gets credit for that one!), and various other quality artists reading about racism and community. It is funny how life works like that.

I had an amazing time at home the last few weeks. It was relaxing and nice to see my San Diego friends! I was enjoying what California has to offer—sun, Disneyland, the beach, and fun restaurants with twinkle lights =)

Leaving my friends and family is really hard, but I don’t think it has hit me yet. I think it will take time to realize this isn’t just another trip but a move. Craig (a friend from Chapman) is going to school at the University of Maryland. He has been there since July. He is being the most amazing friend and picking me up from the airport and letting me stay with him for a little while. I will also be taking him with me to look at places to live! I cannot thank him enough because without him I don’t know that I would be going through with this entire move!

I have been in contact with a few people who I will meet this weekend to potentially live with. Some are outside the city and some are in the city. I really want to live in the city because if I am going to do this I should go it right! I think it is time to get out of the suburbs for a little while as least.

A few things that I am really excited about—

▪ Going to museums for free all the time

▪ Taking the Metro and busses to get from home to work

▪ The potential for anything to happen

▪ To meet new people

▪ To be able to go from Maryland to Virginia and back again within the matter for an hour!

▪ Day and weekend trips to a new state!

▪ Exploring DC—finding my favorite coffee shop, painting and restaurant/bar!

▪ Taking advantage of the constant flow of free speakers that go through DC

▪ Skype and gmail video chat

▪ A plethora of diversity, in every sense of the word

A few things that will this adventure more challenging

▪ Weather—this is something I am excited for because I think that the Fall and Spring are beautiful, it is the other seasons that make me a little more nervous

▪ Job hunting—I am trying real hard but it is definitely not the ideal time to look for a job!

▪ As many of you may be aware, DC is not one of the safest cities in the United States. Last summer I lived in one of the safest cities in the United States. This may restrict my ability to explore on my own, at least for a little while

▪ Being so far away from my friends and family that there is a 3 hour time difference

Thank you for reading this! I am so grateful to have so many amazing friends and an amazing and supportive family. I am taking a BIG risk and I have had some heated discussions along the way but have gotten so much support. You all telling me that I can do it and at the very least it will be a fun adventure for a little while, is why I believe that I can do this! You have given me the confidence to give the crazy world of Washington DC a try!

I love and miss you!