Since I have been in France, I have taken time to evaluate what I want in life. I still have not found a concrete answer, but being abroad has shown me options that I never really considered prior to my voyages. One thing is for certain, and it is that traveling in the future is a top priority for me. Whether I am traveling for a job, or I have a job in which I can afford to travel,it makes no difference to me. That is the bottom line of what I want. I have toyed around with the idea of teaching English in France, or maybe French in England for a couple of years after college. Doing Teach America for 4 years is another possibility. Now I do not want to be a forever teacher, but my reasoning for those two are that they would allow me to go somewhere new and different. Teach America would keep me in the States, but I could be assigned anywhere in the country, and I would love to share my passion of the French language and Culture with students who may not have great exposure to travel and culture. (Teach America places its teachers in needy areas, basically where no one really wants to go teach) These places could be very rural or urban inner city.
However, my ultimate goal in life is to become a history museum curator. My focus is on colonial and early american history. I love, love, love studying this subject, and one day I WILL be preserving historic homes and or artifacts for generations to admire. I have thought about altering this plan and heading towards Louisiana and focus on the French influence on American history. Nothing would complete my life more than being able to be the site manager for a big, old Louisiana plantation founded by French Colonists. Ohhh the possibilities.... In the likely event that I will not be landing my dream job soon, I have also toyed around with the idea of working for a sector of the government that needs historians or at least someone who works with archives. For this to happen, I need to get my masters in Public History, and I would like to work right up to my doctorate. I am looking at being in school for another 10 years, with a little time off to go work and save some money.
I have also decided that I will be doing a HALF MARATHON in November with my mom! We are going to start training together over the summer. I have been seriously running in France, but I do jog. However, once I step off the plane back onto American soil, its time to whip back into shape. I think that doing a marathon in November the same year I studied abroad is a very appropriate way to close the year. I will have accomplished two huge things that I was slightly of doing, and were difficult to prepare for. Granted, the process of studying abroad is a tad more enjoyable than running 13.1 miles, but the satisfaction I would gain from completing a half marathon is priceless. I am doing to less than two months, which is scary. Time has flown by here. I have fallen in love with France and Europe, and I will make every effort to make it back over here in the next few years. I may have not have contributed anything to world by being here, I could have done something like working in Uganda or India, etc, but I think that what I have learned here is valuable on a different level. I have learned how to move out of my comfort zone for extended periods of time (living with host family), I have learned lots of new history and augmented what I did know, and I have learned how to deal. How to deal with language barriers, deal with having a solid, set amount of money, deal with a sparse wardrobe, deal with people who are not my best friends,just to name a few obstacles I have faced. None of those vaccinated a child, or prevented malaria, but they made me a better person, and this stronger woman is now more capable of contributing to the world thanks to these lessons.
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