Even though I am still in Wisconsin and have seen most of the people who read this already I decided to post an update. I have been doing a lot of thinking the past few weeks about what I am going to do for the future. I was accepted into Marquette for graduate school which was my number one choice and I am very excited about that. I toured the school last year and fell in love with the city of Milwaukee and the campus. The clinic was brand new with state of the art equipment and they offer one of the only bilingual programs for Speech Therapy in the Midwest (also one of the best in the US). Needless to say this was a huge accomplishment for me and I am very proud of it.
However, after a lot of thought and weighing the pros and cons I decided to defer my acceptance to graduate school for a year and continue teaching English. I am not certain that I will even go back next year. Deferring for a year will give me at least a chance without having to reapply if I decide that it is what I want a year from now. My future is completely and utterly up in the air and while it is a little scary to think about it is also very exciting. Teaching English as a second language has opened doors I never dreamed existed and I can get paid to see the world. I will never ever have this opportunity again; if I go into graduate school now I will finish my Masters degree in two years, finish my clinical fellowship year the third year and graduate with about $40,000 in student loans. I will jump right into the corporate world running and have 2 weeks paid vacations a year if I am lucky. After spending the past 4 months in Mexico, this world holds no interest for me anymore. The people I have met, both teachers and students have inspired me and have helped me realize I could do this for years. My two roommates have seen the world already and have enjoyed every minute of their lives. I cannot begin to explain the opportunities available to me with the teaching certificate and I am very excited to see where the wind takes me.
I hope that I will go to graduate school someday because I do have a love for Speech Pathology as a career and someday my adventurous spirit may be tamed just enough to settle down but for now I am going to let the wind take me wherever it pleases. I feel like I am getting the most out of my life and I am doing what I really love right now. I wake up with a smile on my face every day and I am learning so much. I look forward to my future travels and will keep you all updated on them! Everyone I have talked to about this have been extremely supportive and I thank you all for that. I expected some resistance (especially from my parents!) about this decision but it has been met with nothing but "follow your dreams, do what you love". I have always wanted to travel the world and experience other cultures and I feel kind of like I have been handed a silver platter!
I had been throwing this idea around while still in Mexico and it was cemented in when I returned for Easter vacation. I love being here with my friends and family and have been having a great time but a part of me feels out of place now. I feel disconnected with the culture and pace of life here. It was odd and ironic that I did not have culture shock or homesickness when I went down to Mexico but I got it when I came back to Wisconsin for break!
I have been searching for jobs in other parts of Mexico for the summer session and have been throwing the idea of going to Spain for the fall around.
I want to thank you all for your support and I have discovered while I have been home that more people than I thought read this on a regular basis! I will try to update it more often!
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