New blog

I've decided to start afresh with the next stage of my life. My new blog, devoted to all new things is called "Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by." I've yet to create a good URL which will be unique but user friendly, so stay tuned.

It's also on blogspot, so all yous who've been reading along can follow me there if you so choose. Otherwise, prosperous journey to you and blessed be.

Moving on

I left my apartment in Richmond about a month ago and have been living with my folks since then. I've been working in HR at Fauquier Hospital and babysitting on the weekends. I've also got a side project going for the marketing department of FH but haven't been working on that much lately. I've also been doing a lot of work on the house with my parents. They put in a new cement sidewalk last month, so they're working to regrade the front yard so it looks pretty and we shoveled gravel in between the walk and Mum's garden to keep the weeds, etc. at bay. Dad and Mike finished the deck just in time for their Fourth of July party. We had 2 decks and 1 huge porch and most of the party stayed in the kitchen anyway! What is up with that?!?

Summer is here

Now what?

I've been offered a position with a family in Brussels, they were my first pick of all the families, so I'm really happy that they liked me too. You remember the family with the 2 boys and a flat in Paris...that's the one.

I've got until Spetember to get all of my paperwork filled out and then it's hasta luego (it's been a while since spanish class)! I'll be gone for 12 months which means I'll get back in September 2009.

Closing in on graduation

Ok, so here's what's been going on since February; I'm almost finished with this semester, my last semester! I've been doing a little happy dance every time I finish a "last" like my last paper, my last class presentation, my last reading summary, etc. At least my last as an undergraduate.
I've been trolling listings for au pair jobs and finding a good number of families I think I would really love to live with, some I would settle for and a few who are clearly crazy. There's one family in particular that I'm really excited about, they've got 2 boys and live in Brussels. The father works in Paris during the week and returns on weekends and they say that the flat in Paris is available for their au pair on weekends. I emailed their current au pair today and she said she's really enjoyed her time with them and the flat in Paris has been really nice since it's such an expensive city to visit. They just sound like the kind of family I would feel at home with. Their au pair said that she was encouraged to pursue other hobbies and interests and to meet lots of people while she was there, which is really nice. I don't want to end up staying at home all the time and I'm sure I'll need to find things to occupy my mind beyond childcare.
There is another listing I'm interested in (I only found it yesterday, so I haven't heard back from them yet) because the description of the family and 'Dear Au Pair' letter seemed like something I had written myself. It had much the same description in their profile as I'd listed in mine. So, at least on paper, I've apparently found my doppelgänger.
I've decided I'm really not interested in moving to a rural location and I know I want to have most of my weekends free. Some of the families request specifically that they need their au pair to put in most of their hours during the weekend, but I'd like to spend that time going out on the town, traveling or hanging out with Kelly.
I had expected to have made plans by now (before graduation) but have moved slower with the job seeking because school has taken more of my attention than I thought it would. But still not deterred, I've decided to keep up the search until the end of the summer. At that point I'll give up the gohst and maybe try again next year. (Au pairs in Belgium are required to start before September)

Why am I going?

My goals are many, first I want to get out of the US for a while. I'm frustrated with the state of our country right now, so I'm hoping that by leaving I'll get some perspective on things. Either I'll realize that the US really is as annoying as I think it is and decide never to return, or I'll see that every place is annoying in its own right and maybe one place is just as OK as another, third option (being far rarer in probability) is that I'll realize that its not so bad here and I miss the US and wish to come back. Any which way the chips fall it will be a change of pace from the past 19 years of school.
Second I want to see the rest of the world. Its a big world, so I'll start in Europe.
Third I want to spend time with my sister. She's a cool person and one of the smartest people I know, but I never really got time to get to know her (I mean after we stopped fighting like sisters often do). If I end up being somewhere near enough, I may try to meet her for lunch.
Fourth I want time to figure out where I'm going next. I think I may be interested in grad school, and I have a general idea of the direction I want to take but I'm just not certain enough to begin applying yet.
I'm sure there are motivations even I'm not aware of yet, but these are the ones I've discovered while examining my own process.

MANIFESTO!

These are some of my truths as I understand them today. You should feel free to challenge any one of my words and I will feel free to say all of them.

"Speak what you think today in hard words
and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again,
though it contradict every thing you said today."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson


These are, for the most part, opinions I wouldn't share while asking for employment. That being said they are opinions that shape how and where I look for employers.

Work.

My passion, at the root of all passions, is organizing. I love devising predictable systems out of chaos. I can't help but smile in the office supply store, surrounded by filing cabinets and bins of all sizes for all different uses.

Creativity.

People who claim they're not creative just have a bum definition. Creativity is human nature.

Boundaries.

Boundaries in time and attention are important to my work/life balance. It is critical to stop answering emails at some point during the day, to turn off the cell phone and enjoy my own life. Occasionally I just have to stop answering to other people’s demands on my time.

Capitalism.

Capitalism is a system that works for a few, but the many work for the system. I think that if the majority of the people of the world are suffering then the system isn’t working. The valuation of humans based in a system that requires inequality is bound to leave everyone unhappy in one form or another.

Social justice.

I thoroughly believe that every person has the chance to change the life of at least one person. Seems simple enough to me. If I don't consciously affect the world around me, then I'll do it accidentally.

"I know there is strength in the differences between us
and I know there is comfort where we overlap."
~Ani DiFranco

New Family

I was contacted this morning by a family in Luxembourg looking to take in a new au pair in July. It sounds like an ideal situation for me; the mother is a lawyer and has twin girls aged 5. I will reply to her today and hopefully start interviewing with her soon.

My Beliefs

To my prospective host family,

I plan to live with your family for about a year, so I have outlined a few of my beliefs about what I expect our time together should look like.

We should all have fun.

I think childhood should be full of joy. Sure there are bound to be some bumps in everyone’s lifetime, but it is our responsibility as adults to make sure that children enjoy the curiosity and energy of life.

Education is paramount.

Every moment is an opportunity to learn something new and I think that each one of those moments is critical to use to your child’s best advantage.

We will show respect.

Children deserve my utmost respect, they are reasonable beings, and I disagree with physical punishment. Punishment, as a first resort, only teaches children to avoid punishment. I believe that talking to a child about what went wrong and why it was wrong is a far more effective way of communicating morals and ethics. As such, I do not agree with using corporal punishment under any circumstances or using any other type of punishment (like “time out”) without first providing the child with an explanation they can understand.

My role in your family.

I am here as a cultural representative, I am aware that everything I do makes an impression on you and your children at all times. I will be respectful of your home, your family and your beliefs.

Your role as my family.

You are also representatives for your culture, so I hope that you will be patient with me as I adjust to a new situation and offer me help as I explore a different environment and culture.

Ultimate goals of our year together.

We can all gain from this if we are mutually responsible to one another’s experience. I will treat you as I would my own family if I were living with them. I will offer to help around the house and spend time playing with your kids, also I hope you will offer to show me new places/things and treat me like you would your own niece.

In your own words

"Things we take for granted: 'In your own words.' Do you have your own words? Personally, I'm using the ones that everyone else has been using. Next time they tell you to say something in your own words, say, 'Nigflot blorny quando floooon!'"
~George Carlin

First step

Welcome to my blog.

I'm a student--have been for a while. I've been studying advertising, psychology and women's studies. Which is crazy stuff, I've been focusing on the personal, the sociological and the media that binds the two. Personally it makes my head reel sometimes.
Everyone asks what I want to do after I graduate and I tell them that I'm going to move to Belgium to spend a year as an au pair. I'm using this blog to share with everyone all the stuff I don't get to tell you in the 5 minutes between the moment you ask about my goals after graduation and the moment your attention begins to wander.

Enjoy. (or don't)