Just a Small Town Girl
Standing somewhere between here and adulthood. Looking for adventure. Plain and simple.
Turns out I'm not ready for full-time cubicle farm life yet.
I grew up in small town Indiana. We're talking 900 people and only a stoplight and a gas station. In high school, my friends and I would go to the Wal-Mart in the neighboring town for fun on the weekends. I cherish the values I learned there, but I knew it was not a place for me to grow old.
Attending Indiana University may, hands down, be the best decision of my life thus far. I was exposed to so many other lifestyles and cultures, and the biggest lesson I learned there was that there is no right or wrong way to live your life, as long as you're always moving forward.
This motto has kept me motivated after graduation through over a year of solely existing at an 8-5 desk job. I graduated from IU in May 2012 and joined my fellow graduates in the workforce. I loved my company (still do!), but the job was not for me. I was not using my education, and I did not receive any joy from my efforts. Typical #postgradproblems. The way I see it, if you're gonna spend the majority of your life at a job, you sure as hell better like what you do!
Just reread that last paragraph. I sound like a typical, self-absorbed, 20-something, right? Yuck.
Check out that motto - gotta keep moving forward! It was time for something fulfilling in my life or to move on to a new job. Hobbies, starting a family? All great options. But, as I am incapable of holding a steady boyfriend, babies freak me out, and I don't keep up on the hobbies I already have, starting the job search was the only option.
Or...
Travel. Extensive travel. Life consuming, life-changing, fully immersed in another culture travel. Oh, heyyyyyy, CIEE!!!! I HAVE FOUND YOU, MY SWEET, SWEET LIGHT AT THE END OF THE CRAPPY JOB TUNNEL!!!!
Attending Indiana University may, hands down, be the best decision of my life thus far. I was exposed to so many other lifestyles and cultures, and the biggest lesson I learned there was that there is no right or wrong way to live your life, as long as you're always moving forward.
This motto has kept me motivated after graduation through over a year of solely existing at an 8-5 desk job. I graduated from IU in May 2012 and joined my fellow graduates in the workforce. I loved my company (still do!), but the job was not for me. I was not using my education, and I did not receive any joy from my efforts. Typical #postgradproblems. The way I see it, if you're gonna spend the majority of your life at a job, you sure as hell better like what you do!
Just reread that last paragraph. I sound like a typical, self-absorbed, 20-something, right? Yuck.
Check out that motto - gotta keep moving forward! It was time for something fulfilling in my life or to move on to a new job. Hobbies, starting a family? All great options. But, as I am incapable of holding a steady boyfriend, babies freak me out, and I don't keep up on the hobbies I already have, starting the job search was the only option.
Or...
Travel. Extensive travel. Life consuming, life-changing, fully immersed in another culture travel. Oh, heyyyyyy, CIEE!!!! I HAVE FOUND YOU, MY SWEET, SWEET LIGHT AT THE END OF THE CRAPPY JOB TUNNEL!!!!
I see this exact picto-quote everywhere. (Thank you, Tumblr.) Every time, I'm like, shoot, if only that were possible. Well, why is it impossible? I'm 22ish, and I have nothing keeping me from just packing up and jetting out. Thanks to two summers on a camp staff surrounded by coworkers from across the globe, I always talked about wanting to live in a new country extensively. To learn how another group of people live and not just be a tourist. With the help of CIEE, I found a way to put my money where my mouth is while staying a semi-responsible adult to appease the masses. For the 2013-2014 school year, I will be working for the Andalucian government as a language and culture assistant (Auxiliar) in an elementary school in Andújar, Jaén, a province in Andalucia in the most southern region of Spain. I'm stoked to work with kids again and to hopefully become proficient, if not fluent, in Spanish. I'm a self-proclaimed Adventuress, Hoosier for Life Wherever I May Roam, and now I hope to add Citizen of the World to that list.
So, why "Lessons in Bravery?"
Nelson Mandela is a boss, and he was once quoted saying, "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." In direct relation to my above mentioned motto, what keeps someone from moving forward? Fear. I'm about to live away from everything familiar in life for nine months. I'm terrified!! But I also couldn't be more excited. And that excitement is what is making me brave. I hope to explore just how far I can push this bravery and see where it takes me. All over the world!
This blog is mostly for myself and my family and friends to stay updated on my life abroad. Feel free to follow me, and if you have any questions or comments, let me know!
Kaylee
So, why "Lessons in Bravery?"
Nelson Mandela is a boss, and he was once quoted saying, "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." In direct relation to my above mentioned motto, what keeps someone from moving forward? Fear. I'm about to live away from everything familiar in life for nine months. I'm terrified!! But I also couldn't be more excited. And that excitement is what is making me brave. I hope to explore just how far I can push this bravery and see where it takes me. All over the world!
This blog is mostly for myself and my family and friends to stay updated on my life abroad. Feel free to follow me, and if you have any questions or comments, let me know!
Kaylee