I don’t know how I managed this, but I am sick once again – only two weeks after the last time I got a cold! I want to say that I can’t afford to be sick right now, but I have to make it work somehow. I’ve been extremely busy. I haven’t really been feeling that stressed about it, but it is entirely possible that I am simply not giving myself time to be stressed. I am really happy with the classes I picked, but one of them has tons of short assignments (sometimes 2 or more due the same day) and others require a lot of reading and writing. I have also been busy with my job in Cambridge, which seems to take up all my spare time. I feel very productive because I am getting so much done, but I am worried that the lack of rest is bringing down my defences and I will be getting sick constantly this semester. I definitely don’t want that.
So, to tell you more about my post-graduation plans, why don’t we start with the aforementioned job in Cambridge. This summer I will return to the summer programme I have worked at for the past few summers. Except instead of being a senior counsellor, this year I am directing one of the camps. I am super excited about this! The job entails 20-30 hours of volunteer work per week throughout the Spring semester. I get to write grant proposals, recruit staff and campers, hold staff interviews, and deal with the entire administrative side of things. The programme ends at the end of August, after which I am planning to move to Mexico!
Pretty crazy, I know! I have not lived in Mexico for almost 10 years – almost half my life. It was never my plan to return to Mexico, but I am feeling happy with my decision. I decided that I definitely wanted to apply to the Peace Corps last semester. Because the summer job does not end until the end of August, I decided to apply for departure next February. This gives me a few months to make some money before joining the Peace Corps, and – more importantly – spend some time with my family. The Peace Corps is a big commitment. You sign up for two and a half years in a different country, and because we only get a small stipend, travelling back to visit my family would be difficult to afford.
While I am in Mexico I will be working for a business. Although I have always been interested in business, I decided in high school that it was not the career I wanted, so I have not taken many classes on the subject. However, I began to build an idea of what career I would like to build towards and realised that I could mix money matters with my passion for justice. A possible job, for instance, would be looking over policy in the management of money toward humanitarian aid and social justice by the government and non-profits. Therefore, managing a business will not only be an interesting experience, but it will give me more experience that should be helpful when I am applying to grad school in a few years.
Come back next week to hear more about how my classes are going!