Life Changes

"In a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks."  - Warren Buffet

Fortunately, I've decided to stop fixing leaks and start bailing myself onto another boat.

I've been counting down my life without realizing what I was looking forward to exactly.  The school year has ended, and I am officially a college graduate.  I am moving out of my apartment in less than two weeks.  I leave for India in T-53 days.  And then there was the countdown to law school and the LSAT.  The two things that I have completely dreaded for the past few months is where I am going and how I am getting there.  I came to a major decision today.... I will not be attending law school next fall.  Instead, I will attend graduate school to earn my Master's next fall.  I will still study international human rights, but plan to do so in a different capacity than I previously expected.  Although a big change, I am extremely excited for it.  While looking over courses today I actually smiled.  I smiled!  I am truly excited for what comes after my job in India.... which now means graduate school. 

I know.... crazy, right?  My parents thought so too.  But then we were able to talk, and discuss how much better this would be for me and my future.  I still want to go to law school later in the future, but not now.  I want to work with international organizations focusing on advocacy and development.  Law school could provide a path to this, but I know that grad school will provide a clearer and better prepared future.  It was a tough decision and one that I have mulled over for some time.  I kept it pretty much to myself, never allowing the idea to cross too far into my thoughts.  I thought of how silly it would be to throw away all of the plans I had made and to ignore the years of LSAT study, but I know none of it was in vain.  My plans post-study are the same; it is just that my path to getting to that point has changed.

I'm so thankful for all of the support I've gotten from my family, and especially my friends who are in/going to/graduated from grad school who have given me so much great advice.  I'm still getting things together, but I've looked at some great schools and deciding on GRE test dates.  Luckily for me, if I decide to not take it before I leave I can take it in Hyderabad.  Fortunately, the GRE is a year-round test with a computer format and a quick turnaround time so I have plenty of flexibility.  Best news yet?  More time before I leave to spend with my family and friends, as well as prepare for my year in India.

Enough for now.... I'm headed to bed.  Early morning of baking and rummage sales in the morning!      

        

Officially a University Graduate!

It's finally done.  Goodbye senioritis... I'm not longer a SENIOR!  My time at Southeast Missouri State has been long and eventful; I have had some of the best and worst times here.  I have gained a lot of knowledge, but I am happy to be moving on to bigger things.  I will miss my friends and of course Andy & Toby, but as they all keep reminding me, the best is yet to come. 

A few of the graduating Tri Delts

The graduation ceremony was long, but I truly enjoyed it.  I loved spending the day smiling and posing for pictures with my friends and family.  I was blessed to have a lot of the people I care about at the ceremonies.  My parents, grandparents, Uncle Bill & Aunt Susie, Uncle Bobby, Andrew, and my brother & future sister-in-law. My brother, Joey, and sister-in-law, Le, had problems with their plane and ended up driving and staying up most of the night just to get to the ceremony!  Although they missed the Honors breakfast and part of the Honors Convocation, I don't care.... I practically ran over to them after convocation when I saw them waiting in the back.  They traveled in from Boston; my brother is attending Harvard Medical School so this was a big trip back to see me graduate at his undergraduate Alma Mater.  On Sunday more family came by to eat and have ice cream and cake.  It was a nice couple days, but very exhausting.  On Monday I turned in my last assignment and gave my last presentation.  After turning in my textbooks I felt an amazing weight lifted from my shoulders.

“For fast acting relief, try slowing down” -Lily Tomlin

If only slowing down were an option right now!  I am currently taking a much needed 15 minute break to write this blog post.  I have been up since 7am and at the library since 8am.  I have begun the never-ending (until June 11) intense LSAT prep and have already tired of its repetitiveness.  I will be here until 9pm this evening (barring a few more breaks for dinner and to walk the dog).  I have not been without a job since before I was 16, and this is a brand new experience for me.  However, I would go back to working long weeks if I would never have to look at LSAT prep again!  Unfortunately, I know better than to assume that is possible.  After a few days of this I'm sure I'll get used to these boring days, and eventually the library staff will come to recognize me.  Alas, the never-ending work of a future law student.....

My little station at the Library

On an even more depressing note, all of this LSAT prep is taking up time that I wish I could devote to dreaming about my upcoming trip to India!  It is also keeping me from packing up my apartment, spending time by the pool and with my dog, enjoying my last months of being in America during the summer, spending time with family, friends, and Andy, etc.  I cannot wait until next month!  As my very wise grandmother keeps reminding me, it will go by very quickly.  Because of this, I must spend my time wisely and efficiently, even when being lazy in the sun.  Since I love to plan everything I have a feeling I'll be packing that month with quite a few adventures and quickly marking off fun bucket list items.  I've been looking into a small vacation to the Smokies; but I don't have the time to find anything now because of studying.  Perhaps I'll just plan a fun vacation in the Outer Banks or on Gasparilla Island when I get back in May 2013. 

I guess I should stop daydreaming about all the things I would like to do and get back to studying.  Fun!  Just about 7 more hours and I'll be done for the day.... marvelous.  

    

 

It's Official! I'm Going to India!

The countdown has begun.

T-25 Days until Graduation from Southeast Missouri State U.
T-55 Days until I take the dreaded LSAT.
T-85 Days until I leave for Hyderabad, India.

It's Official: I'm going to India for ten months!  I'm the first to admit that I never dreamed this is the path that my life would take.  What happened to the relatively 'safe' 9-5 lawyer gig I had previously planned to pursue?  No idea.  Seriously though, my dream of studying law is still present, it's just been semi-put on hold for a year.  I planned to take a gap year after graduation and before law school, but I had no idea I would be spending my year like this!  However, I like this path that my life has taken, and I doubt I would have been happy sitting behind a desk anytime in the near future.

Here's the deal: I love the idea of being a lawyer.  Through my college internship I've had the opportunity to work for an amazing group of lawyers who truly exemplify all of the 'great' things about being an attorney.  But with this job I also see frustrations;  I've realized that the majority of all cases are plead out and many are sentenced below the recommended guidelines.  It shocked me.  It shouldn't have, because I've learned these things in my classes.  I also understand that 'Law & Order' isn't a correct interpretation of our justice system.  But, I guess I just expected a little more .... justice.  I think I could eventually settle into this atmosphere, but not yet.  After all, these professionals I work with do an amazing amount of work and truly serve the public.  I just do not yet have the patience or perseverance that I see in my bosses.  I feel like I would too quickly lose faith in both humanity and our justice system.  My altruistic 'save the world' attitude keeps pushing me to work in areas where I know I can make a difference.  

So.... India, huh?  Yeah everyone, India.  Last summer I was lucky enough to embark on a month-long experience to Rwanda, Africa, and when I announced this news I got the 'uh...what?' look too.  Seriously.  If you aren't my mom, dad, Andy, or grandparents then you should probably relax a bit.  I'll be fine!  Rwanda stole my heart, and it solidified my devotion to work abroad in areas of sustainable development, which works with vulnerable groups (for example: women and children).  If you drag your attention to the map on the right..... well that's India!  That darker green section near the southern portion is Andrha Pradesh, and Hyderabad is located in this area.  The city is fairly conservative and comprised of a lot of varying cultural and political ideas and influences.  Now what in the world will I be doing in India for ten months?  Well, I'll answer that in much greater detail in my next post.  No worries.  But for now, let me quickly sum it up: 

I am accepting an IDEX Fellowship in the field of Social Enterprise.  I applied thinking it was a long-shot and that I didn't stand a chance.  Goodness I love it when I'm wrong!  Apparently out of 1,200 applicants I made the cut.  I'll be joining about 60 other recent graduates in Hyderabad, India.  Each of us will be working with an affordable private school located in a very poor area of the city, catering solely to the poorest of children in the slums.  NO, I will not be teaching English.  That is not sustainable.  The whole point of the fellowship is to work with these schools and their administrator's to 1. identify what needs improvement 2. create a plan with sustainable features and 3. then implement said plan.  The goal is to create solutions that can be continued by the citizens once foreigners like myself have left the country.  We are working with schools and education because we all know that education means societal improvement aka the path to eradication of poverty!  

That's it in a nutshell.  Yeah, I know there are tons of questions left unanswered, but like I said I'll cover a lot of that in my next post.  I think the reason people give me 'the look' is because they have questions/they are worried about me.  Again, no worries!  I'll be just fine.  Promise!  I think a lot of other people wonder about the time frame.  They're right, ten months is a pretty long time.  In the grad scheme of things, though, it isn't too bad.  Without the love and support of my family and friends it would be a lot harder.  Don't get me wrong, they hate that I'm going.  But.... they understand.  Usually.

Mom 1. Guilting me to come home more 2. Trying to remain 'neutral' 3. Only cries when holidays are mentioned (duh I can't come home for Thanksgiving mom) 4. Wants to console herself by 'borrowing' all of the clothes I can't take with me and using all of my craft stuff

Dad 1. Thinks his baby girl cannot take care of herself aka thinks I'm still 7 years old 2. Constantly asks if planning this trip is interfering with my LSAT study 3. Curious if any law schools will accept me.... I mean I hope so?! 4. Listens but likes to change the subject a lot so he doesn't have to think about it and be super sad that I'm leaving

Grandparents 1. In denial.... but much more aware than last summer when I announced my Rwanda trip 2. Gram repeats everything dad says about the LSAT.  He has her trained! haha       

So as you can see, the countdown has begun.  Weird that everything is like 30 days apart?  Oh well, easier for me to keep up with my countdown that way!  Cannot wait to graduate since that comes first.  BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphasis in the areas of Political Science, Speech Communication, & Criminal Justice.  I currently have a terrible dose of senioritis.  The LSAT follows, and it is going to be horrible.  I've been studying for so long that if I don't do well then there must be something wrong with the test.  After graduation I have a full month of no work and no school; purely LSAT study time.  Greeeeeat.  Anyone who has ever had a logic class or opened a prep book can relate to my pain here.  Both of my jobs are tied to being a student so I lose them as of May 12 which is fine since studying for the LSAT is more important at that point.  After the LSAT, I have a full month of nothing to do but enjoy my time with family and friends (& pack).  That month will seriously be Heaven.         

Click here to see an interesting video the IDEX crew found about my future 'home' city: Hyderabad.  The guy rapping talks a lot about biryani.... a local food that is pretty famous.  Can't wait to try it!  It was shot in Hyderabad so you'll get some great shots of the city.  Sorry for how cheesy it is!