As many of you know I was raised in a family where it’s normal to plan for things far in advance, as well as always arriving early to places or events; aka getting to the movies 30 minutes before the movie starts, having finished your entire bag of popcorn before the previews. ANYWAYYY, that may seem strange to most but it’s who I am and although it has its cons at times I would much rather be a “planner” versus lazy.
This brings me to the question at hand that has been on my mind a lot lately despite the fact it is only November: To stay, or not to stay…that is the question. I love Madrid. I love my life here, speaking a different language every day and seeing how my fluency improves, the teachers who I work with, all of my children who make me so happy, the beautiful architecture and the city’s history, basically everything. You may be asking yourselves, “Well, Jessica, what seems to be the problem? Why the debate on whether or not you should stay?” It all comes down to one (very important) factor. MY CAREER. Although I’m only 25 years old, I fear that if I continue to stay here being an auxiliary English assistant (which is what I’m limited to considering the employment crisis and the need for native speakers) then I will wake up one day and be in my mid/late twenty’s having not built a teaching career for myself.
Don’t get me wrong- this experience is going to do nothing but help my future career tremendously, but I think that after this year it’s best to get out and build off of these experiences, establishing myself in the states in my own classroom with the knowledge and experiences I have attained here in Madrid. I guess I am just anxious to put my degrees, certifications, and experiences into practice and feel more apart of my student’s every day lives. Also, this sounds SUPER lame and cheesy but wasn’t it JFK or someone who said, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”…? Well, whoever it was, I believe in that statement. I feel like Madrid has done so much for me and part of my heart will always lie here, but I think it’s time that I use the talents I have to give back to my country and help make a difference in student’s lives back home.
Needless to say, I have a lot of work, stresses that lie ahead for me I’m sure, but hopefully that will end in a happy result. I can’t imagine not living in a city after being in Madrid for two years. Therefore, I plan on looking and applying for jobs (most likely Spanish teacher) in NYC, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Austin….really wherever! I figure if I can be independent enough to live in a foreign country for two years, then why not embark on another adventure and live in a completely new city?
In closing, I am excited to be closer to family and friends next year. Even if I end up in a different state, it will be nice to be on the same side of the ocean. This year I will be missing a few very important weddings of dear friends and it has really made me sad. Sometimes I feel like finding GREAT friends can be like finding a good partner…you have to feel people out and weed out the friends who don’t make you happy or you simply don’t click with. There’s nothing wrong with that of course and it’s completely normal to part ways with friends. However, it really makes me realize how rare it is to find a group of friends you truly click with and who understand you; who make you happy and reciprocate all aspects of friendship. The older I get, the more I realize that it’s easy to take those friendships for granted and the rarity of them can be easily overlooked. All in all, I’m excited to be back and closer to my best friends from high school and college. I cherish those great friendships and the fact that despite the length of time without seeing each other, it’s always the same when you pick up where you left off.
Looking forward to Christmas and seeing all of you! J
p.s.—happy 30th anniversary mom and dad! Can’t wait for mommy to visit me in March! Yayy!
