Life Update

What's up faithful BGA readers? I'm interested to see how many of you are still out there because, man, do I have some updates to share.

Life post-abroad is one interesting mix of emotions and I'm sure my fellow classmates would agree, whether or not they've opened up about the awkward transition. For me, the first couple of weeks back were rough. My poor family sat through meal after meal where I hijacked most, if not all, of dinner table conversations to talk about my semester in Barcelona. Additionally, after surviving the initial shock of arriving back at home, I became obsessed with the idea of returning to Spain (some would argue this is still shock-phase). However, this Spain obsession of mine is nothing new for those who know me well.

The obsession began back in 2010 after a trip to Cádiz. The years following my Cádiz trip were full of study abroad friend group reunions and countless nights spent scrolling through my iPhoto albums of World Cup pictures, weekend trip pictures, etc. Whether I realized it or not, all along I was counting down the years and months to junior year of college, when I could pick a semester-long program that would send me back to my beloved Spain.

As you may know from reading my weekly posts, my Barcelona trip didn't just live up to standards, it exceeded them. So it makes sense that after returning from this second study abroad experience, I would naturally dive back into the "get Liz back to Spain" campaigns with my parents and my friends. While I have not yet ditched my campaigning, life has thrown me some interesting curveballs in the past couple of weeks.

For starters, when I got back I started to ask a lot of those big, serious life questions like what kinds of jobs should I apply for after college? Will I stay in Texas? Will I go back home? These questions are awful and I feel like it was just the other day that my older sister faced these life-rattling decisions. While Sarah's life called her to stay in Texas after graduation, I'm really just not sure where I'll be, which is why I now refer to myself as the "family wild card". Everyone's guess is as good as mine when it comes to my future.

In a perfect world, life after graduation would probably take place overseas. I figure I have a couple of years to keep exploring and feeding my curiosity before life really gets serious for people my age (weddings, children, mortgages, responsibility). When I changed my major to political science a couple years back, my initial thought was US POLITICS! Nope, not necessarily. I tested those waters at the mayors office in Fort Worth last year and while I loved the mayor and her staff, I walked away from the experience saying meh, maybe not for me. Cue the international affairs-loving stage, which I'm still happily enjoying.

In the past couple of weeks, I've realized hey maybe this isn't just a phase. My friend Olivia hooked me up with a family friend of hers at the United Nations International Headquarters and he was the real deal, security clearance and all. This sweet man spent an entire day with me, showing me around, sharing stories of his experience with UNDP and UNESCO, treating me to lunch, entertaining my kid-in-a-candy-shop fixation at the UN gift shop, and taking the time to give me valuable career advice.

Then, just about a week later, my dad came through with the contact information of a woman who works at the US State Department. This young and very accomplished woman kindly carved time out of her schedule in Washington D.C. to get on the phone with me and explain careers at State. I was relieved to hear that entry level jobs at the State Department, in comparison to the UN, do not necessarily require candidates to know multiple languages or have graduate degrees (holding off on these things for now).

After the call with the State Department, I thought surely my lucky streak of new connections and mentors was coming to a close for the summer but NOPE! My internship with E Pluribus Partners presented me with the opportunity to sit down with the author of a book I had been assigned to read on the job. The book, Everyday Ambassador, falls so in line with what I want to do and how I perceive the world. This meeting with author Kate Otto inspired me to the max. I can't wait to see what opportunities come out of working with professionals like Kate, people who understand the importance of connection.

If you've made it all the way to the end of this blogpost, I thank you for giving me a bit of time and space to vent. This year, I became an advocate of wearing my heart on my sleeve. I strive to portray the natural ups and downs of my life more honestly through social media and therefore love having the opportunity here, in what I consider to be a safe space, to share the feeling of not having all my ducks in a row. My heart has been tugged in all sorts of directions since I got home from Barcelona. While I would love to return to Spain soon, I've decided I'm along for life's ride. With one month left of summer, I intend on kicking butt at my internship and part-time job and taking advantage of R&R with family.

Lastly, if you're a friend or family member I haven't caught up with in a while, PLEASE PLEASE give me a shout. I realize that I haven't been the best with keeping in touch over the past couple of months and would love a "hey" or "hello" so I can get back on track with you all! Much love, people. Thanks once again for lending an ear (or would it be eyes?)

#BeBrave #Out