My Future?...This Should Explain Where Things Stand...

Many people have been asking me about what my future holds. Where exactly will I be for school next year? What will I study? Well, honestly...I have no clue. (ok, that's kind of a lie...I have somewhat of an idea...barring in mind that I actually get into the school that I am thinking about...)

I have applied to two schools: The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the College of Charleston. While I had started to sort things out and figure out which one I had wanted to attend, my journey to Porto kinda 180-ed that one. While Charleston was the front runner, something occured to me which shifted my opinion...

My Portuguese Epiphany...

So even though this was just a little weekend getaway, honestly, I took a lot more out of it than I thought I would. I had an epiphany-type occurance in my hotel room on the first day. Blame it on the lack of sleep or the picture of my niece on my laptop, but I think I laid out my plans for my future. This is what flashed before my eyes...

College is an important part of your life - it is essentially the jumping off point for the rest of life. However, what is the difference between schools other than the name and a dlight difference in accreditation? Honestly, you make the experience what you want. No matter where you are there is always something for you. I think that I was always the kid that wanted to be different - do something that would either shock or defy others and was always basing decisions, big or small, on how adventurous they would be. That is why a place like Franklin, being so far away, seemed so great (well, that and the Academic Travel portion, too). Even with this school cast aside for my sophomore year, I was still looking into a place where I could be the "crazy kid that went far" - Charleston. While again, there is soooo much appeal in that school for me, when it comes down to it, I think there is only one option that is best suited for me - a school closer to the things that make me who I am - make me the happiest that I can be. Those would be all of my family and friends. Let's face it, I have been blessed with an amazing family and top notch friends. Why try to fix something (my life in this case) when it's not even broke (by leaving it in pursuit for adventure).

Thuli put it best, explaining that it seemed that I picked everything thus far based on adventure - what seemed to be the most "well, we will see what happens!". But honestly, you cannot live life based on adventurous options 100% of the time. Adventure is like a spice to for life. You cannot have an entire plate of spice - that's just dangerous. You'd cover up the important things - those mundane flavors that give you what you really need. Instead, pepper your life with adventure. (wow, that got really deep...sorry!)

So...with this said, I think college is one of those important aspects of life that doesn't need too much spice of adventure. I think in order to get the important things out of it, I need to stay with the basics, and leave the spice on the side of this dish.

In layman's terms, that means (keeping in mind that I get the go ahead from them) that I will in fact be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison next fall (gah, I really hope I am not jinxing anything...). *Teresa, Niki, and Rajitha scream in excitement/pass out* I will still, though, continue to add adventure into my life, but in smaller doses - maybe join unfamiliar clubs, make is a goal to meet many new people, take frequent weekend getaways. No more huge life decisions right now based on the "well, we will see!" factor.

I should say, though, that I regret nothing by coming here. In fact, I think it was the best thing that I could have done. This experience has shown me what it is exactly that I value the most in my life, and what it is that I cannot live without. So the internationally based life isn't for me. You really cannot beat home...

So, I hope that answers any questions that may be floating out there about where my college plans stand. But just remember, I haven't received any acceptance letters yet. Things are not set in stone yet (I mean, the "tentative plan" is pretty solid, but what will actually happen is still up in the air). The idea is that if I get accepted to both, I will go to Madison, but if it's only a Yes from Charleston, then I'm heading to South Carolina! We shall see...