Reading about strangers is different from reading my friends' blogs because with my friends, I imagine them speaking in their own voice, and I project their personality/what I know about them into their stories. With strangers, I have no choice but to take their words at face value. It's an interesting contrast. I also enjoy reading what other people have to say about the places I've visited. I like getting a second opinion/perspective.
I guess the point of that is that I'm just a creeper in general.
Despite the many amazing travel opportunities that I've had, I still feel like I haven't done enough/seen enough for a person my age, which is absolutely ridiculous. I guess this is why people take gap years before/after college to do random things. Of course.
As much as part of me just wants to stay in NYC for the indeterminate future, I'm not so sure that's the best idea. That is to say, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to want to get more varied life experiences and then just stay in the city, even though college life is admittedly very different from the real world. I've been looking at Teach for America and the Peace Corps, as well as researching different grad school options. The grad school options involve staying in NYC, going back to Chicago, or doing to DC. I admittedly have somewhat mixed feelings about DC, but that's entirely due to politics and my general desire to avoid discussing them, even though I know that's a battle I'll never win. Sometimes I think about going to California just to shake things up a little. It's funny...going to CA seems scarier than going to DC, even though I'd need to build a new foundation in both places...it's really just because CA is so much farther away. (Though I do have family near CA, which would be a HUGE improvement over my relatively isolated status here on the east coast...Amital's family notwithstanding, of course!)
Of course, I've also been thinking about doing grad school in Israel. Of course. I mean, are you really surprised? (You shouldn't be. I might be a JTS kid, but I'd place my Zionism before my religious tendencies almost any day of the week.)
Of course, if I want to do grad school in Israel, I could just make aliyah and get a master's degree for free...
Before, the idea of waiting a few years, getting a job, and paying off my student loans/building a nest egg before making aliyah scared me. It scared me a lot. Because I didn't want to take a break before going to grad school. Now that I've somewhat embraced the idea of going straight into the workforce, the idea of waiting 2ish years (random number) doesn't bother me at all.
Ultimately, what I've learned this year is that the choices that I make are not concrete, and that I have a lot of options...there is no set path. This is extremely liberating. I feel so much less stressed, knowing that I am not going to take the LSAT and go to law school. My dad still wants me to keep this as an option, but I doubt it's going to happen.
Internship update!
I'm still looking around. I had my second-round interview with a staff member of the marketing firm in Shanghai. I didn't think it went that well, but I got an email on Thursday, saying that they were interested in interviewing me again! This bodes well! I've done some more research and am totally prepared to rock the interview.
I'm also looking at opportunities in Israel. The Hebrew University in Jerusalem offers an internship program that gives college credit. I am going to see if the credit will apply towards my elective requirements at JTS...if so, then I definitely want to give this a shot!
And that's all for now.
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