KTripper: One-Way Ticket

Immediately following graduation in May, my life had been filled with travels and excitement. Twenty-four hours after my graduation ceremony, I was in California, relaxing on the beach at our new condo in Orange County. From there, I went to Miami, Africa, Mexico, Chicago, and St. Louis. Summer seemed like a blissful whirlwind as I traveled all around the world. Yet, uncertainty constantly loomed in the back of my mind – always posing the question, what’s next?

Upon graduation, I had no professional plans. Although most of my friends were in the same position, without jobs and not doing much to get one, I was a nervous wreck, constantly searching and applying for positions online. Being the efficient planner that I am, I had been applying for jobs since September 2007, wanting desperately to move to a big city and work in some sort of human rights or immigration NGO. For whatever reason, these plans never came to fruition and I was left to figure something else out.  Move back home to Milwaukee, find a job near home, save some money, and help Mom fix up the house? Being the dreamer and “doer” that I am, this was not the most attractive or ideal situation.

Yet in March, I received an e-mail from the career advisor at UW-Madison asking graduating seniors if they would like to be teachers in Spain during the following academic year. As I was already in the routine of filling out job applications daily, I thought to myself, why not, and applied. After that moment, Spain never crossed my mind again, until I heard in June that I was accepted to teach English in an elementary school in Madrid.

The thought of going to Europe never appealed to me much, as I had my heart set on staying in the States, implementing change here, in my own country. I was determined to work with Spanish-speaking immigrants in New York, DC, or Chicago, and pursue the career path of my dreams. But as I thought more and more about Madrid, the more excited I became. Given my busy summer of travels, I needed a job that would start in the fall. I knew that living in Spain would be a wonderful opportunity to keep speaking Spanish and live in another part of the world. I’d absolutely loved my study abroad experience in Buenos Aires in 2006, so why not do it all over again in Madrid following graduation? Plus, the prospect of finding an immigration internship in Madrid was incredibly appealing! Thus, at the end of June, I confirmed my position with the Community of Madrid school system, and signed my contract to be an elementary English teacher during the 2008-2009 academic school year.

And now, here I am, on an airplane to Madrid. My whole life is sitting beneath me. you can find it in seat 36C and in the luggage compartment below me, in the two black Samsonite suitcases with hot pink bowties on the handle, and my red North Face backpack with a teal ribbon safety-pinned on the back. Four years at UW-Madison, a double major in Sociology and Latin American Studies with comprehensive honors to my name, and here I am - off to Madrid, to lead a life unknown, filled with uncertainty, excitement, and hesitation. I continually ask myself, is this the right decision? I have no idea where my school is, what my work schedule will be, and no idea where I will live. As if things weren’t uncertain enough, I have no money, and thousands of dollars of student loans to pay off. But I’m off to Europe for a year, where everything is 1.5 times more expensive. Really, Kate, are you sure this is what you want to do?

The answer… I am not sure, but I will never know until I live it to find out.