Slightly cursing the Yale and Berkeley graduates and secretly relieved by other graduates who also, evidently, were struggling to find a job, someone's Facebook network status suddenly caught her eye with one simple word: "France". A revelation! Little will this underclassman ever know that his publicly viewable Facebook page would change the course of this French-obsessed girl's dreams forever.
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Okay, if you haven't figured it out yet, this girl is me (duh!) and yes, I found out about mon boulot en France through an obsessive hunt of Facebook profiles fueled by jealousy and desperation. So on that cold November day, when this he-who-shall-remain-nameless old classmate wrote about his experience applying to the French Teaching Assistantship program in France, I immediately did a Google search to see if it was too late to apply. What I found out was that the deadline for applications was a month away! Ouf!Could I do it?! Get together recommendation letters, transcripts, a clean bill of health, and a flawlessly written French personal statement in 30 days? Or was this opportunity too good to be true? Heart pounding, palms sweating, I don't think I've ever made a decision quicker in my life: this opportunity was too good to pass up just because it might not work out. I hounded references the very next day, got a physical, and started brushing up on my French, all in the hopes that by some divine intervention that must unite all Francophiles, I would get my application in on time.
Well, I guess that's where obsession, passion, and a depressing job will drive you to: réussite. With all my thanks going to old bosses, professors, and a wonderful French family friend, the whole process was a nail biter - the entire time repeating the mantra "I'm going to miss the deadline, I'm going to miss the deadline" (how's that for optimism?!) - but the application was turned in on time. Now, ten months later, I'm planning my own Facebook network setting change to "France".
What this entire process taught me was that sometimes you have to feel like you've hit rock bottom in order to realize that you're that much closer to vos rêves. I know it sounds super cheesy and I hate myself a little for repeating such a Barney-like lesson, but life really does have a funny sense of humor that way. What about you: have you ever written off a dream only to realize that your dream has become your reality, or maybe in the process of following a dream right now? Or Facebook stalking old high school classmates to feel better about yourself? Whatever it is, please share!
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I can certainly relate. I'm somewhere in the middle right now. It's hard to know how to make your dreams happen and how it all works in the real world. I'm struggling with the whole music thing, not seeming to get anywhere. Then I also have dreams of having a family of my own someday. I'm wondering if I should finish school and get some degree, but I don't feel very passionate about any direction in school. The jobs you can get with a degree can be higher quality and higher paying, and they are just jobs, but at the same time they consume so much of your life. I'm not sure. I go back and forth on what I want to do with school. I have to balance out all the questions of whether I am able to or whether I want to. I'm glad to hear things are working out well for you Leith.
ReplyDeleteIt's so awesome to never have written off your dream of going to France. That's very admirable.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it was not more than a few months after we got together that you got the acceptance letter, and found out your dream of going to France was going to be a reality! It must have really been "rock bottom" when you first started dating me, and then a sudden launch when you got the letter! ;)
As for your question to the readers, I've always had the dream of being a Major League Baseball player, travelling the world and country, and taking part in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). Also, I would be famous as a baseball player, staying in the best hotels, eating at the finest of retaurants routinely, and retiring not too long after the ripe age of forty. This dream has always been there, especially as a young boy.
Though I have, for the most part, written off that dream of ever coming true, I still always think about it because losing the feeling of that dream would keep me from remembering that I am still the same person as that young boy watching the baseball players on TV dreaming that he was one of them.
Great post...love you!
Joel- your music is wonderful! Don't know if I ever told you how much Andrew and I enjoyed your CD! I know it's hard to really "make it" in the music industry, but don't give up!
ReplyDeleteAndrew- Well, now you're staying at the best hotels and eating out at the finest restaurants with a gorgeous girl at your side ;). Could be worse, non? And I thought your childhood dream was to have a jet pack strapped to your back? Keep hope alive...
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