Everything\’s Amazing and Nobody\’s Happy – Louis CK

Lets get back to reality, people.

Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany\’s – \”Moon River\”

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the film release for Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I remember watching Hepburn in this film with my Grandmother when I was a little girl, and it was always one of my favorites. I recently watched the film again after returning from my year abroad, and fell in love with the scene where Hepburn is sitting in her apartment window-sill singing a cover of Louis Armstrong’s Moon River. I am confident one day I will walk down the aisle to this song.

Moon river, wider than a mile
I’m crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, i’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me

Moon river, wider than a mile
I’m crossin’ you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, I’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after that same rainbow’s end, waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me

After five and a half years of employment at a restaurant in suburban Illinois (I cannot disclose the name of the establishment), I have finally retired my apron and name tag. Over the years, I have learned a few things about human kind (well, Americans at least) through the customers I’ve served.

1. HURRY UP!!

We are always in a hurry…to finish our food, to pay our bill, for the person we’re sitting across from to finish their sentence so we can get out our own thoughts. Things just can’t happen fast enough.

2. The bigger the better

We like things big, especially our food. Don’t even think about serving a small portion or ordering the suggesting someone go for the smallest sundae on the menu. We like to go all out all the time. Being able to finish a triple burger is viewed as an achievement instead of a danger to one’s health.

3. The youth is stupid

You’re exactly right…yes, I have worked here five and a half years. Of course you won’t let me forget it, 1pm-lunch-regular-from-the-business-across-the-street. Every time I wait on you, you mock my name tag which says “Serving you with a smile since 2006″. You laugh and pity me, telling your children to go to college so you don’t end up like this girl, while never thinking to stop and ask if I am attending university. You sir, are the worst.

4. No one wants to be old (really old)

There’s nothing sadder than an old man on any given afternoon at 4pm eating all alone with a sad expression of loneliness.

I just want to share this quickly. I came across this quote today, and it really got my thinking. Now with friends scattered all over the world, some I’ll see again and some I won’t. Some I think about every day, some I may forget. Being away for a year and then coming home has also shown me who my ‘lifelong’ friends will truly be. Take a gander:

A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime

Now that I am home and settled back into America, I have been busy working, spending time with family and friends, and gearing up for my senior year at SIU. However, I have also spent a considerable number of hours over the past two weeks researching what I am going to do after May roles around.

I know for sure that I want to go back abroad ASAP. I’ve considered a variety of different avenues to make that possible.

1. Graduate school abroad – I would like to continue my education by attending graduate school and earning my Master’s Degree. However, I am not in financial shape to make this a reality at the moment. Undergraduate student loans really are a pain in the you-know-what…A combination of money problems and timing (my classes in Austria ended in July, so there was no time to study for the GRE), applying to graduate school for new fall isn’t going to work out.

2. Peace Corps – I think the Peace Corps is a great avenue to travel abroad and (potentially) work with children in an underdeveloped country – this is my life goal. I have a years experience as an AmeriCorps volunteer as well, and it was a really positive experience. The HOWEVER in this scenario is the time frame: a 27 month commitment to an unidentified foreign country that the volunteer has no personal control over. Not that I am a media junkie, but I also watched a 20/20 Special about the Peace Corps and a volunteer who was murdered by a local volunteer after her anonymity was not protected by the organization (she had reported the volunteer for violating young girls at the school). Obviously there are safety risks associated and taken on when volunteering in an unstable country, but for the Peace Corps to not live up to its duties to ensure her safety to the greatest possible extent…The report shook me to my bones, and I never finished my application.

3. Fulbright scholarship – Okay, I have an overall strong transcript and solid resume, but I still don’t think I’d pull this one off.

4. Teach English abroad – This is the most attractive option at the moment; the problem is getting the certification to get the higher paying positions. The teaching contracts are typically one year long, and knowledge of the foreign language in your country is not necessary as speaking English only to students and staff is usually strongly emphasized. TEFL certification (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) can cost anywhere between $1,000-$2,000 for an average four-week/120 hours program. Americans (along with Australians and Canadians) are at a slight disadvantage compared to English speakers from the UK due to the difficulty of getting work visas in the EU. The highest paying positions are usually found in South Korea, China, and Japan. My global interests lie more in Africa and Eastern Europe, but I suppose beggers can’t be choosers.

5. Foreign Service Officers – This is the highest paying option and also the biggest stretch for actually getting a position. Foreign Service Officers are actual US Department of State diplomats serving to represent American interests abroad. They are most often stationed at embassies and consulates around the world. The salary is good, but the application and hiring process is extremely rigorous, and it is not exactly a future ‘family friendly’ field. You have to make a lot of long term sacrifices in that regard if to make a career in Foreign services.
Regardless of the avenue I take, I am certain I will return abroad. Even if that means working in a coffeeshop…sometimes we just know where we belong, and while I am NOT an America-basher of any sort, I do know there is an undeniable bone in my body that belongs somewhere foreign. I’m looking forward to finding out over the course of this year how it will all play out!

As sort of a response to my last post, I will list the things that I miss the most about Graz, Austria experience:

• Wienerschnitzel (kind of a given)
• Swiss chocolate
• Austrian beer
• Proper public transportation
• The beautiful mountains
• Hearing little kids in public speak German
• Having the toilet separate from the shower and sink in my bathroom
• Apfelstrudel
• The Mur River
• European Architecture
• Quaint Austrian homes/cottages
• SPAR
• Proper Espresso