Grad School Surprises and Adventurous Escapades

Head's up: no pictures this time, folks (sorry). But more to come in just a handful of days, that I can assure you! End preface.

As mentioned before, I was most excited to find out in mid-January that I had been accepted to the University of Denver's Korbel School of International Studies. I thought I was all set! But, I secretly knew that I should wait until I heard back from the UW and Johns Hopkins in March to get the whole story, even though I wasn't expecting to get into either school...

Wellllllll... March came in like a lion and early last week, I received the news that I have been offered admission to both the UW and to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, starting with a year at their campus in Bologna, Italy. 

Whoa.

I was certainly caught off guard with that last bit of news. And I thought my decision was going to be nice and easy...

Although I still have about three weeks before I must submit my official decisions to these schools, I am still 85% certain that I will be going to DU. A year in Italy and the fact that Johns Hopkins' SAIS program is the #2 International Relations Masters program in the country is ludicrously tempting, BUT, it would cost me $130k. You read that right: $130,000 for a two-year Masters program. That's 13 with four zeros after it. NOT OKAY. :( It would be such an incredible life experience and that degree would pretty much set me up for life career-wise, but I just can't justify that kind of student loan debt, and I definitely don't want to spend a year in Italy living off of 5 euros a day (which I've been doing since I got back from vacation and which I will continue to do until I leave for Spain in late April. Why oh why did I go on such a gigantic shopping spree in November?! Oh right, because I want to be/feel/look/act/exude "French". Okay, that's a worthy cause.).

Anyway, Denver is where I wanted to be to begin with, I got accepted, I can save myself $50,000 in student loans (vs. Johns Hopkins), it's cheaper than it would be to go to the UW (surprisingly, but we all know the UW doesn't have any money to hand out), Denver would be rad (can you say "microbreweries"??), and I do feel like it's necessary for me to be back in the States for a bit. SO, the moral of this story is that even though I am so excited by the thought of living in and exploring another, new area of Europe, it's gonna be time to come home ("home" being defined as the Western United States of America). 

In other news, I am extremely stoked to be visiting Lyon this weekend for another fantabulous girls' weekend getaway! I've been doing lots of research on what to see, do, eat, and experience in the city. I will look forward to uploading lots of pictures in the early days of next week. :)

Also in the near future: I only have four more weeks of work. Thank goodness. Should I say 'thank goodness'?? Don't get me wrong, this job is freaking amazing, since my school, students, and coworkers are all awesome and I hardly ever work the full 12 hours per week that I'm supposed to, but I'm kind of over teaching. I've definitely learned that it's not the ideal job for me. I love interacting with students, but I'm crap at lesson planning, which is sort of a big part of the gig. Maybe it's just because France is too distracting!

In April, I am looking forward to welcoming my old high school friend, Seth, to the great continent of Europe and exploring Amsterdam (again, YES!) and Spain with him for a couple of weeks. Tapas, sangria, Spanish guitar, bull fights, the Alhambra, warm weather (hopefully). It should be lovely.

In May, I am beyond excited to head directly from Spain to Belgium with Kris (with a one-day 'layover' in Nantes in between)!! I have been planning away recently for our five-ish days of explorations through Brussels, Ghent, and Bruges. Now I know why my dad had so much fun planning our family trips to Europe when my sister and I were kids (Dad is officially known as the "Rick Steves" of the family, a well-deserved title! He's a trip-planning genius). It makes me so giddy with anticipation to find awesome hostels, bars, restaurants, museums, quirky parts of town, and photo opportunities!

After our voyage to Belgium, Kris and I will be flying to TURKEY for ten days!!!! The entire country was added to my Bucket List several years ago when Roomie K showed me her pictures from her summer there. I can't imagine traveling there with anyone except for Kris, so I'm extremely glad he is able to help me make this a reality. Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, and back to Istanbul. I. Can't. Wait!!!

Also in May, my family is coming to visit!!! I'll have two weeks of sharing my favorite parts of Western France with my parents, and one overlapping week with my sister and brother-in-law. I am thrilled to be able to be their ex-pat French tour guide and show them some wonderful parts of the country, including Bordeaux, the Atlantic coast, Normandy and the D-Day beaches, and of course, NANTES! :)

In June, I fly back to the States (June 1st)... Yay/Boo... All I know is that tears will be shed and I will probably be pouty for a week or so until the jetlag goes away and I face the fact that my fantastic European year has come to an end. Don't worry, though; knowing me, I will soon be planning my next opportunity to return (this time, with Kris and for MUCH less than $130k)!