Exploitation

I'm exploiting myself for money and success. I am broadcasting this blog to the world and I have given anyone who wants it access. Worst of all, I am shamelessly self-promoting. I have sent out various e-mails, announced the blog on my facebook and AIM, and created an igoogle profile. Perhaps one of these devices has brought you to this page.
Despite my lack of modesty, I hope to keep the integrity of my writing. Admittedly, I'm a little shy when it comes to sharing personal things--and writing might be one of the most personal forms of self expression. While I recognize that I have a very public audience, I hope to write very candid essays; despite knowingly having an audience, I will continue to write for my own benefit and exercise. That is not at all to say that I do not appreciate anyone who might happen to this page (hence the self-promo)--afterall, this was began as a business endeavor! It just happens to be convenient for me that this blog can function in so many ways--as an outlet, as a job(-ish), as a reference for family and friends, as practice.

Hello World, Here I am.

Memoirs

I'm in a class all about writing the personal essay, a preparation for all my future memoirs. A blog, something I've been keeping for years now, is something of the same. In a blog, the subject is one's self. In school, they teach you NEVER use the singular first person. Never use "I". A good essay is well formulated, with a clear thesis and structure, and it is written in third person. The speaker is not to be mentioned. In this class, we are learning to break these rules. Write about yourself. Write about what you know, because that is what you know best. As Thoreau says in his personal narrative of The Walden, "I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well."
Today, everyone is writing memoirs, or narrating their memoirs to a more qualified writer. Bill Clinton, O.J. Simpson, and Americans eat these up. It is clearly a genre that people are interested in. And just like any work of fiction, it is an art. The thing about writing essays is that one must take facts and events. They take real people and places that they personally experienced in some way, and they use these things to tell a story. The essayist must find a story. When they do, they shape and structure the truth, highlight and exaggerate certain parts, downplay and condense others, to come to an ultimate conclusion or message. Not all of the events may be precisely true, but the feelings and emotions evoked should be, and the truth that lies in all the anecdotal narrative. While many essayists are criticized for this, it is important to remember that. The facts don't have to be true for the story to be true.
Anyway, that doesn't really have much to do with the theme of this blog. I have two things to accomplish this afternoon, write my next personal essay, "On Speculation," and set up the ads for my blog, which I have been battling for awhile now. Apparently, I'm more computer illiterate than I realized.
I guess you could say this entry still applies, because it is an endeavor I might wish to pursue further after college and perhaps during my gap year abroad. And because a gap year could surely give me a lot of material to write memoirs about.
Anyway, because neither the essay that is actually due for class or fiddling with the HTML context of this blog is as appealing as ranting and writing on with no particular structure and a conclusion I am still unaware of, this post was born. There's about a foot of snow on the ground, and there's no way I'm trekking to the gym, or really going outside for any reason. I waited in line for a coveted first floor Ballentine non-Mac computer, and despite not wanting to do my homework, it is here I will sit for the next hour. I suppose that is what this entry is all about, procrastination. If only my essay for class was titled "On procrastination..." I would be on my way.

One semester to go...

Here I am, a senior at Indiana University, embarking on one final semester. Hard to believe it's been four years. Four crazy, unbelievable years complete with three universities, in three completely different settings. Leave it to me to float around and make a mess of my credits, degrees, and living situations. Despite all these transitions, I came out on top: there will be (God willing) a diploma in my hand in May. This might be more of something to look forward to if I had a next step planned.
Now, it would be nice to blame it on our struggling economy, but let's face it: liberal arts majors aren't supposed to find jobs. Right?
The semester has just begun and I'm already stressed out. It's not the classes. It's all that time I have to talk to people about what I will be doing in just a few short months. "Oh, I don't know," I always said, confidently. "Something will work out."

Well, it's crunch time now, and I've been spending days at a time in the career center. I want to take a year and travel, but that requires money, proper documentation, and knowledge of language and culture around the world.
No one tells you how trying it is to find a job abroad. In order to work in Europe, you need a work Visa for the country you wish to work in. Unfortunately, in order for the States to grant you a work Visa, you need to have a job. ACK. So I can't just buy a one-way ticket and wing it.
Because of this system, it is very difficult for Americans to get jobs abroad at their leisure. Of course, the United States returns the favor by making it just as tricky to work here from another country.
Everyday I uncover more exciting programs and opportunities abroad. There are various pros and cons to all of them, of course: some cost money, some require varying degrees of language skills, some allow little time for travel or play (my main objectives).
I'm starting this blog as I began my quest for the perfect "gap year" abroad. I hope others can learn from my experiences and benefit from my mistakes. I also hope, of course, that this blog is my ticket to the world.