At the next light, please turn right

During your last year in high-school you have to decide what you will do next. In France, you have several options depending on which baccalaureate you did. Mine was in Literature, and it was the best time of my life. I loved learning and the teachers were great for the most part. I had a great friend back then. She lived not far away from me and we had all the classes together. After high school we both thought of going to University to keep studying languages and have the chance for abroad experiences. I was actually torn between choosing only Literature or languages.

Unfortunately, the choice became much easier when my Dad had a talk with me. He was not content that I had chosen this direction because he thought I would never find a job. He said all those things were not concrete and pure blabla.  I turned to International Business because it was the only place where I could still use my languages and have chances to go abroad.

I loved studying Business and finally I am right now living abroad. The irony in the story is that my friend has a job whereas I don’t. We both graduated with Masters, and my parents had to pay so much more for my studies than someone who attends a regular French University.

These studies shaped my character. I met so many challenging people from all around the world. I learnt how to apply numbers in real life. My English has greatly improved. I changed my perspective on some subjects. I, who used to dislike team work, love it now.

Make a U-turn

Since we moved to Berlin, I have been taking intensive German classes. In the meantime, I started a Bachelor in Philosophy. This is pure energy for my brain. And even though I passed my exams, it is extremely hard to study through online-classes. Unfortunately, my German classes and my Philosophy Bachelor have alienated me from the exciting social life. How can something you love doing be bad for you at the same time?

A lot of people trivialize the fact that a job is more than a simple income stream. They are happy that they can be independent and buy the things they want. They can save their money for bigger projects and feel secure. There is more than that. I love working and I miss bringing my contribution to a project. I believe this is the reason why a lot of mothers go back to work after they give birth, they do not feel recognized by their peers. However, the cultural gap between Europe and the US is large concerning this topic.

You reached your destination!

Life is full of surprises. I believe none of us is meant to follow the same direction. Each GPS is personal. Each route is a choice we made and finally we arrived somewhere unexpected. I always believe the best for my future. If you had to go on with life listening to every single opinion people give, you would go nuts. My husband told me a quote that changed the route of my own life: “the key to failure is to try to please everyone.” Go ask my progenitors about me writing – they would cry. But hey, we only live once so we better make it our way.

It does not matter where I am right now, I chose it. I purposely chose to quit my security blanket to do what is most important to me – enjoy my marriage and do what I like doing. I believe there is a great job out there waiting for me. It is incredible how society can put peer-pressure on you, because everyone has to be the same.

Sorry dear GPS, but I have not arrived at my destination yet ; I’m still on the road, and for a long time. We are all different, and this is an enrichment rather a weakness. You are who you are because you are where you are: be happy there!