Decisions Decisions

I stand on the edge of a cliff. I'm not sure whether to jump or to turn left and walk or to turn right and walk. Once I'm in the water, should I swim or dive or float? If I walk, will the path only lead to the cliff once again farther down?

I used to be exhilarated by decisions. Just the option of having choices kept my mind wandering with the possibilities for hours. Now, as I'm getting older (at the ripe old age of 25) I am beginning to realize that choices have consequences. I have so many paths in front of me at the moment, but I know in the choosing of each one my life could take on a new future. This idea scares me.

I could move to Spain next year to teach in a high school. In the process I could learn some more about International Education, possibly even some Spanish. I could (hopefully) continue to travel, while also beginning a small business idea I have to generate more income. Who knows, I could even volunteer some of my time at a museum to keep my professionalism up-to-date. I would only be here for a year, two at the max.

I could pursue my M.A. in Museum Studies in Boston. I could find meaningful, professional work in the Boston area. Maybe even work at Anthropologie on the side. I could settle in and find a good church, a core group of friends, maybe if the time's right, a boyfriend. I could begin to pursue hobbies and passions that were a bit difficult to cultivate abroad. I could take weekend trips around New England to visit my growing group of connections from my past. I could make Boston a long-term home, or the area  around it.

I could move back home, and as in 'home' I mean Orlando. I could easily find a place to live, a church to attend, hobbies to pursue (rowing and running), and a group of mutual friends I could connect with. I could possibly find a job relatively easy. It may be a bit random at first, but I probably would enjoy it. It would be a nice change in scenery to work for Cru or Rifle Paper Co. or Relevant Magazine or even Anthropologie. And in the process I could get my foot in the door with area museums or universities with International student offices. I could even do my little business venture from here too (and from Boston for that matter). I could also make Orlando a home, since it is where I came from originally. ;)

These are my three realistic choices for the future. Now, which one to choose...they all have something in them that I want ~travel & adventure ~education & career pursuits ~family & familiarization

Oh me oh my! What do I do!?

My Roman Life::a set of goals::

1. Really MASTER my Italian! Do this by going to class three times a week, Aperitif Italian language exchange twice a month, tours of Roman sites in Italian once a month, church in Italian every week, Italian TV at home, and finish my many Italian grammar books by actually STUDYING.

2. Save 75% of my au pair earnings. This is actually quite easy to do since I literally have no monthly bills or expenses other than my metro pass, phone credit, minor class fees, and groceries for breakfast. I'm not sure what life will look like come September, so it would be nice to have a cash cushion to sit on for a bit.

3. Go to one museum or historic site a week. Record my musings and observations of the museum as a whole in a notebook. This will keep me feeling like I'm traveling within my "home" for the next six months, along with brainstorming ideas and thoughts for that degree I want to get....

4. READ, BLOG, PHOTOGRAPH. These seem quite fun to do, I know. But for some reason I tend to get caught up in other things (i.e. watch a movie or listen to a podcast when I'm feeling lazy) that they never come up as first options when I'm in the moment. Which brings me to my last goal....

5. BE IN THE MOMENT. Don't fret about the future or what others are doing with their lives. Enjoy the here and now. I know it's cliche, but why is it so hard to accomplish!?

Museum Mornings

As part of my habitual goals for living in Rome the next six months I have been going to a museum or cultural heritage spot once a week. This past Saturday I met up with a friend for pasta in the piazza and a stroll though the Keats & Shelley Museum in Piazza di Spagna. 

It was a glorious and somewhat emotional hour reading about the lives of the poets (Byron & the Brownings included), their letters and drafts, looking at sketches and portraits, browsing the many antique books in the still active library, peering out the windows and wondering how the scene has changed in the past 200 years, glancing at objects once theirs, and remembering with others who wrote of the inspiration and influence of these great poets. 

I felt like I an English major once again. I got teary eyed reading about their tragic lives and deaths. Living in Italy never to leave, dying here only to become a monument of English influence in Italy. Oscar Wilde wrote about how he felt Keats' grave was the most holiest of sites in all of Rome. (He's buried in the Protestant graveyard in Rome, along with Shelley)

Okay, I know, too much detail.....

But don't you just love this new goal....I mean, habit!? So much inspiration flowing from these weekly visits, not to mention the excuse to practice photography and act like a tourist in a place where I live! It's a win-win. 

What inspirational habits do you have?