Rain, rain, go away.

I've thus far finished 5/7 finals, and am feeling quite whelmed.
I still have my public affairs final today and I need to finish my paper for African American Theatre for tomorrow.
The paper isn't going to be difficult to finish- I've already got 3/4 pages. I really just need to work on the bibliography and write one more page comining all the research.
I may come back to campus later today to try and sell my books back, but I may just wait until tomorrow instead- I've been on campus since 8 a.m. this morning for my dumb Intro to Philosophy final (which I Aced, thank you very much). Needless to say I'm a little tired and probably in need of a shower.
Since I said no to the LA internship, I've been stressing out a little to figure out what I'm going to do for work this summer. I think I would take a job here in Kalamazoo, even if it required paying rent for a few months, if I could get in a show. That's how much I want to get back into acting.
I'm still enthusiastic about going to France- but I'm also distracted by the practicalities of living there. I know I should just be excited and relax and everything will fall into place- but I'm just so used to planning everything that I feel like I'm lagging behind on my paperwork even though I can't get my visa until I get my arrêté. That will tell me how long my contract will be, what grade level I'll be teaching in, and what city I'll be staying in so I can buy my plane ticket and find housing.
I wish I had a camcorder that I could take for the year. Maybe I could ask to borrow my mom's. I know she has a few, but I don't know if she'd be willing to surrender one of them to me. Lord knows I don't have the money to buy one myself. At least I have a digital camera...
I did a quick Google search of theatres in Bordeaux, and to my surprise found one that teaches French students English via theatre classes! What a cool idea! I e-mailed the Brit that runs the gig and told him I'd be coming to Bordeaux for the year, so maybe (if i'm close enough) I could check the place out. Since i'll only be working 12 hours a week (or so they say), I'm going to get involved in some shows while I'm there.
I am ready to graduate.

Thought flow..

I feel like this wold be a perfect time to write, as I am in between classes and I'm finding it hard to focus.

I think I'm still a bit distracted after hearing the news of going to France again this Fall.

I'm relieved, excited, and now more rushed than ever- I am juggling getting caught up with my homework and studying/preparing for finals, as well as making plans for this summer and the Fall.

Now that I know I'll be needing to have some money in the bank before I leave, I'm going to be looking at full-time summer positions that will let me work up through august or september.

I'm throwing around the idea of moving back home for the summer (as much as that goes against my original plan) because I wouldn't have to pay any rent while living there, and whatever I earn can go straight to my France fund.

I don't think I'll be able to do the internship if i'm only getting an income of $175/week, and I may not get my first paycheck until November, according to some testimonials of previous TAs.

We'll have to see what else comes up.

Last Friday I went to an awards ceremony for the foreign languages department. It was pretty cool to get an award and $50 Barnes and Noble gift certificate. I'm going to buy some movies and books with the money, because my movie collection is pathetic and it's about time I owned my own Star Wars trilogy.

That's about all I'll be getting as far as spending money goes, within the next month... At least, until my tax return comes. Hopefully Dad sent that in already. I know he's been busy and stressed, I hope it wasn't too much extra for him to fill that out for me. I wouldn't have minded doing it myself, it's just that he offered to, and he has been doing it for me for quite a while now.

It looks like I'll be going home for Easter this Thursday, which will be nice- I'm going to try and get a lot done while there. Sunday will be spent with my G-ma in Livonia and probably the rest of my family (sans mom). I'll have to see what her plans are for Easter and if she wants to have the kids over for a dinner Saturday night.

It's getting to that point where the workload of the semester is crashing down on me, but I can't stop now. I only have two more weeks of actual class, and then finals. All I need to do is get my work done, and I'll be almost home-free, given I study well enough for my finals.

I was thinking earlier (daydreaming, rather, with a play in my hand) about how I want to raise my family. The family in the play I'm reading (Urban Transitions by Ron Milner) seems so opposite to mine. The parents, a loving, teasing, African-American couple, has three children; two daughters and a son. They live in your average American present-day metropolitan city, with a comfortable apartment and enough money to get by in their upper-middle class home. I was touched by the way the older couple acted with each other, and I can only hope i'll live the same kind of life when I'm older to create a loving, relaxed atmosphere for my own children. The way I grew up was with stricter parents, a few more rules and a little less "family time" together. I think this is what my siblings missed in their childhood, especially Michael, who is dealing with the brunt of my parents' divorce. I want to be successful and comfortable to provide a safe haven for not only my own children but for my siblings as well, so they can have that strong sense of "family" that we didn't really seem to have growing up. I'm talking about the big holiday dinners with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, what have you, followed by games in the living room with a fire going and wine and hot chocolate going around, and jazz music always on the radio. I'm talking about family trips around the world together, vacations to places like Disneyland or Myrtle Beach, and bonding experiences that will make up for lost time. Whenever I go to my Aunt Tammy's house for Thanksgiving, I always feel a slight sense of envy for their family; they seem to be living this exact life. It's not a life of over-consumption, greed, selflessness and pride, it's more a life that involves family and togetherness and success and happiness. If I can provide this for my children, and the rest of my family, that would be my ultimate goal.

Good NEWS

Oh MY GOSH! I just got the e-mail that confirmed my acceptance to teach English in Bordeaux, France for this Fall!!!
TOTALLY not expecting that! At least, not this soon- I heard from everyone that I was going to be notified early May. But, this is even better!
This is the best news I've heard in a long time- this is going to give me something to look forward to and work hard towards. I need to find a summer job that will pay me lots of money and give me full-time hours, because I'll need to buy my own plane ticket and support myself in France until I get my first paycheck, which might not come until November, or so the papers said.
I also need to contact the 4 or so students from Western who are all currently teaching in France right now. I need to ask them about the program, and other logistics of getting over there.
I was planning on doing an internship in New Orleans this summer, but it only pays $175/week, which doesn't give me a whole lot to work with if I'm trying to save up for a few months on my own...
I have to set up living accomodations and get my visa and all that jazz, but I need to wait until I get the letter in the mail that tells me which school(s) i'll be placed in, who to contact, and how long my contract will last.
There was another blog that someone used to post about their experience teaching abroad. Maybe i'll go check that out....