Look, it's an update!   Yeah, I know, it's been a while. Student teaching was a bit stressful and busy, plus we were told it was a good idea to delete our weblogs. Something about parents and students not needing to know about our personal lives. So I just quit updating. I've been meaning to write for a few months, but let's face it. It's summer and I'm lazy. Big developments in the last 6+ months: survived student teaching, learned that I don't need to be a teacher, graduated in April, visited Texas to be my sister's sponsor for confirmation, got a tattoo for my 21st birthday, finally went to Braveheart's, was the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding, visited DC (first time!), helped Kim celebrate her 21st birthday, took a whirlwind trip to the UP with Kim and Eric to visit Linny, and decided what to do for the next year.

After figuring out that I would rather shoot my own foot than try to find a teaching job for next year, I realized that I really want to go to grad school. It would've been nice to figure this out in September instead of February, but that's life. I want to get a master's in something having to do with international relations. Since I didn't decide this until February, I really didn't have enough time to apply to grad schools and sort out important details, like how to finance grad school. I'm planning on applying this fall and hopefully starting in fall '08. Great plan, but it left me a year that I needed to fill. I started looking around online to see what I could do in Europe for a year and found all these great sites that talk about being an au pair. An au pair is pretty much a live-in babysitter. You live with the family, watch their kids, and take a few language classes. I signed up with one of the agencies in February and heard from a few families. By the time I finished putting my information on the site in May (yes, I know, I have trouble with procrastination, but it was a busy year), I'd already found a family to work for in Switzerland. At this point, I am all set to spend the next year in Switzerland. Everything is set with the family and I have my visa, and I'm leaving the States on August 1st. I'm flying into Frankfurt on August 2nd and then taking the train to Bern on August 5th. I'm rather excited but a little nervous. I know this is where I need to be next year. I've been a little slow on the uptake, but God has been very clear with directions. I love it when that happens. On a closing note, I did see the 5th Harry Potter movie and it's my favorite so far. I also read the 7th book, loved it, am very pleased with J K Rowling, and sad that the series has ended. That's my 2 cents for now. I'll try to update again within the next three months.

Wow, they did change the set up again. I guess that's what happens when I go two months without updates.... Life is pretty much settled into a routine at school. I have a feeling that I might be taking too many credits again, but I didn't really have a choice, I need all of the classes I'm taking so that I can graduate and get my teaching certificate. It's scary/fun to think that in less than a year, I'll be a teacher. I hope.  For those of you who may have lost track, this is my last term of classes at alma; I'll be student teaching next term. then, in april, i'll graduate with a german teaching major and a history teaching minor. I'm not sure where i'll end up next year. at this point, i really want to see if i can find a teaching job in england. i'm definitely going to look for one next spring. if i stay in the US, i'm leaning towards going to a big city. Michigan is gorgeous, but i need a change. my grandparents are pushing for me to stay in south lyon, so i'll probably look into that, but at this point, i'd rather go somewhere new. so school's going... right now i should starting to write my senior honors thesis, but i realized that i hadn't updated in forever (i'm really just procrastinating) and honestly, i know it sounds huge when i say i have to write 25-30 pages in german, but broken up over five weeks, that averages 5 pages a week, and i've written five page german papers in between 2 am and 5 am before.... this is why my professors hate me. other than classes, life at school is pretty normal. i'm doing even more with sai this year, if that's possible, but we have nine new people joining this term so that's super-exciting. And this weekend is homecoming, so i get to see all the alums who are coming to visit! that's about all i have to say for now...i really should go work on german.

~Steph