On Being Independent

Today I filled out a FAFSA form completely independent of my parents and their income. The joys of being independent. There is a much better chance that this teacher will now be able to receive student loans! Of course, to all bright sides, there is also a downside. I paid my first payment check to Loyola Marymount University. Sometimes being independent is not so exciting. For everyone who welcomed me to the "real world" after graduation, I thank them, and politely ask, can I go back? Responsibility and the weight of adulthood are not cooperating with me.

The first payment check was compliments of my big decision of the week. I'm going for the Masters of Education. At first, I thought I would just get my teaching credential, but I figured I could not be fully committed to this program if I didn't get a M.A. The degree leaves the door open for me in case I want to continue in the education field. (No, I haven't given up my dream about working with South Asian economic development... I'm just on a series of two-year plans). I filled out a lot of forms today. Few things are more exciting than filling out a complete form and transferring it from the to-be-completed pile to the completed pile. I've heard that TFA members are a little OCD.

I remember feeling horrible a few weeks ago the moment I realized I was taking my last undergraduate class. Luckily, it was an epic last class so I didn't feel cheated of a momentous occasion. Now, I'm super happy (and feeling a little silly) that I am again going to take classes starting in August. I am worried that teaching and taking classes will be overwhelming, but I've already described my unhealthy plan to have a love-affair with coffee. Get ready for our public displays of affection.

So I am an adult now. You can congratulate me later - as I will to all my fellow real worlders. Let's throw a big party in April (one, for having survived almost a year of teaching, and two, for embarking on our first independent income tax returns)!