So, it feels like most of the last couple posts (over the last few years naturally), have been some kind of update - oops! And if you were expecting something different, sorry - not this one!
Seeing as the last post on here was back in 2011 and that it's now the later half of 2016 - quite a lot has changed! Back in 2011 I had recently graduated, moved home, had finished my EMT cert and had just gotten hired at my longest full time job. I was still living at home, trying to save enough money to even think of moving out, and swimming under fathoms of debt.
Flash forward to now, and things are certainly different. I have been living in my own place for three years now. I not only kept working at the same job (until they closed their doors on us overnight back in February), but I went back to school and earned an Associate's degree for my Paramedic. I not only built up a decent savings, but also enough money to make a long-awaited return trip back to Europe earlier this year.
Sadly, it was during that trip that my life took a huge backtrack - while packing the morning before I flew from Dublin to Paris, I was informed that I did not have a job when I returned home because they closed due to bankruptcy - without any warning. It was then that I was thankful that I had built up an adequate savings! I did my best to not let my trip be affected, although in hindsight, my few days in Paris were much more subdued than I had planned. That was perfectly fine for me though, because it was what I needed. I actually think that being in Paris, thousands of miles away from the mess back at home, in my own small little flat that reminded me of my time living in Lille, France, made the shock easier to absorb. The harsh reality was that unlike most people when on vacation who say that they don't want to return back home, I truly did not want to go back. I felt like my life back home was over and that the future was somewhere else, although where I was uncertain.
Thanks to my savings and due to some diligent job searching while abroad and immediately upon my return, I bounced back almost immediately. I had a new job the day after I returned, and let that one the following day for an even better job. Since then, I have stabilized my jobs and my schedule (as much as my jobs and life permit!). I have since built back my net savings and am working on the next step of paying off the debts. I can proudly say that I have paid off all my small little loans, cards, and personal debts so that only my car and my student loans remain! (Those are still quite huge and nasty debts, but I also now have the resources to dump more money on them so they should resolve themselves rather quickly on the path I'm currently on.)
I know where I currently am, and I am not a fan. My eyes are looking beyond the region and beyond this country. Since studying abroad in Lille, and with my recent return trip back to Europe, I have known that my future lies elsewhere and abroad. The trouble is, I'm not sure where yet or through what means. Right now, I am currently eye four different options (and a few overlap themselves). I'm doing plenty of research right now, trying to vie which might be the best route. On one hand, I feel like this research and planning is actually denying the future, but I also know that I have some finances that need to be better aligned before I head out for good. I'll post my thoughts and the options I'm eyeing in another post soon. But now, I need to get back to getting something things taken care of while here at work.
There are some days when I wish I could just sit down, breathe, and ignore everything currently going on and just focus on me. I need moments like that, but that's a challenge to even attempt right now. I do know that the main focus is on me and only me. Some might see that as being selfish, but I see that as what is best for me - it's my life to decide how I should live it.
A bientôt!
