Ethan A.

Perez

AP Lit

May 7, 2019

My plan

Well the future is quite a terrifying prospect when look at it with no rhyme or reason of

how you are going to achieve what you want in this life. My whole life has been leading up to

graduation up until sophomore year of highschool I thought my life as a student ended and the

rest of my real life would have only just begun. Then as my highschool career progressed I

learned that college is a must next step. So I started looking into what I enjoyed doing because

my grandma always told me that you have to do what you love because all the money in the

world won’t make you happy at a miserable job.

So I had to make a checklist of what I enjoyed doing. I really loved the comradery of the

community service clubs I was in so I knew I definitely wanted to do something that involved

people. Then I thought of some strengths, I would say one of my only strengths is the mouth my

mama gave me from a young age. I can strike up a conversation with dang neat anyone, I found

that not just talking to people gave me a warm feeling but also the actual act of listening. That

would probably be the number one thing that I enjoy. Maybe that's why in my spare time you can

often find me perusing the newest podcast ranging from science to comedy to politics. Ok so I

liked listening to people but do who do I like listening to the best? I would say rather interesting

individual are the top story tellers , yet what makes a person interesting? Is it the way the say it?
No that's not it. Is it the action in the story? No. I came to the conclusion that I find the actual

person and their life to be the most ear catching aspect by far.

Now that that was sorted I had to think once again on what I found most amazing about a

person. Then it hit my like a brick, it was a person's culture. The way they spoke, the way they

dressed, heck even the food they ate, all of it just sucked me in and never wanted to let go. But

to truly absorb the culture I would need to learn the language, then a eureka moment. Why not

just study a foreign language in college and then travel the world? That was just the first thought

that came into my head and now with a direction I let my brain loose on researching, thinking,

and developing a plan that would get me to this simple goal. I began researching possible

avenues to travel outside of the country and still do some meaningful life growing work since I

wanted to take a gap year since it has always been a dream of mine ever since I was little. I then

remembered about the peace corps. I had first heard of it from a kind of embarrassing way, it

was on an episode of family guy that I had been watching with my little brother in seventh grade.

Then I read about it in Ap US history class and remembered that it was a government program

that went to impoverished countries and provided medical aid, infrastructure, and education. This

was perfect. I had even found out that the peace corps offered a program for members hopeful to

become an english teacher abroad to earn your credential which just led me to believe that the

stars were aligning. I can make connections as well as get a taste of my possible future so I set

out to apply. Now that the gap year was sorted I needed to think about the college I would want

to attend. My number one would have to be UC Davis, since I have family there, also they have

a good linguistics program and International Relations. Because I have a rough plan which is to

either become an english teacher in a foreign country or to work as a foreign service officer in a
US embassy somewhere around the world. For the teacher the path is a little easier go to college

then after getting my bachelors degree rejoin the peace corps and earn that credential. But for

the FSO position that would entail more work. I have till sophomore year in college to decide

my plan for action because if I choose the FSO then I would like to join the ROTC program my

junior year then after graduating enlist to join the airforce as an officer. If I choose this route it

would be a smart one because officers gain a bonus in pay for each language they know and I

plan to go to school for basically nothing but language. Not only that however, I could also

apply to have then send my back to school to learn even more languages all while being payed to

help with any student debt I accumulate. Well nothing's set in stone however, I don’t know

maybe I will see a clown performing and fall in love with that only to run away to join the circus