Life.

It's funny how life turns out. When I first got to college I had no idea what would happen in the next 5 years. Even the idea of a study abroad terrified me, but not quite enough to stop me from dreaming about it. And here I am, after living in Paris, Guernsey, Prague, Ceské Budějovice, Brno and Plzeň, and now back in Provo at age 23. I would have never guessed that I would have the opportunity to travel the world so much. I thought that maybe I would major in English, become an editor, pursue my love of reading. Or perhaps History, although I didn't want to teach. But I was positive that I didn't want it to involve math or science.

A couple years later, I was an anthropology major, with no idea what I was going to do after I graduated. All I knew was that I loved cultures and history and travel and learning about different ways of life, and anthropology seemed like a good way to follow those passions. And then in Guernsey I realized, that while it was such an important experience for me to be there, that I really didn't want to be an anthropologist, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. I didn't want to be in academia, and I wanted to do something practical, something useful--to contribute to the world. 2 years ago I thought that I wanted to go into linguistics, perhaps grad school when I got back from the Czech Republic. Or maybe business anthropology. But I was lucky enough to be able to put those vague plans aside and concentrate on other people, on serving.

2 months ago, finally back in the U.S, I was back to square one. I didn't really want to do linguistics anymore. I didn't think I was cut out for the business world, and I was still tired of being in school, even after such a long break. So grad school didn't sound too appealing either. One day while visiting family in Montana I went on a walk/run with my dad. In the middle of big sky country, we were talking about the future, hashing out what kind of career I might be interested in, trying to narrow it down. And I made a list on my phone of my dream job, laughing to myself that there is no way that a job like that even existed:

one on one work, no committees
practical, applicable skills
focused on ideas
sense of accomplishment
about macro human behavior
involves research
opportunities to write
involves teaching, talking to a group
flexible hours, but good pay
evolving, stays interesting

After a whirlwind two weeks at home/travelling I was back in Provo, back at college, trying to transition back into real life. I missed my mission so much it hurt, and was trying to find purpose in my life as a student again. I had decided to take a genealogy/family history class because my mom had gotten really into it, and she had a feeling that I would like it. So I dropped some of those linguistic classes that I wasn't that into anyway and signed up. And--

I loved it.

I had no idea that a major like that even existed. Or that an entire career field--one of the fastest-growing career fields--existed. That I could use my research skills, love of history, languages, and writing to help people with something they really cared about AND get paid for it. It was amazing.

But I was an anthropology major.

I had two classes left. I was about to graduate. I didn't know hardly anything about genealogy, at least not compared to these people. There was no way I could do that.

But I felt so good about it. I had finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life--a question that had been hanging over my head since I was 5, when people started asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up--and I didn't have an answer. I was so relieved.

That was my first week back at school. The next few weeks were just as miraculous. I got a job as a research assistant at BYU's Family History Center, despite being an anthropology major with little experience. The 3rd week I turned down a job to work at the MTC as a Czech teacher--the dream job I had thought I wanted--because I knew that my current job at the center was where I needed to be.

The last month I've been waiting to hear back about my application to be a family history minor, knowing that there was such a slim chance of them approving it. I'm already in my 8th semester, about to graduate, why would they let me stay an extra year?? I waited and waited, and then last week I finally got the email.



"Your petition to add the family history minor has been approved."



...as long as I graduate in December 2015. So I'm here for another year! As much as I would like to be out of school, I know that this is the best path for me, and I'm so grateful that everything worked out the way it did. I will have a whole year of job experience, classes and internships before I start applying for full-time positions. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. So while I'm still not quite sure why I needed to take such a round-about path through anthropology to get here--I'm excited to see how it all turns out. Here's to the next 5 years! Who knows where I'll be.