Let me walk you through a somewhat typical day in the life, which I feel may give you a better vision of who I am:
My day starts before the sun's does. I'm a teacher, so I'm up early--really early. I wake up with NPR and French-press coffee. I spend my day with 11-18 year-old students, attempting to instill in them a love of language or at least an interest in travel and an openness to other cultures and walks of life. Oh yeah and of course, I need to teach French grammar while I'm at it. My students crack me up, they confide in me, they exhaust me, they inspire me, and they keep me in the job. It's a labor of love, for sure. Don't worry; I also have the opportunity to exchange excellent banter with my fellow teachers at lunch, discussing the ins and outs of the latest Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Workaholics, etc, episodes.
At the end of the school day, I turn into a director, putting together our school musical. Theater is a huge passion of mine and I love to sing and act as well as direct. I try to make it into the city from time to time to see shows and I like to participate in community theater when possible.
Most evenings, I frequent the gym or take a Pilates or Zumba class, which I find to be a great release of any stress from the day. I like to blast 90s hip hop in my ear (basically the only time I listen to it) and look around at other people thinking, "If they only knew what ridiculous music I was listening to..." The rest of the time, my ears are usually occupied with 60s soul, like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, or more recent thrills, like Amy Winehouse, Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple, Paolo Nutini, Martin Sexton, and Tom Waits. Keeping myself active is very important to me, as is eating consciously. I'm almost entirely organic and make an effort to eat only ingredients I can pronounce. I miss farmer's markets in the Winter...
Back in my abode, I cook dinner, grade some papers, watch Netflix and/or listen to podcasts (This American Life, Radio Lab, The Stephen Tobolowsky Files, Totally Laime...) On the weekend, I grab dinner/drinks with friends, go see a movie, go bowling, or head out of town to visit friends and family. I love attending random cultural festivals, visiting museums, beer and wine tastings, heading into the city...I'm very open to trying new things and meeting new people. I'll do most anything if it will leave me with a good story (and I've got a bunch of those)!
I have a huge passion for travel. I spent last summer earning a degree to teach English as a Foreign Language and I'm applying for work in French-speaking Africa this summer. If I could, I'd move from country to country teaching English and exploring and sometimes I think about packing my bags and heading out to do it. The more I travel, the longer my list of hopeful destinations becomes.
So, I guess you could call me a hippie at heart, and a go-getter in the head. I have clear, solid goals professionally, am organized and determined, while all the while trying to stay Zen about life and appreciate the little things. Most importantly perhaps, I'm a people-person. It's really important to me to treat others with kindness and that's all I really ask for in exchange.
Well, there you have it. You may or may not find any of the above particularly thrilling or awe-inspiring, but one thing I can guarantee is: it's all true. I am an extremely genuine person. I'm a warm and caring, passionate gal who is enthusiastic for life. I would love to find someone I connect with for the long-term, however, I understand that all things must begin somewhere. I think you know by now if you and I would have at least the start of a connection, so if that's the case, you know what to do.
