I graduate from Drake University with a picture-perfect 4.0, as an indispensable leader, wildly attractive, adored by all of my peers, and generally leading a drama-free existence as I embark to make my mark on the world. I have plans to start my nomadic life of running around the globe, from developing nation to developing nation, to learn, listen, help, teach, sing, build relationships, and generally spread the joy that is Kendra Purscell all over this fabulous world of ours. After that, I might just decide to settle down in a major US metropolis and become the greatest children's choir director this nation has ever seen.....
....... or at least that's how it goes in my head............
In reality, I walked down the aisle to accept my diploma scared shitless about the world ahead of me. I was still secretly mourning the loss of my dream of receiving a Fulbright, which had paralyzed me until it was too late to look for other viable overseas options. I didn't yet have an interview, much less a job, in any desirable music teaching position. I was also afraid of leaving my friends and connections in Des Moines--am I capable of building more? Will the people I care about just forget me when I leave?
More than anything else, I expected the year after I graduated to be an adventure. So, I am make the conscious decision not to give up on that dream. This year I will be teaching choir to 200 6th graders and many 7th and 8th grade girls in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; I will be living on my own in a beautiful apartment (with washer/dryer in the unit!!!); I will get a pet; I will be meeting new people and making new connections; I will be looking into my options for future life adventures; and I will (hopefully) help and care for many, many people along the way. And you will get to read about it here. To many, this might just seem like an ordinary life...but to me, this seems like an adventure.
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