When I was 18, I expected my life to lead me to New York City. That was it: I would grow up in New Jersey, go to school in New York, and continue on to bigger and better cities in the region. Now at 22, I expect my life to lead me in any geographic direction. What changed? I went abroad.
Growing up, I’d sit on my back porch and gaze up into the sky watching airplanes. I wanted to be on one of those planes, so when I got to college my number one priority was studying abroad. I had to find out what places far away from Central NJ were like. So in August of 2012, I boarded a plane to Madrid, Spain.
I flourished in a European capital, speaking a foreign language and navigating unknown landscapes. One weekend I’d be in Portugal, the next I’d be in Germany – and it was that easy to get on a plane. Years of yearning to be a passenger finally culminated in one year of being a perpetual passenger.
Moving from place to place put me in contact with lots of newness: cultures, people, places. Those nine months abroad changed my perspective: I could go wherever I wanted, following whatever passion I had, whether that was within the city limits, the country limits, or the continental limits.
While traveling, I made the acquaintance of a hostel employee. He was 18-years-old, fresh out of “high school,” and, before university, he courageously bought the cheapest one-way ticket out of rural Austria. He ended up in Lisbon, Portugal leading hostel activities, events, and bar crawls. Whaaaaaat?! You show people around Lisbon night and day all the time?! Yup, that was what he decided to do. I have never been in the presence of a happier, smiling human who never asked the question of what I was doing in the future; he asked what I was doing now.
Through him, I learned that there are no geographical limits. If I don’t want to move to NYC post-graduation, I don’t have to. If I don’t want to live in NJ for the rest of my life, I don’t have to. If I don’t want to remain within my comfort zone—wherever that may be—I don’t have to.
When the inevitable question of my post-graduation plans sneaks its way into small talk, I cringe. Why do I have to have a plan? I could do anything, anywhere. I’m excited for possible opportunities, but I’m still figuring it out—you know, this whole post-grad business. Because I could teach English in South Korea, or work on a transatlantic cruise ship, or road-trip across the USA, or move to San Diego, or…(fill in absolutely anything here). So to answer the fateful post-grad question: I, Kerianne Baylor, have loose plans. I will be going, doing, seeing, and living wherever my passions take me. And I hope you will do the same.