Fearless Phenoms

by Nicole

I am fortunate enough to have an internship with perks. I have never had to fetch coffee, my thoughts and ideas are actually heard and considered, I get to use a freakin' sweet Macintosh computer every day, and to top it all off, I get my pick of free magazines every month. One of the most highly coveted publications up for grabs at work is Cosmopolitan. Call me weird or a feminist (which I don't think that I am), but for whatever reason I don't really like this magazine. It always seems to center around one subject and reminds me more of a magazine that Freud might have had in his office waiting room than what I prefer to read in my spare time. Anyway, despite all my whining about how I'm not a Cosmo girl, I do sometimes find myself leafing through the magazine's pages if I'm sitting around and it happens to be sitting around within arm's reach. One such occasion was today. This past Thursday the receptionist at my internship asked me to "babysit" a few of the magazines that she had on her desk while she was away on vacation in order to prevent any unpredicted tempt borrowing. She gave me a few magazines, of which was Cosmopolitan.

During lunch I happened to be at my desk and Cosmo caught my eye (you should have seen the shade of pink used on the cover... something right off a flamingo!) I picked it up and began to shuffle through it's pages, passing over pouty-lipped perfume advertisements and "What your guy really thinks" articles until my eyes rested on a picture of Tyra Banks. Yes, I am a blossoming America's Next Top Model Fan, but more than that, I wanted to stop to see what Cosmo had to say about her because I am going to a taping of her show this week with Sarah! I figured that I should read up on her before seeing her in person, so I opened that magazine and started to scan the article. "Fun Fearless Phenoms 2008", read the article's title in that unforgettable flamingo pink. As I read on, I couldn't help but be intrigued. The article was all about women who have achieved their dreams! Here's what the article description said:

When you're stressing about how to pull off your big dreams, it helps to seek out chicks who've found fame and success. Well, look no further. The eight winners of our second-annual awards pack impressive talent and ingenuity.

Eight stories all about women who have chased after their dreams, succeeded, and are now willing to share the secrets to how they got to where they are! Phenomenal! No wonder they are called "Fun Fearless Phenoms"! Here's who was on the list:

1.) Tyra Banks, 34
You know about her...

2.) Rita Hazan, 34
Hair stylist for the stars

3.) Katie Lee Joel, 27
Cook book author

4.) Kelli O'Hara, 32
Broadway star

5.) Laura Dave 31
Non-fiction author

6.) Eugenia Kim, 34
Hat designer

7.) Liz Flahive, 29
Playwright

8.) Alexandra Cousteau, 32
Environmental activist

Here's link to the site where you can check photos from their event: Check it out!

Get Back Honky Cat!

by Nicole

"But how can you stay when your heart says no?
How can you stop when your feet say go"
-Sir Elton John Honky Cat

While driving home from work today, I scanned the radio for the perfect "work is over" song. I was pleased to come across that perfect song just as I got off of the exit for my house. It was Elton John's "Honky Cat". I have enjoyed the song for quite some time now, but never really took the time to look past it's catchy beat and Elton's impressive piano skills. After listening to the lyrics more closely, I really still have no idea what the song is about. A sassy cat? A redneck leaving his way of life? I'm not sure. The meaning of the song may not have stuck out in my mind, but one thing that did stick out was one of the final verses of the song (as quoted above). I found myself nodding in agreement to what Elton was so melodiously saying. "But how can you stay when your heart says no? How can you stop when your feet say go".  My goodness, Elton has put into words the exact frustrations that I have felt since leaving school! This is my biggest fear - that I will end up doing something that my heart says "no" to and that I will decide to stay when my feet say "go"!

I seriously have to wonder how many people are living lives that their hearts refuse to or staying one place when they would rather run in the opposite direction. As a new member of the "real world", I feel like observing and taking notes of the things that I don't want to do are just as important as taking note of the things that I do! Lauren spoke about choices and the vast opportunities we have in front of us. I believe that this trip will be eye opening in this way. By meeting people in different professions with different stories, I know that we will each pick up little pieces of our own personal puzzles.

Just this trip alone is an example, to me, of heeding to Elton's inquiry and saying "yes" to the desires of my heart. Right now there are so many things that I want to do, one of the strongest being to explore and learn. This trip is the PERFECT way to do just that. I am so excited for every part of this experience - from the initial idea to the moment that we return home with this experience in our back pockets, ready to be pulled out whenever we need to think back on, bask in, or refer to it. Look out world, we're saying "yes" to our hearts and letting our feet take us wherever they please.

Decisions and the 7th Heaven Phenomenon

by Lauren

We've all been talking so much about choices and decisions lately that I think I've started to see it in everything I do. I like to call it the "7th Heaven Phenomenon." Remember that show on the WB, 7th Heaven? If you don't, where have you been this past decade?

For those of you who did watch, I'm sure you remember that every episode had a "theme" and that you could tell exactly what was going to happen to each individual character after the first five minutes. It would become immediately clear that this was going to be a "don't discriminate" episode, or a "teen pregnancy" episode, or an episode about any number of lessons to be learned.

That's how I've been feeling lately about choices and decisions. Now that I've opened up about the stresses of making decisions, I feel like I'm bombarded with them everywhere I go. It's only noon and I've already had to decide on breakfast, coffee, what to do today, what movie theater to go to tonight with my family... insanity! Sometimes I feel incapable of making even the smallest decisions and now I notice them oh so much more.

But I've found the solution.

A couple days ago, I was telling Nicole that I thought she should read a book by Paulo Coelho called The Alchemist. I recommended it to her because she was looking for a road trip book to read before our trip, and even though The Alchemist isn't exactly about a road trip, it is about traveling and a journey of discovery.

Last night, I pulled The Alchemist out of my bookcase and put it aside to lend to Nicole the next time I see her. It's definitely a "pay it forward" kind of book. Someone gives it to you, then you have to share it with someone else. Brent bought me a copy, so I'm giving it to Nicole to read next, and if she loves it the way I did, I hope she'll recommend it to someone else, and so on, and so on....

Now, here's where I think fate stepped in. I opened the book to a completely random page and read the first paragraph my eyes rested on, and here is what it said:

He still had some doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.

I have to say, this definitely made me relax a little about the whole decision-making process, because I can't see the future, I can't say what my choices will lead to - good or bad - so why should I be so stressed about making them?

I think one of those choices, for the three of us, was to participate in this road trip. We can map out our itinerary, schedule interviews, pick places to stop at along the way, but really - do we know where the road is going to take us? A few lines down from the paragraph I quoted above, the main character thinks:

And joining this caravan may have been my decision, but where it goes is going to be a mystery to me.

And I think that's exactly what we, too, are doing. We're joining each other in this journey with no idea where it will take us.

Career Test

by Nicole

This morning I decided to take a quick career test on Monster.com.  I have known for a while now that I have no definite plans for after our road trip comes to an end.  I am very much hoping that I have an epiphany of sorts while on the trip and that I return home knowing exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.  Because the odds of this happening are 99.9% positive in my mind, but realistically much less, I have decided to explore my future career options through online career quizzes.  I am not going to consider the accuracy of these online, anybody-could-make-'em career tests, but instead consider the insight that they can provide.  I am thinking that if I take enough of them, eventually I can come to some median answers about what my future career aspirations should be.  Here are my results from the Monster.com quiz I took:

Life as an ENFP

(Extravert, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver)

People of this type tend to be enthusiastic, talkative and outgoing; clever, curious and playful; deeply caring, sensitive and gentle; highly innovative, creative, optimistic and unique; adaptable and resourceful but sometimes disorganized.

The most important thing to ENFPs is the freedom to see possibilities, make connections and be with a variety of people.

Great careers for ENFPs

Here are just a few popular and often satisfying careers for people whose Personality Type is ENFP:

Advertising account executive
Career / outplacement counselor
Management consultant
Developer of educational software
Journalist / magazine reporter
Graphic designer
Art director
Copywriter
Corporate team trainer
Psychologist
Inventor
Human resources professional

Take your own career test and let us know what your results are!  

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

by Lauren

Now that we're well into September and the first day of fall is rapidly approaching (in a matter of minutes, actually) it's becoming more and more obvious to me that I am not in college anymore. I knew I graduated, I have a diploma and the 3,000 family photos to prove it, but it definitely took a while for it to really sink in that I'm not going back to school this fall.

I find myself still categorizing time in terms of "semesters" and the "school year" even though both those things are completely irrelevant to me now. I think lots of people underestimate the enormity of the change from college to post-college life. In fact, it's not really even a matter of being in college or not, it's all school. I've been in school since I was three years old which means I haven't missed a "first day" in September in nineteen years! I don't remember a whole lot from before I was three, so I can honestly say that I know nothing of a life that doesn't revolve around school.

The purpose of school is to prepare us for the workforce (you can argue against that, but on a basic level it's true). Are we really prepared, though?

Let's start with high school. One of the basic purposes of high school is to prepare us for college (hence the term "prep" school for many private institutions). We take classes and tests that will develop and gauge our knowledge so that we can move on to the next step.

College is the "go-between" between high school and the Real World (yes I need it to be bold and capitalized to make it look scary) and, as such, it should get us ready for the next, next step. Does it, though? For me, college was an all-inclusive resort. Yes, I had to do work and I absolutely learned a lot from the courses I took, but everything I could possibly need was provided for me right at my fingertips.

I had a room to live in and someone came by every morning to clean the bathroom in my hall and vacuum the floors. To start the day, I'd stumble out of bed to walk across the street where I could swipe a card and eat "free" breakfast that had been cooked for me. I would then make my way through the rest of the day taking advantage of all sorts of "free" stuff that was provided for me at my every turn. My school had a dining hall, two "restaurants," a movie theater, a gigantic library, a shuttle service, a general store, an enormous yard (the "quad") -- what more could I really need?

Is this really how we get prepared for the real world?

The philosopher José Ortega y Gasset once said,

He who wants to teach a truth should place us in the position to discover it ourselves.

I suppose that's how we all have to learn what life is and what it really entails, by discovering it ourselves. One question I'd like to ask people on our upcoming road trip is how they discovered their paths and made this enormous transition.

Until then, I guess I'll have to continue learning the hard way, just like everyone else.

Distracted

by Sarah
Sorry for being MIA the last week or so. There's really no excuse for not blogging during the most exciting time of my life (alright, a bit of an exaggeration...). But seriously, I am so excited for our road trip. I've got my computer all suited up for the event too- complete with a RTN bumper sticker and all. Reading Nicole & Lauren's posts are getting me psyched for the event. Maybe part of the reason I haven't been too sure of it all is because I'm still waiting to hear back from my boss as to whether I can get the time off from work or not. I know it will all work out in the end, it's just a matter of time until it all goes through. Honestly, during the past week, its just been hard for me to focus on the road trip when there is so much going on with my family, job, and friends. One of my major distractions is that my very close friend Maria is leaving for Ghana with the Peace Corps in exactly one week. Well, I guess technically she's going to Philly first, but still, I mean, Ghana's the next stop! I got to spend some quality time with her before she left. She came to my house and we went bike riding, got coffee, & went to the beach. The weather was that crisp-air fall weather that is absolutely perfect. Still, I have to get used to the fact that one of my closest friends will be leaving for two years to a far away country. Still, I do feel a sense of peace that this is so right for her- it will be an incredible experience. We're not sure what type of communication she'll have when she's there, so after she leaves, who knows the next time we'll talk. As you can probably understand, I'm a little distracted with this on my mind. Honestly, I know her going to the Peace Corps will be the "hardest job she'll ever love" as their slogan goes. I wish her the very best and cannot wait to hear all about it! So, once I'm not so distracted with life, I'll try and actually write about the road trip.

"Can we talk?!"

by Nicole

Joan Rivers in, what I picture to be, her "Can we talk?!" stance:

Our trip may still have it's fair share of kinks to be worked out, but overall things have been going incredibly smoothly as we prepare to embark come October. Our biggest and, in my opinion, most rewarding challenge thus far has been the booking of interviews. We have all been compiling mental and written lists of the people that we would like to interview and taking our mentor, Kristin's, advice about booking them to heart. So far, e-mail has been our top form of contact with these individuals with a few calls here and there.

The thing that has amazed me the most about the whole interview booking experience is how easy it can be to get in touch with people who I thought were so impossible to reach. We've been able to get in contact with some of our idols, which is exciting enough in and of itself, but even more exciting is the fact that many of them have agreed to meet with us for an interview! I believe that the entire RTN experience, from start to finish, will be filled with challenges, excitement, and a feeling of satisfaction. I am so thrilled to be a part of it.

Here's a list of our definite interviewees so far:

1.) Chris Johns
Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Magazine

2.) Robert Ehrich
Founder of Robert's American Gourmet, the creators of Pirate's Booty (one of my favorite snacks)

3.) Brian Herzlinger
Creator of My Date With Drew, the story of an underdog who lands a date with Drew Barrymore through hard work and dedication

4.) Rhett & Link

Internet celebrities

5.) Deb Perelman
Food blogger, www.SmittenKitchen.com. Deb started her own cooking blog and made it into her career, with over 1,000,000 viewers per month

More to come!

Our Tentative Route

A rough idea of our journey:


View Larger Map

The Paradox of Choice

by Lauren

As Sarah, Nicole, and I have been planning out our upcoming road trip, we've talked a lot about choices. As 22 year olds who have just graduated college, we have so many choices, so many different paths to go down. We're lucky to live in a society that provides us with these endless opportunities, or are we?

Psychologist Barry Schwartz argues in his book The Paradox of Choice that "more is less" and that the more choices we are given or give ourselves, the less satisfaction and fulfillment we will receive.

Schwartz may be on to something here. While I have not read the book (yet), I do understand his basic argument. We have so many choices to make every day, whether it be a career choice, which college to go to, or something as simple as what brand of toothpaste to use, we have options, and oh so many of them. At a certain point, he argues, rather than feeling the freedom of making one's own choices, we become bogged down by decisions to the point that the questioning traps and confines us in our own self-doubt.

I think anyone who has recently graduated can relate to that. I have so many different career paths I could choose. I went to a Liberal Arts college and majored in Political Science. With little interest in pursuing politics, I am equally prepared and unprepared for just about any career out there. You'd think this would be an exciting time in one's life, and sometimes it is! Other times? Not so much.

How can I choose one thing, when another might be better? How can I weigh the benefits of doing something against the time lost on it that could have been spent on something else? I've never felt the weight of choice so much as I do now.

I was recently eating dinner with my boyfriend Brent (who told me about this book, actually) and we were talking about this very problem. We have so many options, we just can't choose anything anymore - be it a career, a place to live, or even what to eat for dinner. And I know we're not alone....

To demonstrate this predicament, I'd like to share something that happened to me recently at a nearby Starbucks. The man ahead of me in line was carefully analyzing the Starbucks drink menu, looking through each and every section, squinting at the small print showing what country those particular coffee beans are from, until finally he sighed, exasperated, and asked the girl behind the counter, "Do you have coffee here?"

After a brief, confused pause the girl politely answered, listing off the various coffees that could be purchased, different "multi-regional blends," cappuccinos, lattes, etc. etc. (Anyone having ever stepped foot in a Starbucks knows how long this list can go on....)

"No, no... just coffee please," the man replied. The sales girl or "barista" as they call them at Starbucks was completely baffled. What was this man trying to pull here? Eventually, however, she gave in and poured whatever was nearest in reach.

I laughed and gave the man a look of complete understanding. I was tempted to tell the barista, "I'll have what he's having," but I figured her world had already been turned upside down once that day and ordered a Pumpkin Spice Lattee just to make things easy for her.

image lifted from www.justcoffee.coop

As we prepare questions to ask during our interviews for RTN, I think two of the most important ones to me are going to be, "How did you choose this?" and "Did you ever look back?"

Until then, I'll be doing my best to avoid as many everyday decisions as possible so that I can one day channel all my efforts into something more important.

Movie Mahem

by Nicole

Since first learning that Sarah, Lauren and I would be embarking on our road trip come October, I have been compiling a mental list of movies that we should (need is the word I really want to use, but won't because it sounds too pressing for the likes of our relaxed journey) watch to prepare. The list is somewhat long and eclectic, but all of the movies on it, I feel, are valuable and will only make our trip all the better. Here is the list so far:

Working Girl

This movie may reek of 80's fashion faux pas and teased hair, but at it's core Working Girl holds a message that perserverence and diligence pay off. It also reinforces the idea that dreams can and do come true in the mind of anyone who watches it. This is a great movie for it's message and all the 80's throw-backs are the icing on the cake.

Reality Bites

I had never heard of, yet alone seen, Reality Bites until (appropriately) after graduation. It caught my eye as I perused the dvd's at my local library and after reading it's description, I knew that it was a "must see". The characters face life after college graduation and deal with many of the feelings and emotions that I am having now that I am in the "real world". It's good to know that I'm not the only one feeling the way that I am and even better to realize that a movie has been made about those very feelings!

A Goofy Movie

Laugh if you must. Say that I'm too old for cartoons. Snicker as you recall the last time you watched a Disney movie, but I know that deep down everyone who has ever seen A Goofy Movie and been of sound mind loved it. Though I would make an excuse to put this movie on really any list of movies I might create, I do have to say that it has more relevance to this particular list than say, a list of movies about electricity (though I could argue that Powerline's character could be relevant...). I chose to put this movie on my list because it's central plot revolves around a road trip. On a deeper level, the struggle that Goofy and his son Max face as they travel across the continental United States is a journey towards reconciliation, much like the journey that Sarah, Lauren and I are facing against societal expectations of the recent graduate. On a much lighter note, this movie has some of the best music of any Disney movie out there (my iPod can vouch for it).

Muriel's Wedding

I only recently heard about and watched Muriel's Wedding. Muriel is twenty-two and is on a quest to discover herself. She is shy and unsure about many things except that she absolutely, completely, deeply loves Abba. I have to admit, this film and then the release of Mamma Mia this past summer has spurred an appreciation similar to Muriel's for Abba in my own life. I think that this movie is important for the three of us to watch as we prepare for our trip because it serves as a reminder that the best gift that we can give to this world is our true selves.

Little Miss Sunshine

This movie screams "ROAD TRIP!" from the beat up VW on it's cover to the film itself. Family trips are always interesting in one way or another, and the one in Little Miss Sunshine is definitely just that. I like this movie for it's road trip quality as well as as it's message, which is similar to that of Muriel's Wedding - that being who you are is okay. I know that it sounds cliche, but I find that ingraining this message in my mind by repeating a mantra, reading a Post-It Note on your mirror, or even watching a movie helps me give more of myself to the world.

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion

Our high school reunion may not be for a while, but that doesn't mean that we can't reflect on life since twelfth grade. I think that Lauren, Sarah and I would all agree that we are not exactly the same person we were four years ago. I really like Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion because it has a strong message of (again) being true to one's self and not being afraid to be the person you are. The movie also has these two friends making a road trip to Tuscon, Arizona for their reunion, so there is that fabulous road trip aspect to it.

This list is definitely open to suggestions/comments. Feel free to leave some here!

Itinerary, Interviews and Albino Squirrels

by Nicole

Last week Sarah, Lauren and I met up at Lauren's house to go over our tentative road trip plans. We have around three interviews booked with a few still up in the air. In order to broaden our interview horizons the three of us came up with a list of people we'd love to interview. The list ranged the spectrum from someone we'd meet on the street to Bono, with the goal for each interview being to hear the person's story and to absorb any advice that they might have for us. We also began to map our our route for the trip on a giant map (Lauren inspired). We'll be starting out in Connecticut and heading as far west at Missouri before looping back around to the east coast. We have a lot of exciting stops in the works, including a few of those highway attractions that can be so incredibly tacky and impossible to resist. Here's a little Microsoft Paint rendition of how the evening went for you.

Note: Censorship provided by The Public Blog-casting Service... aka me... mostly for the sake of comedy.


Lauren brought it to my attention that while en route to Missouri we will be passing right through the town where an Albino Squirrel farm exists. Is there really any way that we can not stop there? I think not. It's going to be a memorable, if not frightening, experience.

Wanderers in the Greenwich Time

by Lauren

Our local newspaper, the Greenwich Time, just printed a story in the Sunday paper about Nicole, Sarah, and me and our RTN trip we're going in. Unfortunately, there were a few errors in the story itself (that we hear are going to be fixed tomorrow) but you can click on the picture below to read the full article online:

What Now Wanderers close-up:

The main misprints are:
-Nicole went to Quinnipiac, I went to Trinity
-The show is definitely not about losing the Freshman Fifteen
-The documentary is not six minutes long

This, however, is not to say that our reporter didn't do a fantastic job. In fact, I think he conducted such a long, thorough interview with us, getting every last detail of everything leading up to our trip, that we probably just overloaded him with miscellaneous information completely not related to RTN at all (like the Freshman Fifteen...).

Anyway, if there is a correction printed in Monday's paper, I'll be sure to post that on here as well. Thanks again to everyone for all their support! We can't wait to leave on our trip and we're so happy to be sharing this experience with all of you along the way.

where i fit in

by Sarah:

So, since my two other "partners in crime" have said their part of the story, I figured it was about time I put my two cents in. Before I start though, just thought I should mention you can read a relatively accurate story of us and the prospective road trip online at greenwichtime.com. Alright, so here I go. Most of you who know me know that going on this road trip was not part of my future just about 2 months ago. Starting just about a year ago, I began applying to the Peace Corps to get (what I thought to be) a head start into my post-graduation plans. Ever since my feet touched the soil in a different country, I fell in love with traveling. First came Italy, then Ecuador, then Nepal, and finally Lithuania. I was convinced I would move to any or all of these places. I developed a heart for learning about other cultures and going on adventures abroad. So... I decided to apply to the Peace Corps. The application process was grueling- it wasn't until the next August that I was finally placed- in the Dominican Republic. So, while all my friends were applying and interviewing for jobs, I was waiting anxiously to hear which country I would be spending the next two years of my life in. So, I graduated, with no clue where I would be going, but with the assurance that I had some sort of plan for my life. All that changed when I began to have mysterious pain in my neck shooting down my right arm. For a couple nights, I was crying because the pain was so intense I could hardly stand it. I almost called the ER a couple times. My primary doctor ordered an MRI and they found that I had a bulging herniated disc in my neck. When I finally got an appointment to see the neurosurgeon, he told me that the disc was a 9 out of 10 (10 being the worst case scenario).

I thought that was enough of a shocker, but then he told me that I would need surgery that next week. I wasn't even disappointed, but instead relieved when he told me this. I couldn't wait to not be in excruciating pain any longer. So, the surgery was successful. The only bad news was that I would need to now put the Peace Corps on hold. The only question was, for how long? I was devastated, no, that's not even a strong enough word for how I felt. I was sick at my stomach when I learned that I would have to wait 1-3 years before even being considered for the Peace Corps again. You can read my blog post here if you're interested. I had some great friends who stuck by me during this tough time after surgery. In addition, the week after surgery, I found that my grandfather had died. Though I was unable to go to his funeral, I feel like I was there in spirit and mourned the loss of him from long distance.

Three friends from college came to visit in the next two weeks. I'm very fortunate to have these great friends in my life. Speaking of friends My best friend Nicole had been planning this road trip for a while (read her post for more info). I decided to start work full time at a residential childrens' crisis shelter in CT, but I will be getting time off to go on the road trip. Nicole always has these "crazy" ideas, but this time, it actually was going to work! I was thrilled and can't wait to be a part of such an incredible adventure. Though I won't be acclimating to life in the Dominican Republic, I'll be experiencing life while exploring the United States.

This road trip will hopefully be a time of healing, renewal, adventure, and clarity. I'm hoping to have that "aha moment" during the trip- you know, that moment you realize why things worked out the way they did? Well, I'm just grateful I have this time to enjoy life with two great friends!

What Now?

by Lauren

Today, Nicole, Sarah, and I got interviewed by the Greenwich Time (our local newspaper) about our upcoming road trip.  Colin, the reporter covering our story, asked us all sorts of questions about our involvement with Road Trip Nation like where the idea came from, what we're going to be doing, and what we expect to get out of it.  As the three of us got talking about it, we realized just how serendipitous it was that this amazing opportunity should arise for us right now, as it has.  All three of us are currently in unusual circumstances even beyond the position of facing the ever-looming Real World.  I'll let Sarah and Nicole tell their own stories, but here's mine.

About a year ago, as a senior at Trinity College (the one in Hartford, CT... apparently there are 4 of them) I started receiving Career Services e-mails on a weekly basis.  Feeling very "on top of things," I decided to go to the first career meeting of the year in early September.  I walked into the meeting room to find myself surrounded by... Juniors?  Sophomores? Freshmen?!  Apparently I didn't get the memo that career-building starts before you're actually looking for a job.  I spent the next hour listening to people younger than I talk about their internships and the classes they were taking to help them land jobs in their specialized fields and I had to ask myself, What's my field?  What am I qualified for?

I immediately set up a meeting with our campus Career Counselor for the next day.  Her first question was, of course, "What do you want to do when you graduate?"  I was completely embarrassed to say "I have no idea.  Oh, and I'm a Senior."  She assured me that even though I had gone through three years of college with no career path in mind, that I would be just fine.  I spent the next few months setting up interviews with companies that hire in the fall and attending job fairs in Boston and New York City.  Fall semester of last year, I devoted many hours to cover letters, thank you letters, editing my resume, and researching jobs I'm make-believe qualified for.  I discovered that a Liberal Arts major (Political Science) didn't get me as far as I had thought.  Many companies required business, finance, and economics backgrounds that I simply didn't have.  I felt unqualified for everything, and decided to take absolutely any interview I could get.

Most of my job interviews led to nothing, especially the one I went on for a financial firm in Boston that lasted all of three minutes.  The interviewer asked, and I quote, "So what makes you think you're qualified for this?" and when I responded with my well-rehearsed list of accomplishments, she said "Well thank you.  We'll be getting back to the people we want to see again within the next week" - AKA, not you.

As the time went on, I felt less and less qualified to enter the workforce.  I decided to take a job with any company that wanted me, regardless of how painfully boring the job description sounded.  I spent the next few months in the interviewing process for a company that, ultimately, would have been a horrible match for me.  I went to four interviews there (all of which went quite well, actually) only to be informed in July that they were no longer looking to fill the position I had so diligently chased after.  I had so long ago given up the idea of doing anything I like or am interested in, that I started, once again, to scan job websites for life-stifling positions that I might, somehow, be capable of fulfilling.

I quickly ran out of steam, though, lacking any motivation to start spending the rest of my life doing something I hate (crazy, right?).  I felt directionless as I watched the weeks slipping by and adding to the mountain of "wasted time" I was building.  That's when Nicole, Sarah, and I went out to Cosi for a five hour lunch that we will never forget.

As it turns out, we were all facing the same dilemma.  Plans had fallen through, post-graduate expectations not met, dreams way out of reach....  We all have our own stories, but we had one thing in common - an undeniable feeling of What Now?  We all talked about the things we care about and what we'd like to be doing, but how on Earth do you go about that?  Doing something I like?  Impossible.  For a long time I've wanted to be a photojournalist, a travel writer, or both, but had no idea that such a thing was attainable.  Then again, being a part of Road Trip Nation seemed fairly out-of-reach, as well.  In fact, seeing Nicole apply for the RTN grant and get it really made me ask myself how many things I didn't get just because I never even tried.

I am so looking forward to traveling around the good ol' US of A talking to people who followed their own dreams and achieved them, because hey - if they can do it, so can we, right?

Photo-Shoot

by Lauren

We had our very first Road Trip Nation photo-shoot yesterday at the beach! Check out our slideshow below....

If you're confused what's going on in any of these pictures, just hover your mouse over "Notes" on the bottom right-hand corner:

How It All Began...

by Nicole

The Roadtrip Nation dream began months ago when the weather was chilly and snow covered the ground. It was February and an idea was beginning to take shape. I didn't know about Roadtrip Nation back then, but I did know one thing - that I was graduating in four months and had no idea what I would be doing after graduation. In an effort to calm my fears, I began to share them with my fellow-seniors in a weekly column that I wrote for my school's newspaper. My writing for the paper was part of an intricate plan that I was developing in my mind. It involved questions, a road trip, and interviews with experts in specific fields that my questions related to. I came up with an idea of creating a documentary of sorts over Chinese food with my dad one night. I created a list of questions that I was dealing with as a soon-to-be graduate and that I felt other soon-to-be graduates might also have. I then put these questions into categories like "Career", "Social", and "Health". Each category was then assigned a list of "experts" who I felt had the answers to the questions that I was so desperately seeking answers to.

That initial napkin brainstorming session gave me the kick-start that I needed to e-mail the experts that I had thought of with my dad, present to them my idea, and then ask them if they might be free for an interview. Out of the many e-mails that I mailed out, a few came back - all negative responses. I was discouraged and that discouragement combined with the approaching dark cloud that my college likes to call "finals" jolted my focus away from my idea and onto the reality that graduation was closer than ever. I created a blog about my idea complete with a small list of people that I hoped to interview. Although I had somewhat given up on the idea of a documentary-style road trip, I would soon learn that the idea had not given up on me.

In the coming weeks finals came and went. I marched to "The Pomp and Circumstance" and moved out of college for the last time. I was set to accept my dream turned fantasy as another example of self-fulfilled prophecy - that I was this flighty girl with big dreams and great ambitions, but with no execution to make of it a reality. Then things started to change.

I can remember sitting in front of my computer, browsing and carousing (not really) on Facebook like I had so many times before. Then, in Facebook's sometime creepy fashion, a very appropriate, very direct ad showed up with the statement, "22 Year Old Female? Have a Documentary Made About Your Life!" I had never clicked an advertisement link on Facebook before seeing that ad, but did I ever jump on the click wagon with that one! The site explained that I would have to make a short video describing my video idea and submit it to the site. Old habits die hard, and as a practiced procrastinator I, of course, waiting until the night before the entry was due to make my video. I didn't like how it turned out and decided against submitting it in order to save myself the embarrassment of certain failure. I again filed away my dream, this time giving up on it even more than before.

For whatever reason, I had a change of heart a few weeks following my decision to not go on with my dream. It suddenly dawned on me that I was the one who was making my self-fulfilled prophecy a self-fulfilled reality. I prayed about the idea and let go of it, but decided that giving up on it was not the answer. I began researching road trips and came across a group of people who had done something similar to what I was looking to do. A group of college students set out on a journey to hit the road and to explore different career options by interviewing people people about their career paths. They called their group Pursue the Passion and were able to get corporate sponsorship to support their entire trip. I really liked their idea and was inspired by the interviews that they conducted, but didn't just want to experience my dream vicariously through other people. I decided to do more research on the idea of receiving corporate funding for my trip. I began e-mailing companies that I felt targeted people my age. I had a bit of deja vu when hearing back about my corporate inquiries, because like my original interview inquiries, they all came back negative!

Now that I had the knowledge that other people my age were able to do something similar to what I hoped to do, I was more on fire than ever. I continued to do research on corporate documentary sponsorship and even started a Facebook group for the cause titled "What Now?" In it I discussed the road trip documentary idea, corporate sponsorship, and my general feelings of unease about my recent transition into "the real world". The people in the group agreed that they also were feeling uneasy and lost. Hearing from them was a great reminder that I wasn't alone in how I was feeling. Shortly after creating this group I came across something during one of my feverish and frenzied google searches called "Roadtrip Nation". I had simply typed in something along the lines of "road trip interview" and BAM! The first result was Roadtrip Nation. How had I not heard about this sooner?! Roadtrip Nation was a manifestation of everything that my dream was. Visiting the Roadtrip Nation was something like I imagine meeting the man of my dreams might be like. I had all these ideas in my mind about what I wanted my trip to be like - everything from it being documentary-style to being able to find funding for it - and here it was, a real and tangible thing. I let out a number of screams as I browsed through the site's pages. Then I learned about Roadtrip Nation's (RTN for short) indie road trips and how I could apply to go on one ANY time of the year. Perfect! I started my online application that night.

It took me a few weeks to finish the application. In the mean time I started asking friends if they might like to come along. People ran hot and cold on interest level, but eventually things panned out and what was left were my friends Lauren and Sarah and myself. We got an e-mail from our amazing and insightful mentor, Kristin, about two weeks ago saying that we had been accepted to partake in our very own indie road trip. Amazing! We're all so excited and we will be documenting our trip and everything leading up to it here on this blog.

Enjoy!