Graduates pursue unorthodox after-college plans
Ryan McCullough
Whether because of the lack of job prospects or a desire to travel, some college graduates are deciding to spend their first year after college abroad.
Katherine Thrailkill graduated from ASU with a degree in philosophy in 2010. Thrailkill had plans to attend graduate school and become a lawyer. Now she is an au pair in Bergamo, Italy.
“I never had plans on being an ‘au pair.’ I was originally going to take the LSAT,” Thrailkill said.
Thrailkill’s aunt made a post on Facebook asking if any women aged 18 through 22 would like to spend nine months as an ‘au pair’ in Italy. Thrailkill jokingly replied and soon was on her way to Italy.
“My only fear would (have been) that it didn’t work out. That I was not going to like it here. That I was going to feel awful,” she said. “I didn’t even know ciao when I first came.”
Thrailkill’s only means of communication with the family was through Facebook and Skype. When she stepped off the plane she was a bit worried based on the limited contact.
“I remember seeing her (the mother of the family) and she was so excited to see me. It made me feel like a million dollars,” Thrailkill said.
Thrailkill takes care of three children. The oldest is eight and the youngest is five.
“They each bring out a different part of me. All in all it’s making me grow up a little more,” she said.
Upon first meeting the children, Thrailkill was nervous about what to do with them. Now she has a plethora of games her and the children play. One is called “coperta.”
“Basically, I take a blanket and I drag the kids across the floor,” she said.
The children kept nagging her to play “coperta” and eventually Thrailkill learned “coperta” meant blanket. The name stuck ever since.
Thrailkill has been with the family for four months now. Every morning she walks the children to school. The crossing guard waves at her and says ciao bella. Even the mothers of the other children greet her. Though, she really enjoys the interaction with her family.
“Being part of the family as a whole is probably the most beautiful part of this experience,” Thrailkill said.
Iris Blake graduated the same year as Thrailkill. Now, she is spending nine months as an English language assistant in Colmar, France.
The program is a joint venture between the French Ministry of Education and the French Embassy in Washington.
“(The Programs) goal is to strengthen English-language instruction in the French educational system through the establishment of a native speaker presence,” states a French Embassy website.
Blake learned about the program through friends and her mother, who had done the program previously.
Blake has a long history learning French. She previously studied abroad in Rennes.
“When I was really young my mom would teach me,” she said.
The program does not provide housing for teaching assistants. Though, Blake was lucky enough to be offered a room by the school she was teaching at.
“I thought it might just be a little room and I would just have a bed and desk in my little room,” she said.
Her fears were soon relieved when she found out she would be living in a three bedroom apartment.
“I wasn’t afraid of living in France. I was afraid of living in France alone,” Blake said.
Blake’s duties vary with each teacher she assists. Some teachers provide a lesson plan. Others let Blake make her own.
“The best parts (of teaching) are when the kids are really interested in what you’re teaching about,” she said.
Though, not every class is so enthusiastic.
“There’s other classes where everyone just sits there and looks at you and waits for you to teach them for 50 minutes straight,” she said.
One of Blake’s favorite lessons she taught was on the founding fathers.
“I came up with a lot of different types of media. First we watched a video where the founding fathers were rapping,” Blake said.
Then, she handed out a lyric sheet and discussed who the founding fathers were. After, she went over the different slang terms used in the song.
“I like trying to find a song that relates (to the subject being taught),” Blake said.
In her free time, Blake enjoys going to cafés and knitting.
“On Thursday evenings, they have ‘L’afterwork,'” she said.
“L’afterwork” is a weekly gathering that switches bars each week. Drink specials and free appetizers are one of the draws of “L’afterwork.”
Once her assistantship is over Blake plans to attend graduate school for ethno-musicology.
For more information on the assistantship program visit, http://www.frenchculture.org/
