My Future (23 May 2008 - with update from 5 June)

I've been thinking a bit about the next few years, and what decisions I should make. I would like to share that with you, my beloved readers, and I request ANY advice that you could give. Doesn'T mean I will do whatever you will tell me, but I do want to know your thoughts. I always want to know your thoughts when I blog, but it's especially true now.

Just a note: I'm in the process of changing my blog over to a different site. Overblog has been quite good to me, and has a lot of good features, but it just doesn't seem to make sense to me to write on these entries in English on a French website. I've changed to blogger, which isn't quite as smooth as this site, but has a decently nice format. This will most likely be the last entry I write on overblog before the transition is complete.

About my future: basically, the one thing I (pretty much) know for sure is that I do want to do my Master's degree in Socio-cultural anthropology. I also have a very strong desire to travel around, and an equally strong desire to return to BHSHOH and teach for an entire school year. These are my options:

Option 1: I apply to graduate school now, for planned admission in Sept '09.
pros: the most financially responsible option: this way I can be financially independent more quickly
cons: I can't go back to BHSOH; if I apply anywhere in the US, I have to take the GRE, which becomes a hassle and a liability

Option 2: I spend the '09-'10 school year in Mae Sot, travelling around in spare time
pros: I get to do what I really want to do; I get to see the my students again; I get to spend time in an interesting and cool part of the world; taking a year off would help my CV; I can become more mature before starting graduate school; I can take a break from school
cons: I need money to do this; my family doesn't want me going back to Myanmar in its current condition; applying to grad school from Mae Sot could be difficult and awkward

Option 3: I apply to only a few schools, and try to defer admission
pros: I may still go back to BHSOH: keeps my options open;
cons: Grad school may not let me defer; may decrease liklihood for fundingThat's pretty much where it stands.

I'd appreciate your input in this matter. Thanks.

**Update 5 June** Thank you all for your comments and advice. I got a lot of good input, and you're all right in some way. Ultimately, I think the best advice I got was to keep all of my options open for as long as possible. Currently, this means applying to graduate school as if I would attend starting in September '09, and playing it by ear based on where I'm accepted (if anywhere) and what the schools can offer me. As for the GRE, I'm going to hold off on it for at least a year, which means that I won't be applying to certain schools (esp in the US) that require the test. As for going back to BHSOH, that'S not a decision that I can or should make at this point- and there are certainly two sides to it. Some of you told me that now might not be the best time to do it, since I would be getting out of "school mode", and it wouldn't really help my CV anyway (having already done it...), but some of you also recognised that advantages of taking time off school, and of going somewhere really special to me.

I will keep you guys updated on what happens.