I was having a chat with my friend Jenny the other day, discussing the future and what not...Jenny is going to make some moves soon and was lamenting the fact that she might have to live with one of her parents for a bit in the transition. In fact, she even mentioned getting a second job in order to avoid said move back home. My first thought was "Why in the world would you ever want to do that?" After all, in CA, it is totally normal to move back to your parents' house (if they'll take you) after college...relatives too. Our generation has mountains of debt and a horrible economy to deal with, not to mention the fact that we have been raised with the expectation that we'd get an amazing job at 22 as long as we had a B.A. in hand. As the movie said, "Reality Bites."
Spain's economy is also awful at the moment, but here, like most of Europe, it is totally acceptable to live with your parents and have no idea what to do with your life at 25. Just being here has made me feel so much better about my prospects in life. In the States, there's some kind of ridiculous stigma about living with your parents after graduation. I say if you live with your parents, relatives, etc. you're damn smart...and that's not just because my wonderful Aunt Janet has let me live with her for the past 3 years : ) Seriously though, why slave away at a job you hate just to pay the rent if you don't have to? Let's face it, a B.A. these days barely gets you to the point where you can pay rent and put gas in your car (in CA at least), so stick with the fam (if you can), save money (or start paying off your debt), and be happy. Just don't stay forever.
If I'd been living on my own since I graduated from UNM in 2006, I wouldn't have been able to travel to Argentina, Costa Rica, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Ireland, Spain, Italy....you get the picture. And I certainly wouldn't be in Madrid right now getting myself figured out and ready to fly the coop some time soon. And yes, when I get home, I'm moving right back in with my aunt (if she'll let me), until I find a job that will pay me enough to stay afloat in San Francisco or the South Bay. I think it's the smart thing to do and it lets me keep my cushy lifestyle intact. At least I admit I'm a spoiled...lucky girl!
word Rach.
ReplyDeleteAs a soon to be parents'-house-dweller (and not long after that a married-parents'-house-dweller), I was happy to read this post.
I think one factor in the States that contributes to the stigma is that not that many kids like their parents/relatives enough to tolerate cohabitation. For some reason it is sort of hip to view your parents/older relatives as old fogies who can't understand your modern life. Maybe that's true in some cases and I just happen to know a lot of enjoyable middle-aged relatives, but still, free housing is free housing.