Dreams do come true…
Back in early May I made a HUGE decision - I was going to take 3 months off work and move to Spain. I wasn’t myself and I needed a major change. I had dreamed of this since I first stepped foot in Spain, in May of 2003. And with a little nudge from my friends, approval from my parents and an acceptable amount of money in savings…it came true. It took 6 years, but it came true. It didn’t become real until I stepped foot in hot and humid Barcelona with my three over-sized bags packed with enough sun dresses, jewelry and shoes to last three summers. But I did it - I WAS IN SPAIN!!!
When I left NYC for Spain, I had already made up my mind about post-summer: I’d get Europe out of my system, come back to a new job, move downtown and fall in love with NYC again. Simple as that.
Although I’d been working/networking/hoping/praying for a transfer to Europe over the last 4 years, it just didn’t seem possible. But it was okay…I had justified/talked myself out of it. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. That is until one unsuspecting July afternoon, when I received an email from an Ogilvy International HR team member. This woman had spoken with me more times than I’m sure she wanted to over the past few years, and although a few interesting leads came around at times, they never amounted to much. But this time, the job seemed real and it seemed suspiciously similar to job descriptions I’d dreamed up as “the perfect job.” But I treaded cautiously; I’d been burned my fair share of times… and I had a enough sun burns to deal with this summer.
I told Shan I wanted to move forward with interviewing for the position, and then one phone interview and one trip to London later…I had an offer. An offer for my dream job in London!! It all seemed to happen so quickly…that is, until I thought about everything I had done over the past 4 years to make this happen. Suddenly the 70+ hour work weeks seemed (at least) semi-justified; the social-life compromises seemed worth it. And at last I had answered (for myself) the first question I ever posed to someone from Ogilvy - “Do you have offices in Europe and what would it take to get a job there?” I’m not sure I would have stuck around if they had told me the truth back then.
To be honest, the decision was much harder than I imagined. I had made up my mind about what I wanted to do after my summer off, and packing my life up and leaving my boyfriend and great friends to move to London were not on the agenda. It was like a bittersweet victory at this point. But, it was a victory, and an opportunity that I had to take.
As I wait for the visa gods to grant me access to London, I’m starting my “dream job” from NYC tomorrow. I’m excited, nervous, anxious and ready. I’m ready to start a new role. I’m ready to be challenged. I’m ready to grow. And I’m almost ready to move. Again, I think it won’t hit me til I arrive in London, but I’ve got a whirlwind ahead of me.
Lesson one of the experience - dreams do come true.
Wish me luck :)
