What’s on your mind, Amaris? Oh, mostly my 25th birthday that’s rapidly approaching. As the title of this post suggests, I’m casually thinking about the highly anticipated, possibly dreadful, quarter-life crisis. The thing is, for the past five months, I’ve been going through things so diabolical that I am hoping that my 25th birthday is the end rather than the beginning of the crisis. Ironically, the changes in my life have pushed me back towards writing as a creative outlet, rather than a requirement for school or work. Silver-lining, maybe? Since I’m not 25 at the time of writing, I can neither confirm nor deny that the crisis ends at the stroke of midnight on year 25.
So what happened?!
I finished my Master’s, yay! Looking back at my last post from 2023😓, I realize I never officially announced that I was in a grad program here on the blog. Long story short, I started a Master’s program in 2023 and walked across the stage in May. In true Amaris fashion, I am currently finishing my last course for the degree before officially receiving my diploma at the end of summer.
A few months before I started my degree, I landed a full-time job, which I worked during the day while attending classes at night. At the end of my first year in my program, I moved into my first big-girl apartment in the city to be closer to school and work. Things were really looking up for me. Although I was grateful to have this job, I wanted to transition into a job within my degree field. Miraculously, in November of last year, I landed a job in the same organization that focused on democratic development in Africa. My degree is in International Development for those curious.
I ended the year on a high. I had a new job in my field, graduation was in a few months, and I was traveling to Senegal over New Year’s! My return flight from Senegal landed in the States in the second week, during which my optimism was at an all-time high. Two weeks later, my organization was thrown into a crisis fueled by the decimation of the US foreign aid sector. On Valentine’s Day, I was furloughed. Two months later, I was laid off. Since then, I’ve been in a weird place where I’m the most educated and most unemployed I’ve been in years.
My current mood in three pictures/memes
To celebrate or not to celebrate🤔
With the whirlwind of the past few months, I struggled to amass any excitement towards reaching a quarter century. Up until this week, I did not want to celebrate my birthday if it ended up being the beginning and not the end of my quarter-life crisis. I’m a reformed crash-out and I know my limits.
When I got an invitation for my friend’s birthday, I realized I did want to celebrate. Or rather, future me broke through space and time to whisper, “You’ll regret not celebrating,” in my ear. That could have also been heat delirium since DC is currently under a heat dome. Either way, I’ve never regretted hanging out with my friends.
Here’s the birthday dilemma: I’m not a partier—and since the adulting thing is currently breaking down for me—I want to do something whimsical as a nod to the last time I was unemployed in the summer, my childhood. Reaching 25 seems like the perfect time for a throwback celebration. Enter… group crafting. It’s like parallel play for adults.
Maybe the quarter-life crisis is the one we had on the way 🤔
The details are still fluid, but I will celebrate my birthday with friends and family. Whether I experience a quarter-life crisis more intense than the past few months is still up to fate. For now, I will focus on the things I can control.
Until next time,
Amaris
