Over the past few weeks, there have been many changes in my life. My oldest son, Brandon, left home last year after graduation and now has his own place, a job, a car...basically his own life. Bryan, my youngest, just turned 15 and decided to go live with his dad. This leaves me 40 years old, single, and an empty nest. While some would welcome this and others fear, I find myself somewhere in between.
For many years, I have been a teacher. Even when I am not teaching as a profession, I am still a teacher. It is part of who I am. I love to watch when student's have an "aha" moment and actually get a concept that had one time been a struggle. To watch a child grow and blossom is indescribable and it is one of the things that I find most rewarding. For this reason, I am researching teaching English as a Foreign Language.
I have applied to several schools and posted my resume on TEFL job boards. My inbox currently has four offers with contracts from China and numerous opportunity leads for Korea. For some reason, I find myself being drawn to Korea; specifically the east coast. I'm not sure why, but that seems to be where I am focused. Even at this late hour, I am still up actually awaiting a call from a school north of Ulsan on the east coast that is interested in hiring me as an English teacher. I'm so excited about the many possibilities! Yet, the thought of going halfway around the globe is terrifying at the same time. How can that be? I'm not sure, but I do know I feel it is the right direction and I am supposed to go.
So, you may be wondering (if you are still reading) why I would start a blog. Good question! I'm not really sure why other than to document this grand adventure in my 40th year on this earth. Once I get a job in Korea, I want to be able to post stories about my experiences for my family and friends back home to read. I want to take them on my adventure and let them experience all the little silly, fun, happy, sad, crazy, scary, and downright insane things through my little blog.
One thing my mother has always said is to live life without regrets. She says when she goes, she wants to "slide in" and say, "whew! what a ride"! I suppose I am like her in that respect. I wnat to see the world! I want to experience all that life has to offer! I want to taste foods from other countries and see the world through someone else's eyes. We only have one life to live and I am so done with the woulda, shoulda, coulda stuff. Thankfully, my dad is a bit more levelheaded and reminds me to read the small print and make sure I think things through before I go jumping into things. Ahhh, Dad...the older I get, the smarter he has always been! His advice is always worth listening to!
Although I will miss everyone, I am so grateful to have the opportunity to even explore the possibilities of spending a year teaching abroad. In 26 minutes, I will have another interview. Who knows? This could be the one! Regardless, I keep praying for God to shut doors that are not for me and open the one He has prepared for me. I guess that is why I feel so peaceful when an opportunity does not pan out.
Keep coming back for the latest on my grand adventure. Hopefully, I will keep you intrigued and entertained throughout my adventures. I cannot wait to get back into the classroom!! :-)
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