One Week 'til Moving

One week?!  One week!  Next Wednesday—seven days from now—I will be in my new home, “getting settled” for four days until my housemate arrives.  That’s such a short time.  That’s 3 days in La Crosse, a wedding, and 2 ½ days in Holmen.  That’s crazy.  I should get packing.

I should…but there’s a heat index of 105 in La Crosse right now, and my upstairs bedroom has no air conditioning.  For some strange reason, packing up my bedroom just doesn’t sound appealing at the moment.  So I’m sitting in front of a fan and writing this instead.

You know, 10 years ago, I never would have told you I’d be a teacher someday.  In fact, I told multiple people that teaching was the very last profession I’d consider.  6 years ago, I told my teacher I would never have the courage or the knowledge of a foreign language to study abroad for a semester.  Then 4 years ago while I was studying abroad in Mexico, I told a friend there that I wouldn’t end up teaching English in Mexico, or any foreign country.   Yet 6 months ago, I turned down 2 job offers in Mexico and accepted one in Puerto Rico. 

Life throws us all sorts of curve balls, and we end up making all sorts of choices we never would have thought possible.   Whether these are the right choices…well, only time will tell.  So far in my life, I believe my choices have been sound.  I have no regrets.  I have not always been happy, or comfortable, or at home.  But I believe all of my experiences were necessary to make me who I am today.  I’ve done a lot of growing up in the last 10 years.  And I like the directions my life has taken.  I’m glad I’ve changed my mind on a few things. 

In a way, I believe that moving to Puerto Rico and teaching is something that I have to do.  I need to prove to myself that I can do it—and that I can succeed.  I need to show myself that I have it in me to plant myself in a brand new culture, acclimate, make friends, and survive.  I need to show myself that I can find a way to teach boisterous children without losing their respect or losing a part of me. 

And WILL I succeed?  Tune in next week to find out.  But I hope so.

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