Born for Leaving

I'm sitting here staring at a stack of moving boxes, I really ought to start putting things into them, I still can't believe that I only have about 25 days left though. In case you haven't heard the news, I'm moving to Honduras for 10 months and I leave very soon. This is going to be my travel blog so I can keep the world updated on what and how I'm doing. And I'd like to kick that off with a bit of back story for you about how I ended up deciding to move to Honduras to teach.

This story really begins a little more than 5 years ago in the spring of my senior year of high school. I only wanted to go to one school, College of the Ozarks. It felt like a perfect fit for a kid who came from a single parent household. What's more perfect than being able to work off your tuition and graduate debt free? But apparently, admissions at C of O didn't agree with me. I'm not a crier, but I sure cried a whole lot the day I got that letter. Mostly because I had no way of paying for college and debt terrified me. But last minute, I ended up at Missouri State and figured I'd find some way to take care of money things.

My first few weeks at Missouri State ended up being so much better than I was expecting them to be. And before I knew it, my first year had come to a close. In my sophomore year, I found a group called Christian Campus House. Interestingly enough that was around the same time that I started questioning my life goals. I had been working to teach Spanish but suddenly felt like that wasn't the right fit for me. I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life looking at the same 4 walls. In the midst of searching for my place in the world, I got the chance to go to Nicaragua with Campus House. And that's where I found it. That's where I found my place in the world, in the dust and heat of Central America. Because that's where I got to love people and spend my days working for something that mattered and feel like I was actually making a difference in this big ole world.

After a return trip the next year, I knew for sure that that was exactly how I wanted to spend my life. So I switched my major and decided I'd make a career out of travelling the world to teach English. Before you ask why, know that learning English is a huge deal in less fortunate parts of the world, it opens doors for jobs that would otherwise be impossible to get. As graduation drew closer and closer people started asking me what my plan was, for a long time I just had to tell them that I didn't know, that I was hoping to find something. I had applications for a few missions internships ready to be filled out when I heard about the opportunity of a lifetime.

The campus minister at Christian Campus House, Dave Embree, knows basically everyone in the entire world. And he had heard from a CCH alum about a school in Honduras that needed Christian teachers who speak English fluently. This opportunity was presented to me and I immediately knew that I absolutely had to try and make it happen. It was literally perfect for me. So I got in contact with the director of the school and applied to go to work for her. The rest, as they say, is history. And I can't believe in coincidences ever again. Because looking back, none of this would have happened if it weren't for that letter I got 5 years ago telling me that I hadn't gotten into the only school that I thought was perfect for me.

So August 2nd is the day. I will board a plane and say goodbye for 10 months. And that is terrifying and exhilarating and amazing all at once. I will do my best to keep the world updated about what I'm up to and such. That's what this blog is for, to give you a peek into my gypsy life as I explore this great big world. Hope you enjoy it!