Two Weeks to Take Off

In just two weeks, less than 336 hours, I will be on my way to Oxford and I cannot even begin to explain how stoked and blessed I am to have this opportunity. While studying abroad has always been a possibility, I was not positive I wanted to partake in a trip overseas for a semester until my sister, Jordan, studied in Italy for a semester. Her experience completely changed who she was as a person and helped expand her views of what was going on outside of our country. When she returned home she had an arsenal of stories of incredible experiences that she had while abroad, ranging from attending a variety of services at different historical churches with her religion class and professor, to participating in the crazy Fasching celebration in Munich. Just listening to her stories affirmed my desire to study abroad.

I have known I wanted to be a teacher since I was very young, and a recent development in my career goals has made this trip even more appealing if that was even possible. After speaking to my friend who lived in London for a few years, I decided that it would be such an incredible experience to teach at an American school somewhere in the United Kingdom for a few years. I feel that if I have already had a few months of living in the UK it would make the transition a little bit smoother because it provides me with the opportunity to grow accustomed to how their schooling systems are different than the average American schools.

Through out my years of schooling I quickly realized that I learned more from certain life experiences than I ever could in the classroom. Because of that, I am a strong believer in the idea that the real world is the biggest and best classroom. For my entire life I have lived in very sheltered areas and have not been exposed to some of the situations that are not prominent where I live. I plan on going into this experience with an open mind with hopes that I can become aware of just how fortunate I am to have these opportunities. Along with that, I want to try and give back to the community in some way with hopes that I can repay them at least a tiny portion of what I would have earned physically, emotionally, and intellectually during the experience.

While the whole idea of being in another country away from your parents and family for an entire semester may be intimidating to some, I see it as an incredible experience for growth. While Jordan and my parents may have planted the seeds of studying abroad in my mind a few years ago, I have decided that this trip would be the opportunity of a lifetime and participating in it would be a huge blessing and privilege. Anything that would help to shape me not only as a young adult, but also as a future teacher is definitely worth my while.

xoxo
SG