Thursday, November 10, 2011

How did I end up here?

After studying in Germany and backpacking through much of Europe I knew I wanted to travel more. Shortly after returning home I signed up for a TEFL course in Alexandria, Egypt. I quickly decided it wouldn't be the best time to visit Egypt so I changed the course to Thailand, then eventually Vietnam. Prior to the course I had planned to do volunteer work in Peru. I volunteered in Cusco, Peru for three months and absolutely loved it. two months after volunteering I was to begin my TEFL course. After being enamored with Latin America and Spanish I decided to take the TEFL course in Costa Rica. The jungle, and the beaches were incredible but I perceived an odd absence of authenticity in Costa Rica that had me feeling empty. The city is ugly and filled with retired Americans and Costa Rican taxi drivers. Near the end of the course I accepted a job in Beijing for about a half an hour, however, visa complications caused me to withdraw my name. Then I thought I was headed to Korea. I do wish to teach there someday, hopefully next year, but the 3-4 month process of acquiring a criminal background check etc. made it quite difficult and frustrating. I suppose I could have waited 3-4 months but my appetite for a new adventure was too much. I accepted a position in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia. I will be teaching here for one year and then who knows? I do know that Indonesia is an archipelago of over 200 islands in the Pacific Ocean and has the largest Muslim population in the world. Ancient history, gorgeous beaches and incredible wildlife have me extremely excited. Oh yeah and I can't wait to begin teaching English.

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