No, really. What am I
doing!! What the hell
am I doing?! Gahhh!
I was
serious when I said “if I don't think about it, I don't freak out.”
Because the second I stop to consider the gravity of my choices, it
kind of starts to feel like a pretty big freaken deal. And then I
think, “could you be
any more self-centered?”
Why,
yes. Yes, I can. And I will, thank you for asking:
So
what exactly am I doing?
I am
leaving San Diego, and the United States altogether for six months to
fulfill a teaching contract in the Republic of Georgia (I'm not
actually sure if it's still known as the Republic of. I've
gottta do some historical investigating – aka, “look it up on
Wikipedia”).
Georgia
has a Republic?
More
often than not, when I say I'm going to Georgia, people assume I'm
talking about the state. And then I get to tell them “no, no. The
Republic of Georgia.
Much different.” And then I get to enjoy the look of utter
ignorance that their face inevitably betrays. I'm not judging though.
I had the same look on my face at one point too, not even gonna lie.
Here
is a small map of where I am going:
The
small country was once (or more than once) occupied by Russia [Soviet
Union], and so, while they're national language is Georgian, they
also widely speak Russian.* Maybe I'll learn some Russian –
wouldn't that be ridiculously cool!? Also, I promise to give a better
history report about Georgia at some point. I realize I'm sounding
quite a lot like a Prick.
Where
exactly, within this
wonderful little country I will be spending the greater part of my
six months, is yet to be determined. In fact, I won't know until I am
in Georgia.
Complicates packing a bit, wouldn't you say? Fingers crossed for a
prime location by the Black Sea, but I will promise to be
appreciative of any location that I am assigned.
Why?!
People
-- well really, it's mostly my mother – keep asking “why?” Why
would I leave a secure, well paid job with fantastic benefits, leave
a beautiful city, a comfortable life, why would I go so damn far and
most importantly, why would I leave my friends and family (I do have
the best ones).
Because I want to. And because why
the hell not?! Sounds cliche, I know. But when I was first scheming
for my next big adventure, I dutifully sat down with yellow legal pad
and pen in hand and wrote out every pro and con I could conjure about
pursuing this life-long dream to travel. What I very quickly realized
was that my list of cons essentially boiled down to fears. The fear
of culture shock, unemployment, homesickness, the fear of an
unpredictable natural disasters or family illnesses, of being
rejected and not finding a program that would want me, of wasting
time, of disappointment – my list went on and on! And if there is
one thing that over the years, I have come to know about myself it's
that my absolute greatest source of self-pride and adrenaline is the
ability to thrive in spite of fear – an adrenaline junky, if you
will. Given, this is kind of an extreme example, but it is
titillating to imagine all that I stand to gain in spite of being a
little worried. The pros FAR outweigh the cons, or so I expect. In
the end, my decision is driven by what my good friend, Karla (Shout
Out!!) has coined as FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out. I want to do
it all and I want to do it on my own terms.
How?
I
searched high and low for a program that would best suit my needs and
interests. I found many very
alluring programs in Asia – Japan, S. Korea, China. Big pay, nice
set up, transparent, but all required a year commitment, something I
wasn't really ready to do. I also have already traveled through a bit
of Asia, back in 2008; I wanted something a bit different this time.
And through all of my searches, I found Greenheart Travel, I'll link
them, as well as Dave's ESL Cafe at the bottom for those of you who
are even remotely interested in similar programs. This program works
with the Ministry of Education in Georgia. The location was the
closest to Europe that I could find. The program offers paid round
trip flight, housing, essential transportation, food, teaching
support, a small stipend, and paid holidays and weekends off. How
much more ideal could the offer be? If you know anything about these
kinds of programs, you'll know that programs with such generous
accommodations are very
difficult to find in Europe, mostly because many European countries
have visa agreements with other English speaking countries (i.e.
England, Australia). Essentially, it's much more expensive for them
to bring an American to do what an Englishman can do. So I was SOLD!
At
this point, my hands are pretty much tied. Even if, for some
unmentionable reason, I had a change of heart, there's basically no
turning back now. I leave at the very end of June (only 1 more
month)!!!! My contract is signed, my letter of resignation filed at
my current job, my last paycheck comes next month (*gut wrenching*).
This
is it, I'm practically on the flight already. I just hope I am able
to stay out of my head and appreciate it all as intensely as it deserves, in spite of every fear.
*Disclaimer,
The
information contained herein is believed to be reliable, but cannot
be guaranteed as a source for your research paper about Georgia. It
can, however, be sited around the campfire, over a bottle of beer, or
a basket of chicken wings during which time this maybe inaccurate, but still fascinating information
will most likely not be challenged, whereby making you appear like a douche.
Greenheart Travel:
Dave's ESL Cafe:
