So, it seems that I am starting a blog :). For those of you tuning in for the first time, I promise that the entries will get much more interesting as I actually begin my travels and have better things to write about. I wanted to at least start it and put something up on the page so it wasn't so.....blank.
Anyway, I am wrapping things up here at BHS getting ready to head out. We have one final concert, then it will be a whirlwind to the end of the year. It's hard to leave something behind....life changes in general are difficult. I was thinking back to the major changes through my life. I remember leaving high school behind and going to UA for college.....I was so excited to be going there and starting my college career! Then came the decision after graduation to move to Seattle. I was really nervous to be leaving behind all my friends but I knew that I would love it if I went.....and I went and love it :). It's good to remember that no matter how hard it may seem to bring something to an end, it is always fresh and exciting to start something new!
Now I feel almost as though I am graduating again. I am graduating from my first teaching position to move on to another life experience. As scary as going to Kuwait might seem, I am looking at it as a grand adventure. I know that I might never have the opportunity to do something like this ever again if I didn't do it now. There is simply no other time. I am young, not married, no kids, no real responsibilities, and I think I would be crazy not to pursue something like this.
I think back to all those people that never really left El Paso. Their life may be good for them....maybe they are happy being where they grew up and around their families. But as much as I love my family, I want to live my life to the fullest extent possible. On my deathbed at some ripe old age, I hope to be able to say that I was a child of the Earth and I experienced it as well as I knew how.
People say that I am crazy for skydiving, going to Africa, moving to Kuwait, etc. I have to say however, that I am learning about the world and that is definitely not crazy. Too many people think that they know what is going on in the world because they watch CNN or Fox News. You don't learn about the world from the TV.....that only teaches you that particular news channel's slanted view....they teach you want they want you to believe. I think that to learn about the world and humanity, you need to get out and visit as many places as you can to formulate your own decisions. Never let someone tell you what a place is like.....even me :). Be your own informant....be a free-thinker!
Anyway, if you can't tell, I am really looking forward to leaving for Africa June 26th! I will return August 7th, go to El Paso to see my family for a couple weeks, then take off for Kuwait August 21st! I will try to blog as much as I can while in Africa, although it will be sporadic internet service at best. I will also try to post lots of pictures so you can get a little taste of what I am experiencing.
3 more weeks of school! In the final stretch!
