Racey Days

Ah life is a funny thing. Actually my brain is a funny thing - it works in very funny and mysterious ways sometimes, ways that I don't even understand.

For one, it changes its mind quite often and on a whim. Take going overseas - at first I was going to do an internship in China, then I was not doing that program but still going overseas. Well, as it turns out, now I'm not going to be going overseas at all!

I'm certainly still attracted to the adventure and amazing experience that TEFL can provide, but I started to realize that it was going to be too big of a life upset for me at this stage. I just don't have the money or the wherewithal to deal with it right now. I realized also that I honestly don't want to teach! I had this nagging notion in the back of head from the beginning but just thought I would get over it with time and coursework. However, the notion only grew.

I realized the thing I was most attracted to about teaching overseas was the traveling, and I figured I can always do that in other ways at other times. The other main reason I had for wanting to do this was to find a change of scene. This is something that I feel I need SO bad right now it turns my mind inside out and drives me nuts! I realized I can also get this in other ways at other times, maybe in more practical ways but still almost as adventurous. I realized I can go somewhere closer to home, but still far enough away to make the change of scene big enough to scratch my itch.

So, without further ado I've decided to move across my very own country to, literally, the other end - i.e. to Vancouver*! I have a brother and sister-in-law there, so there is also the added comfort of family and support. In addition, the head office of the company I currently work for is there, so going there opens more employment possibilities for me. It's also just a large, beautiful city that offers the things I love about my hometown but on a larger, more varied and cosmopolitan scale. There's just so much to DO - I'm looking forward to traveling around BC, including Victoria and Van tourist attractions, road-tripping it to visit friends in Alberta, training-it down to Seattle, etc. I'm contemplating taking a writing course, signing up for yoga classes, taking hikes and joining dating sites (well, maybe; we'll see how desperately lonely I get after a few months), and just generally taking full advantage of the myriad amenities the city has to offer!

Sure, this isn't the grand adventure I envisioned when I first started on this quest to make a change, but it's still an adventure and one I'm really excited about. I'm no longer going to complete the TEFL online course for several reasons, but I am going to keep my profile on Chalkboard just in the off-chance that I change my mind again sometime down the road (as I'm wont to do fairly regularly) and decide to partake of an i-to-i program after all. When the time is right. I'm confident that I'm making the best decision for me at this stage in my life and that it will work out nicely. I may change my mind a lot, but one thing's for sure, I'm always looking forward to the future!

*It is quite possible that this decision was pushed along by the immense wave of national pride and group huggyness that permeated this nation after the conclusion of the Olympics yesterday, but I can't say for sure. I wanted to move out there long before these games, plus I'm a very practical person, so I know it's not THE reason, but I think I'd be lying if I said it didn't inform my feelings about going and make them more warm and fuzzy!*