I have taken a major hiatus from posting on my blog. In fact, it was Christmas Day when I last posted.
It's not that I haven't been writing- it's that my reflections have been a bit too personal and "stream of consciousness" in nature to post on the World Wide Web. January and February have been marked by a certain sense of unrest and a deep pondering of questions such as:
o What's next? Where will I be next year?
o What job will I find fulfilling rather than what will make me "happy?"
o How can I remain present throughout my last months in Colombia and "make it count?"
-I am thankful and excited to say that I have accepted a School Director position at Teach For America's summer Institute in the Mississippi Delta! Woah! After having worked with another of TFA’s rural regions, the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas, I could not be more pumped to spend June and July in this rural, high-need and dynamic region.
-This means that I will be most likely be headed back to the states permanently around the first of May. This has always been "the plan” according to my visa, my apartment lease and my budget, but actually having something tangible to return to has put things in a new perspective. When I think of returning, I am often struck with a complex sense of sadness, fear and excitement.
-As for full-time prospects, I’m in the process of interviewing for teaching and school leadership positions with schools in Colorado and with Teach For America. It is probably most likely that I’ll end up in Colorado, but I am open to a lot of things right now, namely, the possibility of staying in Colombia. I have a grand total of zero job prospects or ideas in Colombia at the moment, but hey, I’m open. And life has taught me that crazy opportunities sometimes present themselves when you simply remain open.
-I started teaching English classes a couple of times a week! I’m hired through a language school that works primarily with oil and gas companies here in Bogotá, so I meet my clients at their offices. It’s been super fun and rewarding to see my students’ enthusiasm and progress and to start to get to know them better. My work with my students inspires me to keep plugging away at my ever-so-persistent weaknesses when it comes to Spanish.
-I’m in the analysis and writing stage of my research project on the peace education program, Aulas en Paz. I’m taking the rest of my time to visit and observe other peace education models in action, as well as pursue continued involvement in Rotary Clubs here in Bogotá.
I have the feeling that I might be opening up a “blog floodgate” with this post and I actually hope this to be true. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the twists and turns of my life presently in Colombia and the shape of my future plans. Thank you for reading, for caring and for rooting for me:) Onward and upward, friends.
