Moving to China in 5 days! 

Looking back on it now, I'm having a hard time believing that this summer is nearly over. In the spring, I accepted a job in China before I even graduated, and then I GRADUATED (holy cow, that's amazing)! I feel like I spent the first half of the summer getting used to the fact that I am finally a college graduate and trying to really enjoy that. Then, I spent the rest of the summer getting ready to move to China! 

I still sometimes cannot believe that I am doing this. How long does "I'm moving to China to teach and I'll be there for almost a year" take to sink in? Now that I'm about 5 days from getting on a plane and making this whole thing a reality, I'm realizing that it probably will not sink in fully until I am there. I feel like I am doing something way, way bigger than myself, and honestly, I'm quite terrified. 

Since the beginning of my whole "Becoming a Teacher" journey, I have often thought of what it will feel like the night before my very first day of teaching my own classroom. Every time I thought about it, I had this feeling that I would be so nervous/anxious/excited that I wouldn't even be able to sleep! Of course, in all of these visions, I pictured teaching in an American classroom. No question. It had never even crossed my mind that my very first year teaching would be in a different country. I had no intentions of moving out of the country after graduation. Yet, this amazing opportunity came along, turned my head, beckoned me to come on one of the biggest adventures of my life, and I just couldn't say no! 

So, here I am. 

If I am going to be completely honest (why not?), I have definitely had the thought that I wish I wasn't moving to China. It is really scary. I will be way the heck out of my comfort zone in so many ways. I already have been and I haven't even moved yet! I kept thinking to myself after graduation that I just wanted to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING this summer. I just graduated from college. It was a lot of work. I deserve a break, right? All I wanted to do was read books, watch movies, lay around, not worry so much about the future. But, the future is there. And it's looming. CHINA. Work needed to be done to prepare. If I really wanted to take the easy way out and not have to do much this summer, I would not be moving to China in 5 days. 

It is interesting for me to think about the parallel of my two choices for how I could be spending the next year of my life. When they are lined up side by side, they are SO different. If I were not moving to China to teach, I would most likely still be working at Walgreens for the next year, doing what I have been doing for the past 5 years. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for my job at Walgreens. But, with the path that I have chosen, by this time next summer I will have had the opportunity to directly apply what I have learned about Early Childhood Education. I will be a better teacher! Is there anything better than that? To become better skilled at something you really love to do? I will be a better person! I will be more comfortable with teaching and I will have invaluable experience that will allow me to be more confident in everything that I do. 

To make the most out of life, I think that it's appropriate at times to take the path that scares the crap out of you. It is probably most everyone's natural tendency to take the easy way out. Our comfort zone is preferred. It's nice there. And safe. We don't have to take any chances in our comfort zone. But, is that really living? I know that this has defined me for many years. I am the girl who over analyzes, who worries about EVERYTHING, who imagines the worst that could happen and thinks that it probably will. I have been paralyzed by fear in the past. I have no idea if I have what it takes to succeed on this endeavor, but you know what? I'm at least going to try! That's HUGE for me and that excites me! I'm probably not going to change the world, but I am doing something and I know that has to better than doing nothing at all. 

I am going to try my very best to keep this blog updated with entries and pictures. If you care enough to read, then you are on this journey with me too :)