So.... I'm moving to Africa. In 18 Days.

Hello everyone...

Apparently I am blogging now! I don't know how much I will be able to keep in touch here, but I figured I would try and see if I could keep to a schedule and have a nice record of my time at TASOK when this is all said and done. A quick (not quick, you do know me) intro:

When I think about all the roads that led me to my decision to start job searching in Africa, I think about my family's vacations and exchange students. Throughout my childhood, our family took many trips to many locales... always meticulously planned, using maps and seeing attractions we had picked along the way. I loved seeing new things and experiencing things I had only read about (Anne of Green Gable's house comes to mind) We had exchange students stay with us too, which also made me consider travel (and language) as well.

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I guess from those exchange students, I realized that I wanted to be able to speak the language in the countries where I wanted to travel, and thus began my study of French in the 9th grade. What began as a 'which teacher seemed nicer' choice became one of the abilities that I am proudest of. Not to say that I am an expert French speaker or that my accent is something to be proud of, but just to say (as modestly as possible lol) that I am proud that I can (mostly) speak another language and I am proud of the fact that learning a language has opened doors for me, giving me experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. (And making me a little bit bolder...) As any good French book will tell you, French is more than Paris, and I was captivated early on by the idea of speaking French in Africa, an idea that has clearly stuck with me throughout my life.

http://showuswhy.wikispaces.com/file/view/carte-francophonie-2008.jpg/190288328/800x470/carte-francophonie-2008.jpg

No discussion of this choice would be complete without a mention of school. I have loved school for as long as I could remember, and that led to my study of Elementary Education. Originally, I thought that teaching, like French, was something that I could do in many places across the world, and I left after college to teach in France. When I returned to Vermont, I focused on getting some teaching experience, and that led to my employment at Sheldon School, a place where I met loads of wonderful people and had lots of fun. I started to try to picture myself there for an extended period of time, but my 'itch'/travel bug/wanderlust kept rearing it's head. I decided (painstakingly, after a lot of thinking) that I wanted to try to switch things up, find a place where I could speak French more regularly, teach elementary school, see more of the world, and meet more wonderful people.

In short (haha) I consider Bakersfield, Vermont my home and Franklin County an insanely beautiful place where many of my 'people' reside, the people who will help keep me sane (to the extent that that is possible) throughout this journey. I really can't explain the 'itch' inside me that keeps me traveling the world... but I know that I wouldn't be confident enough to do it without all of you thinking of me and cheering for me, and for that I am truly and deeply grateful. Thank you for your friendship and love!

ttfn as Tigger would say

PS I promise as a rule to have more photos and fewer words! If you have any comments/questions, just ask, you know me, I could explain/talk for hours!This is, after all, an Ellen story...