Why? Because My Parents Made Me!

I am moving to South Korea for at least a year to teach English. So far, people have been surprised and hesitantly positive with their reactions. I realize it does sound a little crazy. I graduated from college with an Accounting degree after all. I should be working in a cubicle, meeting my future husband, and planning on buying a house with a yard for my future kids, right? Wrong! After the initial "why would you want to do that?" facial expression fades, I then see a "wow I could never do that" creep up. Trust me- I was not born with this courage.

When I was a girl scout in Georgia, my parents had to essentially make me to go to Camp Pine Valley for a week of "sleep away" camp. I remember being afraid they would forget to pick me up at the end of the week. I also remember being terrified of not knowing anybody and being in a new place. But who made me go anyway? Mom and Dad. Fast forward to the summer of 2003 when I went to Washington D.C. for the National Young Leadership Conference. While I was the one who took initiative this time, I still needed my parents comfort and support to help me. My Mom has always pushed me out on the limbs of life and given me the support to not fall to the ground (or at least been at the bottom to tell me to get off my ass). Since then, I've had the confidence to travel and move to new places without knowing anybody...Like when I moved to Norman, Oklahoma for college and to Panama City Beach, Florida for no particular reason- this challenge is starting to become a trend for me. This is all thanks to that first week at girl scout camp, and, of course, Mom and Dad.

But even those are traditional coming of age experiences. What really threw me through a loop happened a few months before I graduated high school. I can't recall the exact day, but boy do I remember the roller coaster ride my stomach took when I found out my Dad was going to Iraq, Afghanistan, & Kuwait for work. It wasn't the war that scared me. After all, he isn't in the military and would be living on base (In retrospect, I'm thankful for my naïveté). What really shook me was that he was moving somewhere on the other side of the world with no family or friends! After that year and a half of seeing how strong and "worldly" my small town Texan Dad had become, my eyes were finally opened.

So if anybody is wondering where do I get the courage to move to the opposite side of the planet with a completely different language, its all thanks to my parents and their support. I'm so excited to visit Thailand for a month and making the move to South Korea. Of course I'm extremely nervous and surprised with myself, but really, if I didn't feel anxious what is the point of the adventure? Stay tuned as I document my experiences, however random and foreign they may be.