The Year in Review - One Year Living Abroad

The clock is ticking down to the end of my first year teaching abroad. The assignments are finished, the marking pile is (finally) getting smaller, and the exams are just waiting to be written this week. All that's left is to finish moving my stuff to my new apartment, pack my bags for vacation, and board the flight home next week.

When I look back at what I've accomplished this year, I cannot believe how much I did in such a short period of time. I would not say that this has been my most comfortable year, but I think that discomfort has been what's pushed me to do so much and grow the way I have. So what are the successes I'm most proud of?

• I packed up my life and moved to a country and city I had never been to before. A place where I did not speak the language and where I did not know a single person.
• Spending a year teaching in my own classrooms with more autonomy than I've ever had before. I was the only person teaching my courses, which gave me a lot of flexibility.
• Finally was able to start my solo traveling vacations. From my first weekend trip to Jerico, to three weeks scuba diving in Honduras, each step has been an amazing adventure. The freedom of traveling solo has been a bit addictive, and I can't wait to see where I end up next (I have found that there are really cheap flights available to Aruba and Curaçao....just saying...).
• I got my PADI Open Water certification, and can't wait for my next dive trip!
• He estado estudiando español por casi un año. Quedan muchas cosas por aprender, y quiero seguir estudiando español durante muchos años más. 
• I have signed a new two-year contract with a different school here in Medellín. I will be teaching AP Physics for The Columbus School, which will be an exciting challenge to continue my growth as a teacher. I'm looking forward to attending a 5 day workshop in Chicago this summer to help me prepare for teaching AP courses.
• I will (hopefully) be starting my Masters this September through a program at The Columbus School. I'm currently waiting for confirmation of my transcripts, but when that step finishes I should be ready to start! This will be a 3 year program, which likely means I'm staying in Colombia a little longer than originally planned.
• My life has been touched and improved by countless people I have met this past year. Some have been other travelers passing through, and others have become my new family abroad. This year could not have been the success it was without their care and support.

When I took the contract last year to come to Colombia, I had no real idea of what to expect. I had thought that I would come here, work for two years at the school, travel a bit, and then take off for some other destination whether in Canada or elsewhere. And now I've found myself in a position where I'll be staying in Medellín for 4 years, if not longer. That in itself is a scary number for me. I haven't lived in one city for 4 straight years since high school (15 years...). The closest I've come was two separate 3-year stints in and around Peterborough/Lakefield. I cannot imagine how my life will change over the next 2-3 years here in Medellín.

Lets put into perspective how much things have changed for me in the past 5 years...

• A little over five years ago, my life felt like it had come to a crashing halt. A 5+ year relationship fell apart weeks before the wedding. I suddenly found myself without a place to stay, without a job, and completely disconnected from my life plan at the time. Fortunately, it didn't take me long to realize that this was perhaps one of the better things to happen to me and saved me from what would have likely been years of misery leading to a divorce. In fact it led me to applying for jobs in places I wouldn't have originally looked, and led me to my job at HSC.
• Five years ago I was finishing the school year as a Teaching Assistant at HSC in Hamilton, having started with them just after the Easter holiday. I would go on to work for CISS in Toronto that summer, working with international students from around the world.
• Four years ago I had finished my time as a TA at HSC, while also teaching 2 sections of grade 10. I was packing my bags for my first trip to Europe with MEI, and then returned to Canada to move out to Lakefield for what would become three years at LCS.
• Three years ago I was loving life as an Assistant Head of House at LCS. I had co-lead several long weekend trips across Ontario and the US (including Washington, D.C. and NYC), and I was packing my bags for a road trip in California with 40 kids for WCC.
• Two years ago I was finished my time in residence work at LCS, preparing for my year as a LEAPer. I had led more long weekend trips for LCS, as well as a successful 2 week service project to Costa Rica. And once again was packing my bags for my second trip to Europe, this time with WCC.
• One year ago I was saying goodbye to my time living at LCS. I was filled with mixed emotions about saying goodbye to my home for 3 years but also stepping into another great adventure. I had led more trips, including a service project to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. This time I was packing my bags to move abroad instead of taking kids traveling somewhere.

If you had asked me where I saw my life going 5 years ago, I would have probably told you a dozen different answers that didn't even come close to the reality. I learned more about education outside of the Ontario public system, including independent schools and international teaching, that was never even mentioned when I was studying for my BEd. I finally got my first real tastes of international travel, and caught a severe case of the travel bug. I learned more about myself in this time than I had in the 27 years that came before.

I can proudly say that I am a happier human being now than I have ever been in my life before this point. There are challenges to my life that make me push to be better, as a teacher, as a friend, as a human being. My life has been re-written to include on-going education both through professional institutions and through self-discovery and self-reflection. I can barely wait to see who I am by the time I'm ready to leave Medellín for destinations unknown.