It wasn't until senior year that I really looked into moving abroad. I had a number of motivators nudging me in that direction: tired of familiar surroundings, familiar people, familiar ideas and attitudes, I could go on. After four years at Assumption, I knew the last thing I wanted was more class. Plus, I hadn't a clue what direction I would take in grad school.
I'm still too young to have my life mapped out anyway. Better to get some real experience and lay a solid and broad foundation (on top of my liberal arts education) to build upon in the years ahead. I wanted to make a major change and challenge myself in a new way. It was at this juncture I decided I wanted to move to some foreign country to live and work and to learn a second language.
Within those parameters I began to look into job opportunities for Americans abroad. A friend turned me on to TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language); it turns out that for large parts of the world (particularly those trying to develop and prosper), English education is in huge demand.
Well, I speak English, I enjoy teaching, and there are widespread opportunities in many countries. TEFL is flexible, a reasonable commitment, and offers great exposure to culture and language. I felt like this was a good way to gain the international experience I sought.
By this time I had thought about the logistics of such a move, looked into possible countries, read through blogs of various TEFL educators. Overall the Peace Corps stood out as the most attractive. A part of the federal government, this organization hosts loads of programs in countries all over the world, including English education. Volunteers train in-country for three months, staying with local host families. Afterwards, assignments are given and the volunteer travels to his or her new home for two years thence, independently living and working in a local community and immersed in the culture. Well that's the idea anyway. It sounded too much like the spiritual/personal adventure I had in mind all along. After enough discussion and reflection, I was filling out the (reasonably long) application on-line, scheduling an interview, accepting a nomination, completing my medical forms, waiting around, missing my program and being renominated, and being invited to serve in Romania starting at the end of April 2011, all within the space of eight months. I am very pleased with how everything turned out and I thought the process was a decent experience, and while it took a little while (it can take even longer) to process, it was exciting, especially while waiting for my invitation.
