Friday, July 1, 2011

We Begin in Boston...

It didn't take long after I arrived home in Seattle for that familiar sense of restlessness to find a seat on my shoulder to start tugging at my ear. Sure, it was counterbalanced by the gorgeous views, close proximity to friends and family and of course a need for gainful employment, but I knew that I wasn't ready to settle just yet. I began formulating plans for my next adventure.

Teaching English abroad would combine three of my loves: travel, English and teaching. This seemed more practical than my previous attempts at balancing three part time jobs (teaching dance, freelance writing, and usually something in the service industry thrown in to actually make rent). The first step was a CELTA certification from Cambridge University via Teaching House New York.


The training was intense, but I was surrounded by incredibly supportive classmates and an awesome staff who took me from a nervous native speaker to the winner of the "Best Gestures" award upon graduation - I guess all those dance classes did help!

My first chance to put my education into practice comes from Ardmore Language Schools on the Emmanuel College campus in Boston. The campus is gorgeous and the cafeteria goes way beyond my expectations with an impressive array of local, sustainable food. I even managed to create a comfortable bed with a little creative rearranging of my dorm room.

And most importantly, the reason I've always felt comfortable traveling is that I carry a little piece of home with me everywhere I go. For everyone who has ever asked if they can jump in my suitcase - don't worry, you're already there!