The Story

Let's start at the beginning.

Dropping Maya at College

Okay, so 2018 isn't exactly the beginning, but it is when the travel bug officially set in.  During this year, we saw so many changes including a move, Maya starting college, my new job and the pursuit of my masters degree.  Lucky for Maya and me, Landon remained rather constant, supporting us through all the upheaval.  But perhaps one of the biggest driving forces behind our newest adventure was my trip to Indonesia.  I found myself wondering "Why are we still in South Carolina?"  There is a whole wide world out here waiting to be explored.  There are so many other people and so many other ideas out here.  So many different things to try and places to explore.  Why are we still in South Carolina?  

I don't have anything against my home

3/4/2000

state, I just knew this wasn't really "it" for us.  Landon and I started early in life, barely escaping the reality of a teenage pregnancy.  We spent the first 20 years of our relationship together working our butts off to get through college and really "make it" as adults.  But here we were.  Officially adults with a child in college.  We had all the things adults should have- careers, every kitchen gadget known to man, decent clothing, and even a little spending money.  But was this really it?  Had we reached our destination at the ripe old ages of 38 & 39?  Were we ready for retirement?  It was clear that one chapter of our lives was coming to a close and a shift in perspective seemed to be in order.  

Guy Named Guy

While in Indonesia, I wondered how might I go about getting a job in a place like this?  Could Landon and I relocate to another country and start lives at a different latitude?  While there, I met this guy named Guy.  (Sorry Guy.  I imagine you get that all the time...)  Guy had actually worked abroad for a year in South Korea.  He said he loved it there.  The school was great and the neighborhood was safe, but his kids wanted to return to the states to be with their friends.  They never really adjusted.  This conversation really got the wheels turning in my head and I began to consider this as a real option.  

When I returned home, I spoke to Landon about it.  My argument to him was that this would be our golden opportunity to try something crazy like this.  Maya was away at college, doing her thing and quite independently from us.  If we go now, we could be gone for a few years and return when she has children.  I don't want to miss grandparent bliss.  I argued that while we were away, we would make much more money than here in the states doing the same job and we could use the extra cash to help pay down Maya's college.  No further word was needed for Landon to be convinced.  He was very interested once the prospect of paying off College of Charleston was mentioned.  So we began our search.  

We let the idea marinate in our minds for the month of September and I began doing some initial research.  I found a company called Search Associates.  These guys help you find schools abroad who are looking for teachers.  They vet all the schools personally and assign you an agent to answer questions and give you a little guidance in the process.  They are pretty expensive, which made us hesitate in pulling the trigger on this whole thing, but finally in October, we took the plunge and opened accounts.  

The job search became a bit of an obsession for me.  I checked the new job listings almost daily.  I compared benefits packages at different schools, student to teacher ratios, ratings, and locations.  I applied for every job that met our qualifications financially.  We were pretty wide open to location.  We got a few nibbles here and there.  One in Indonesia I thought was going to be a sure thing.  One in China and one in Spain.  But in December, we interviewed for and accepted jobs in Dubai.  This was really going to happen.

Think back to waiting all year for your birthday as a kid.  When it is months and months away, at some point, you have to stop thinking about it because there are too many other things to focus on in the meantime.  Landon and I spent February through May, as much as we could, this way.  There was a ton of paperwork to prepare, but for the most part we ignored the fact we would be leaving for a whole new life in August.  In May, this move came back into focus and was now just a few short months away.  

Now here we stand, ready to give all of the things that prove we finally made it to adulthood away for
two suitcases each and a world of adventure ahead.  We are are going to do this.  I hope it will be the amazing adventure I have imagined it to be.  I hope I will find, once again, a school community in which I feel supported and loved.  I hope Landon and I won't kill each other as we will be working closer together than ever.  I hope I can maintain the close relationships with friends and family here in the States while I am miles and miles away in a different time zone.  I hope we find the next chapter in our book.