Most of you know already the exciting news...Dereck and I will be teaching in Cairo, Egypt next year. We are ecstatic.
I'm already impressed with how the staff have been so involved in addressing our questions, concerns, and all the knitty gritty details about this transition. They perform like pros in the process. My favorite thing is they created a Facebook group for us to post any question.
The most common questions asked by our family and friends:
What is the school like?
It is a private international school for K-12 grades.
What will you be teaching?
Dereck - high school math; me - 5th grade math
What will your housing situation be like?
Housing is paid for by the school (Seriously? That is incredible.) and they help us find a furnished apartment within the first few days.
What about your pets? You LOVE your pets!
I made the most difficult decision ever yet. I'm leaving them in the care of trustworthy people as they do NOT travel well. After all, our cat is considered a Senior and it is ideal to keep her and the dogs in Phoenix. I'll miss them like crazy but this is my only drawback to teaching abroad.
Are you crazy?? You're going to Egypt?? It's in the news with all the bad stuff.
Well, no place in the world truly is "safe" and I don't think the level of safety will be any different then the "hood" I live in. As long as I'm careful of the parts of town/country I travel to, we should be just fine. Life is worth living and exploring the world. I don't need to live my life in fear.
Wait a minute...didn't you just finish remodeling a whole house?
Yes we did, and yes we have renter(s). Read the next paragraph.
For the last few years, Dereck and I have been talking about teaching abroad and how much we want to do it. There just never seemed to be the right "time." Then we realized there never will be a "right" time...just do it.
Rewind 11 years ago, I planned on doing a study abroad in college. I was saving up for it. The plans changed when I met Dereck. Instead of doing a study abroad, we got married (the best decision I made). Now I get to teach abroad with my husband, even better.
My love of travel began as a teenager. Traveling to Australia with my parents, Mexico with my Grandma, Mexico for my honeymoon. In High School, I even was an exchange student in Germany. LOVED IT!
Now it's time for our new adventure...the countdown is on: 16 days left.
