This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. — J. R. R. Tolkien

This year has been a whirlwind of changes, many of which are yet to come. In December of 2017, I graduated college. So it was time for me to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I was still working at the bowling alley, which was the job I held while I was going to school. Because I graduated with a degree in Literature and had no opportunities in that field, I had a temporary midlife crisis trying to figure out what I could do and hoping that my degree meant something.

That thought process led me to a person who has become one of my best friends. She taught English for a year in South Korea about 5 years ago, and I thought, “Well, that’s always something I could do with my degree.” Of course, this was a last resort in the back of my mind.

I’ve always wanted to travel to Japan, so my plan was to talk to this person just to ask about her experiences and consider if this was an opportunity I could consider, and teach in Japan. One thing led to another, and when she offered to teach me the Korean she knew, I threw all hesitation to the wind and answered, “Why not?”

But I still wasn’t quite ready to actually apply for the program, so I applied for two different jobs around the area instead, one at my local library, and an internship through the University of Michigan. I was offered the job at the library, and then one weeks after I started, I was offered the internship as well. The internship was a better opportunity for me to learn new skills in the Communications field, so I accepted.

Even though I was making changed in my life and accepting new opportunities, I still wasn’t satisfied. South Korea was still lingering in the back of my mind.

One day during my internship, I decided to apply for the program and take an online TEFL course. And the rest is history. One thing led to another, from the application processes, to interviews, mailing paperwork, and here we are today. In less than two weeks, I will embark on an amazing adventure with the intention to not only try to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, but also to experience more of the world.

It is all thanks my friend, who is one of the biggest reasons as to why I made this decision. She gave me the courage to be spontaneous and believe that moving across the world is possible.

There is a lot more that goes into this story and my decision for this opportunity, which mainly involved losing my dad this summer. It might be a sad one, but stay tuned to watch me grow. Thanks for reading and don’t hesitate to share my blog or ask any questions!