It seems surreal that in little over two weeks, I will be boarding a plane to Mexico. Even with my tickets and semi-packed suitcase in front of me, I feel as though I need to pinch myself to realise that this is happening. Really.
I am a bundle of nerves, terrified of going alone, but excited for the adventures that lie ahead of me. As I write this post, I cannot help but contemplate how vastly different this year could have been. In October, I was offered a place in the Graduate Diploma of Secondary Teaching at the University of Auckland. Had I accepted this offer, I imagine I would be driving myself mad with study, or meticulously preparing for teaching practicum, If you had asked me what it was that I wanted to do six or more months ago, I would have said that I wanted to become an English teacher, without so much as a moment's hesitation. It is so very easy to stick to whatever it is that we find familiar. I think I would have been quite content returning to study. The routine of waking up, going to class, coming home and picking up your textbooks is comfortable. This repetitive cycle is one that many of us become accustomed to. I guess that's because there is security in knowing what you are doing from one day to the next. I had never been so sure of anything before I applied for my teaching diploma. Even during my interview, I felt so self-assured that teaching was what I was destined to do. As soon as I received that acceptance e-mail, however, I threw my future into question entirely. Within a week, I turned down my offer of place. Why? I simply wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to commit to another year of study, to a career path, or to anything for that matter. At 22 years old, it's hard to picture exactly what you want to do, where you want to be, or even who you see yourself becoming. The next year of my life was no longer set in stone for me and there was something extremely liberating about that. I thought about what someone who was in my position could do. That's when I began to consider booking a trip to Central America. And I did. I've never really been a person to take risks. Again, it comes down to the fact that it's easy to get caught up in the monotony of day-to-day activities. You study, you go to work, you spend time with family and friends, you eat, you sleep. While these are all great aspects of life, I think I'd lose my sanity if I didn't challenge myself to step outside of my comfort-zone once in a while. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to swim with turtles (and maybe a shark or two), zip-line through jungles, go paragliding over a lake and immerse myself in a totally foreign culture. I have absolutely no expectations as far as the experience is concerned, but I look forward to facing each day of the trip with an open mind (and a lot of courage). Only two more weeks.
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B is:A 26-year-old tea drinking writer of words trying to find her place in the world.
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