"I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing." -Herman Melville
Tomorrow, I'll leave for a year (375 days in fact) abroad living and teaching in South Korea as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. When asked about many of the details of the fellowship so far- where I'll be teaching, where I'll be living, what I'll be teaching, who my students will be, etc. I've shrugged. Since I made the choice to accept the Fulbright grant to teach in South Korea, some aspects of my trip have remained ambiguous.The truth is, the very acceptance of the Fulbright grant- my choice to leave a job I love, a city I adore, and a group of friends that have inspired me daily was a leap of faith. As my beautiful Aunt Karen told me, I'm going "to find out." And that's exactly what I'll do. I am heading out to learn what I don't know and to find out what lies on the other side of discomfort and difference.
Yet one truth has become abundently clear. I have such a strong community of friends and family that this objectively terrifying adventure doesn't scare me at all. I've experienced such an outpouring of love and support from my New York friends and colleagues, my Columbus friends, and my family, that as I embark into this great unknown, I really will be laughing (metaphorically, and otherwise.)
Oh, and in regards to those aforementioned logistical details... stay tuned, and we'll find out together. Here goes something!