Jungles to explore

My year in Chile is almost over. I can´t believe it -- not because it feels like less than a year has passed, but because I cannot imagine the abrubt end that is so rapidly approaching. When you work in a corporate job, there´s no "expiration date". Sure, you might lose your job or find a new one, but that´s ... well ... indefinite, uncertain, only a possibility. But there´s no uncertainty about my time here ending. Final exams end in mid-December and my flight to Seattle is the end of January. Then ... who knows? THAT is where the uncertainty comes in!

I love teaching. Being in front of a class is like putting on a show. It is planned yet improvised and there is always a huge "audience participation" component. It uses talents that were wasted as an analyst, including humor, thinking on my feet, leading groups, and managing time. That last one applies in the class and outside, as teaching is such a flexible job time-wise. At least where I work, there is no concept of face time. I am there for my classes, and all the planning work, grading, etc., that I do is on my own, meaning I can do it whenever I want, wherever, and in whatever way. It´s so freeing to work that way. The 9-5 grind, well, it ground me down.

But I have many other interests, and English isn´t really a passion of mine. Seeing the world sure is, though, so unless I find something else that fits the bill, I´m going to stick with teaching English in other countries. I love living abroad. Love it, love it, love it. Thankfully, there are endless opportunitites to pursue and so many people doing good things. One of these videos is of my sister´s current country of residence, Timor Leste. Watching the video made me want to trade in the concrete jungle of Santiago for the real thing ... someday, someday.

http://www.globalcalltoaction.org/simpleactsofpeace/index.html