As you hopefully read in the ‘about’ page, my desire to live and teach overseas goes years back. In fact, when I was packing up my things in Colorado, I found a clipping from a music journal about teaching overseas that was dated 2004- that was my first year teaching! The fire got hot when I did my masters at Northwestern and was surrounded by music teachers who do just that-teach internationally. The passion they shared about their experiences was infectious! There was also a rich tradition at my school for teachers to take a sabbatical of 1-2 years and teach internationally. 

With the support of everyone I knew (some with resistance!), and most importantly the openness of my husband, Martin, I began looking for and applying for jobs overseas. I used 2 sites to help me in this search, in case you are interested yourself- International Schools Services and Search Associates. The planning for this begins almost a year in advance. I was applying for jobs as early as October for the following school year. I applied in countries all over the world, trying to keep in mind the wishes of my husband about wanting to be somewhere where he could still go out and play his bluegrass and American folk music- that’s a tricky one! I had an interview for a job in The Netherlands, which would have been ideal, though they wouldn’t hire me because I didn’t have experience teaching internationally. (I had heard it would be nearly impossible to land in Europe.) I had planned to attend a couple job fairs- in Boston and San Francisco, though canceled on them because I received a job offer for Cairo, Egypt! I eagerly accepted the job and starting researching about the school and the country. I immediately learned two things- yes, it’s safe and yes, they have a roller derby team- the Cairollers. (After accepting this I was offered more interviews in the Cayman Islands, Saudi Arabia, China, and South Korea.)

I have to admit it was not an easy decision to pack up everything we own, leave a position that I’ve built for 8 years, leave my many and wonderful friends and family, and go somewhere different just the two of us. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Martin and I own a house in the Denver area, we have an awesome garden, and even have chickens. The hardest part about leaving was leaving our pets behind- a cat of 12 Jolene, and a husky dog of 3, Mia. It turned out that Jolene decided she didn’t want to go to a new home, or come with to Egypt and she passed in her sleep 2 weeks before we moved. (Turns out the vet said she was at least 15 or older.) I found her sweet as can be laying in a laundry basket in a forever sleep. It was hard and unexpected, but was really the best thing that could’ve happened to her. Super weird though. So that left Mia. Egypt is a hot place. Really hot. We googled huskies in Egypt and found only advice to not bring her because she’s a husky. She LOVES the snow and cold… Not the heat and sand. Thankfully we have a couple of really great friends who were interested in fostering her so that their Great Dane could have a playmate. These two people are a couple angels in my life- I know Mia will be so happy there (Thanks Bob and Katie!) It’s for the better for Mia that she’s not here- I’ll tell you more on that later.

So a good friend, Chris, gave me some advice she learned about her teaching abroad experience, “the hardest part is getting out.” I cannot believe how hard it is to leave everything you have established. It’s not just a matter of forwarding mail, transferring services, and moving your stuff from one place to the next- it’s a matter of looking at every little piece of your life and selling it, storing it, finding someone to care for it, canceling it, changing it, etc. I even have a will now! We touched everything we owned and then packed only 2 suitcases a piece. A huge thanks to Martin’s family for helping us with so many little details towards the end.

So the hardest part is getting out- there were lots of tears, wondering if we are doing the right thing. My response- hell yes, why wouldn’t we take an opportunity to see the world and change the lives of others?! I get to share my love of music with Egyptian kids- and kids from other parts of the world! I know this is going to be a challenge, but I know I am going to grow from this and be a better person, a better educator, and  will come out of this experience with lots of stories to share. This is the first one 🙂