Why are you so adventerous?

Someone asked me why I am such an adventurous person and the question caught me off guard because I don’t consider myself to be an adventurous person. Then I started thinking about it. I’m a 26 year old, divorced female living alone in a foreign country. I’ve spent the last year living on the other side of the world and I don’t plan to change that anytime soon. I’ve been in South Korea for almost a year to the day and have just extended my contract for an additional five months before going to the states for a quick visit and eventually heading to the Middle East. Kuwait to be exact where I have accepted a teaching position at eh American Academy for Girls.

So I guess there is so adventure in me…so to answer the question “why are you such an adventurous person?” I guess in lot of ways it’s a very basic answer. I am who I am because of the people that made, raise and continue to love me. Don’t get me wrong I will e the first person to tell you that family is not just biological but at the core of everyone, good or bad, I believe, is their parents or lack thereof. I’ve been blessed by a mother and father who have loved, supported and encouraged me to live bigger and dream bigger than I ever thought possible. They haven’t always understood or thought something was the best idea but at the end of the day they always been two of my biggest cheerleaders.

They raised me, not to be fearless, but to do it anyways, even when I was scared. When I decided to move to Korea I think everyone thought I was nuts, including my parents, but they quickly got on board and I think they realized part of it was a post-divorce melt down of me searching for a place to belong and a way to find myself again. A few days before I left the states I remember my dad saying “If you can make it through the first year, I don’t think you’ll come home.” I didn’t understand at the time, but he was right. The night before I left my mom held my hair while I puked and cried through one of many panic attacks and reminded me that “You chose this.” She was right too…it was all up to me. I had decided, jumped through all the hoops and at the end of the day I would be the one I had to answer to and depend on a world away. So I got on a plane.

I packed my world into two suitcases, cried my way to the airport, stood in line at security with my parents on each side of me, hugged them one last time and walked through. I knew that they were scared and worried and nervous but under it all I knew that they believed in me so what choice did I have but to believe in myself.

I’ve been blessed over the last year to be reminded of the connections and friendships that know no boundaries or distance and to reconnect with friends that I had lost touch with. I’ve also made some amazing friends and memories here in Korea that I will take with me when I leave. I’ve been blessed to be a person that loves big and loves often and that isn’t afraid to let people in, even though sometimes people are afraid to let me in. I’ve also been blessed by the fact that I always find my comfort and my balance though some may think of me as unbalanced. I know at the root of everything I am as blessed, strong and adventurous as I am because of the people who cheer me on.

Thank you!