Adios Madrid

Well, unfortunately it doesn't look like I will be doing TEFL in Spain after all. I just really can't afford it. Too many bills, too many uncertainties. It is definitely an option for after this summer. I still want to see Europe and I would be there if money weren't a factor. It is too expensive to go over there without a job or regular source of income.

To be honest, I have been giving a lot of thought to the Peace Corps and/or the Center for Pacific Island Studies at the University of Hawai'i. The more I work on my presentation and read my old blog entries, the more I remember how much I loved my trip and how passionate I am about the Pacific.

Speaking of my presentation, what would you want to hear about Pohnpei? My presentation is set up in two parts; Part 1 being sort of an atlas introduction to Pohnpei; and Part 2 is all about my trip and what I learned. Please share in the comments below what you would want to know if you (hypothetically) were coming to my presentation. Thanks!

Madrid, Spain

I got the news yesterday that I have been accepted to the EBC TEFL/TESOL training program in Madrid, Spain! Now I don't know if being accepted is that big of a deal because I am not sure how picky they are, but it is a big deal for me! Anyone who knows me knows of my ambitions to travel and live abroad for a while, so this gives me a great opportunity to do just that.

For those of you who don't know, TEFL means Teaching English as a Foreign Language. The EBC program last 4-weeks and at the completion I am certified to teach English as a foreign/second language. That means I am eligible/capable/certified to teach English in any language school pretty much worldwide! I would like to stay in Europe...maybe somewhere like Barcelona, Sevilla, Porto, or even Amsterdam! I won't be that picky. I mean if I get a job, I get a job. If I don't stay in Europe, then who knows.


Substitute teaching has really enhanced my need to travel. I see all of these kids that can only see what is in front of their face. They don't know there is a whole world out there to see. They think life in Traverse City is how life is everywhere else in the world. I don't want to live like that.

Wrestling is almost over. I'm sure I'll miss it once it is over, but I am just so exhausted. It has been a great experience though - watching the kids grow and improve and forming relationships with the kids has been my favorite part. They are all great. Sometimes I feel more like a friend than coach, but I think that is okay because we have other coaches who are strictly coaches.