Predeparture Jitters!

Well my departure is now 2 short days away and to say the least, I am a bit nervous! I think I have literally worried myself sick considering I have been to the doctor twice this week and it is only Wednesday! There has also been some unexpected, expensive purchases in the form of a new laptop. Looking on the bright side, at least it died before I left the country. I think I have been driving myself crazy :) Therefore, I definitely have some predeparture jitters happening right now.

Even though I am very nervous, I would say there is a ton of excitement going through my veins! I have never been abroad so this will be a very fresh and new experience for myself. It will also give me a great experience for teaching some English as a Second Language (ESL). In my eyes, this could be my competitive edge when it comes to getting a job after graduation! I mean ideally we all want to get jobs and put our degree to use! Besides all of this, I am looking forward to the learning experience that these three months abroad will provide me. I will have a whole new outlook on the world, other cultures, and education. I cannot wait to be immersed into a new life!

About two years ago I found out that there was the possibility of doing student teaching abroad through University of Missouri - Saint Louis (UMSL). It is safe to say that ever since then, the thought has been replaying over and over again in my head. I think I told my parents about the chance to student teach abroad in South Korea the day I found out about it, so I would like to say I gave them a two years heads up because I was determined to be given one of the four spots! My family is excited for me but I have picked up on the hints that they are nervous as well. I would expect nothing less though! The fact that I am gone for 3 months really is not a big issue. My school in Missouri is already 6 hours away from their house in Wisconsin so sometimes our time spent together is spread apart. Their nervousness comes from the fact that I am a 14 hour plane flight and many countries away from them. As always, I am encouraged to have a great time while learning and growing from my many new experiences.

There is so much that I hope to gain from my time in South Korea. Personally, I want to be a more worldly person who understands more about different cultures that may be around me. I need an eye-opening experience and I think South Korea is it. This will also help me to learn more about any biases that I may have and values that I hold. Professionally, I hope to gain skills that allow me to be more multi-cultural. I want to come back with more ways to be successful as a teacher in the classroom and have techniques to connect to the many students that I will encounter over the years. There is much more that I want to gain from my time abroad in South Korea, but these are just some that came to mind quickly. Challenges are bound to come up while I am abroad as well. I think one of the biggest challenges will be language barriers. Some students may know English better than others and even my own English may come across a little fuzzy to the students. It will definitely be a challenge for me to slow down my speaking in order to help my students understand better. Another challenge will be the difference in teaching methods because South Korea uses a lot of teacher centered methods. With every new school comes new challenges, goals, and hopes for the future. I am nervous and excited at the same time but I could not be more ready to open this next chapter of my life!


~ E