I am learning to get better at plans. Mainly letting go of them and allowing them to fail and change.

Since my trip to Morocco in April 2018, I had a fixated goal. I would move to an Arabic-speaking country in the Middle East and teach English at a school there. I spent months researching, applied to dozens of schools and had two interviews with a company based in Dubai. After extensive research, I was set on moving to Oman. I met a new Omani friend who assured me I would love it and even put me in contact with her sister in case I needed help. This was a day after meeting me. Middle Eastern cultures go the extra kilometer when it comes to hospitality.

After a year of not hearing back from anyone and a failed interview with the company in Dubai, I met with an EFL recruiter who told me most schools in Oman and the UAE want teachers with a teaching license from their home countries. It did not matter that I had a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or two years of EFL experience abroad. They told me they would even take teachers without experience if they had a bachelor’s degree in education, but that a master’s degree did not supersede this.

Note: if you are trying to teach in the Middle East without a bachelor’s in education, there are ways to do this, however, I did not find anything that worked for me.

I ended up working with the recruiter and applied to three schools in Asia who offered similar benefits and were just fine with a master’s instead of a bachelor’s degree. I was offered three good-paying jobs with free housing and flights in China, Taiwan and South Korea. They were great positions, and although I had my doubts about the language academies in Korea and Taiwan, I could tell the Chinese school was a real school and valued students over profit. I downloaded an app to learn Mandarin and started dreaming of Asia.

And yet, something did not feel right.

I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t make the decision between the three schools. My anxiety-level was through the roof, and I could feel the situational depression and numbness that sporadically creeps up in my life returning. I went back and forth, researching, talking with friends, trying to figure out what was best, but nothing seemed right. I would make way more money than I did in Spain. I would have an opportunity to explore some of the most fascinating regions in the world, with lots of hiking and travel opportunities to boot. But I couldn’t say yes. Something was blocking me.

Suddenly, I didn’t want to leave Europe. I applied to a job in Portugal, but without EU citizenship, they didn’t even email me back. I began applying to random things. Schools in Zanzibar and Vietnam and Mongolia. But still nothing was right.

Eventually, I bought a one-way ticket to Texas for the last day I was allowed to stay in the EU. I moved home and decided to regroup. It’s been amazing being near family, taking my dog on long, meandering walks and seeing my childhood best friends and familiar spaces.

I have been extremely skeptical about hunches, intuition and doing what feels good. But I also know it is imperative for me to pay attention to my inner life. I have to lean into vocation, which is more important than any six-figure salary, incredible benefits package or even cultural expectations of what a life or career is meant to look like.

I’m learning to know when something is not for me.

I am back in Texas, working on writing projects and doing freelance work. I greatly enjoy putting pen to paper and getting paid for it. It is my vocation and something I will do until develop carpal tunnel syndrome or die.

I want to have consistent writing work throughout my life, but I also know I am not finished with EFL and linguistics just yet.

A few weeks ago, I found a school that weirdly enough seemed to tick all of my boxes. It was in Latin America, one of my favorite regions of the world, and one I have yet to truly explore. It was with a real school that seemed to care about not only their students but their teachers as well. I would be given a place to stay without paying utilities, and they would even offer me language courses so I could talk to locals.

It is a small city, not well-loved or known, but it is in a region that seems perfect for me. The other teachers do hiking and excursions on the weekends. They go to country houses in the mountains, and they seem like a true family.

So after months of searching, I am thrilled to announce next semester I will be moving to the Minas Gerais region of Brazil to teach at the Maple Leaf English Academy. It is a small school run by a Canadian and Brazilian couple, and it feels right.

I will not be paid as much as I would have been in Asia or the Middle East, and I am still fascinated about those regions, but right now this is the position for me.

I am already planning trips to surrounding countries, so if you are in the area, please come and visit. (Elena, Claudia and Asia that means you in Argentina. Khaoula and Liam, I want to see you in Peru!)

If you want to visit Brazil, my couch is always open to you, no matter if we talked yesterday or 10 years ago. I will be teaching for one semester, from February to June.

I am excited about attempting Portuguese, exploring the most beautiful beaches in the world and learning more from a biologically, linguistically and ethnically diverse country.

It took some searching, and I am thankful to have a support network that allows me to explore opportunities at home and overseas. If you have any questions about working or traveling abroad, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to help you.

Beijos e abraços, tudo de bom <3