Growing up as an outdoor and adventure enthusiast, I've had this dream ever since I was a little child of traveling the world. And when I say traveling; it's a whole lot different method than most people "travel." My method? Well, I'd say it's pretty risky and adventurous. I prefer to wander where ever the wind blows. You will see what I mean as I blog about my journeys.
Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for their awesome support. Leaving the country for an extended period of time isn't easy and it feels great to know that there are people back home who care about me. So, thanks again. You all are awesome!
So, here's the story! I was in Washington state visiting some family when I got an email from my boss, Rachel Coleman. I take care of her two daughters; the oldest being deaf, (like me,) and the youngest who has cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Rachel and her daughters are extremely successful in inspiring thousands of people around the world every day about raising children with disabilities and the huge benefits that sign language can offer to all children; both deaf and hearing. She is the producer of the TV show "Signing Time," which is focused on teaching babies, toddlers, and children basic American sign language.
Well, it so happens that there's a couple with a three year old daughter in Geneva, Switzerland. They watched the show and grew to love sign language and desired to learn ASL as a family. They contacted Rachel and asked her if she knew anyone who would be willing to come to Switzerland to be their aupair and ASL teacher. Rachel e-mailed me about the job and suggested that I contact this family. And that's exactly what I did. The family and I interviewed via email for a few days and they decided that I was the perfect person to come and be their ASL aupair. I was so excited! They asked me if I would come around July 18th and I agreed.
Well, tomorrow is July 18th. Yes, that means I leave tomorrow! I'll be boarding a plane from SLC to Dallas, Texas. Then from Dallas to London, England. Then from London to Geneva, Switzerland! It's pretty crazy to think about. I've always dreamt of traveling somewhere far, far away and experiencing the culture and the language in its rawest. And after years of dreaming and waiting and trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to achieve this dream on my poor college student budget, it's finally happening! And not only do I get to travel and experience a whole different land and culture, I get to teach sign language and take care of a darling three year old girl. It's pretty awesome. I'll have some time off every now and then to travel to the other countries in Europe so I'm pretty excited for it. One of my first destinations is going to be Italy. I'm in love with the country, and I'm sure I'll fall even more in love with it once I go there.
This is a huge, mind-blowing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I cannot believe that this dream is coming true, and in such a miraculous way. It's quite true what they say, that good things come when you least expect it. Hopefully this will be a positive experience, with many good memories to come.
Au revoir, mes amies.
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