The Teaching Abroad Terror Syndrome
I will never forget the sights, smells, and noises that bombarded by senses when I first stepped foot outside of the airport in Mexico City. I will also never forget the young kid who demanded 300 pesos from me as I sat in a yellow taxi outside of the terminal. He thought he deserved the money because he had been nice enough to slam my taxi door shut. I gave it to him. I do not think I fully appreciated how much 300 pesos was really worth on the streets of Mexico City. After all, I was only 19 when I first stepped foot in a city that had already overwhelmed my senses before my plane had even touched the ground. Fortunately, my foolish decision to pick a random taxi, which in some parts of Mexico City is tantamount to playing Russian roulette, did not cost me anything more than a few extra dollars, and within 10 minutes, I was sitting on a bus that would take me deep into Southern Mexico. Five years and 17 countries later, I still remember that exciting day in Mexico City when I officially stepped out of my comfort zone and dared to take a chance and immerse myself in a culture with which I was not familiar.
I talk with many foreign language students who want to travel and study or teach abroad. Sadly, most of them will never actually leave the country. Most have no idea where to start and the process of finding a school and moving to another country seems too overwhelming. Others are on the verge of leaving the country but someone in the family convinces them that living abroad is too dangerous. Still others are excited about the idea but it seems to them that the financial and educational sacrifices are not worth a stay overseas. It is exhausting for me to think of all of the enthusiastic people that I have talked to who have decided that studying or teaching abroad is just too difficult. It is sad to think of all of the people who I have talked with who wished they had studied abroad when they had the chance. If you have the chance, do not waste it. While it is important to contemplate the potential risks of traveling abroad, sometimes you just have to do it.