I’ve spent the last year and a half or so developing a writing practice/business outside of school. Recently, an opportunity came up to share stories about how the pandemic had affected the lives of those who are or have been expatriates at different points in time.
So I figured it would be a good opportunity to try to explain why in the world were we thinking about stepping back into the international school circuit in the middle of the pandemic. Because at times, the idea of trying to get a job abroad in the middle of a pandemic, when many countries were in an out of lockdowns, really did seem crazy. Needless to say, the fall and winter have been a roller coaster of stress levels.
I tried to write this from a place of humility and from the understanding that everyone has their own priorities and everyone’s happy life looks different. Just different, not better or worse, right or wrong.
You can read Why we’re Returning Abroad Despite the Pandemic on Tales from a Small Planet.
If you’re curious about what life is like in other countries, I encourage you to peek around. You’ll be surprised!
It’s scary to put your thoughts out there in a space that doesn’t belong to us…but stepping out of the comfort zone is part of the writing craft, so there it is. I don’t know how many submissions they received, but I was proud to be chosen!
Enjoy!
Now that Hawaii is reopening more, we’re trying to do some things that were put on a very long pause due to lockdowns, so stay tuned!
Ana