The Beginning

Hi everybody! As you may know, or are currently finding out now, I am about to embark on a trip to teach English in Japan for a year beginning this August. I thought this blog would be a good way to keep in contact with people while I am away and at the same time allow anybody who is interested to follow along with my trip. It seems logical to do a rewind and tell my adventure from the beginning, from when I first became interested in teaching abroad. This is my story.

Lets rewind to December 2008. If anyone reading is nearing college graduation and is about to enter the REAL job market for the first time, you will completely understand my initial trepidation. Attending family parties and feeling as if you are going to be bombarded with the not-so-exciting question of "What do you think you are going to do when you graduate?" is one of the scariest feelings in the world. Especially when your answer begins with the phrase, "I think". What I was thinking or what I had been planning in my head was so far from being a certainty that each time I was asked it may have been slightly different. I believe I told everybody that Graduate school was next up for me (and still probably will be upon returning to America) in hopes of becoming a teacher.

However, more school just didn't seem like the right path at this time. I knew the right path needed to contain three specific elements. The first is that I wanted to travel and see the world and I did not want to be that old guy saying, "I wish I had done it while I was younger!" The second element was that I knew that I needed a paying job if I was not staying in school because of undergrad loans. The third and final element may come as a shock to my parents , but I really did not want to live at home after graduation (sorry Mom and Dad).

So January rolled along, with nothing in store for me and grad school was still on the horizon. It was between semesters and here at New Paltz that meant only one thing for me and that was swimming. So I was stuck at school with nothing to do for hours but prepare and prepare some more for my upcoming final few meets of my life. On the occasion friends would visit and enlighten a very boring time of year. Other than that intercession, as we call it, is terrible.

One weekend specifically, a close friend of mine and recent NP graduate Johnny Fleckenstein came to visit. He may not have thought much of it at the time or until he reads this, but that visit had serious implications toward my future. He started telling me that he and a friend Dave were taking a class that grants certification toward teaching English abroad. The qualifications were minimal: That certification, any college degree and to speak English as a native tongue. It literally took me one second after hearing this to tell him that I was going to partake in his journey.

The days following Johnny's visit were unbelievable. I had finally felt as though something wonderful had fallen into my lap and was calling my name. Although there was one problem: I wanted to forge a path of my own and not follow Johnny to Taiwan (sorry buddy). I began searching for places to go in Asia that offered this opportunity and Japan was it.

I was able to recognize the magnitude of this decision. So before telling my parents what I was planning, I needed some back up and additionally fire power. This is where Steve Ohar, one of my best friends, enters the picture. I enlisted Steve as my confidant with whom to share this trip with. As an army recruiter would never take no for an answer, nor would I. Seriously though, he needed as much convincing as I did.

With Steve on board, it was time to now share this adventure with my parents. I knew that there were two certainties in letting my parents have a stake in my trip. The first was that I was probably going to go on the trip regardless of what they say. The second was that I probably wouldn't leave without their good graces. Yeah it conflicts, I know. So I sat them down and presented an air tight case to them, gave them a few more weeks to mull it over and finally...good graces!

So we are finally starting to near the present time. Steve and I have just recently signed up for our TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and both of us are looking forward to taking it down in Manhattan over our Spring break. I know what you are thinking. Adam wow you are really devoted to this, you just gave up your spring break for school. Don't make me blush.

You are now as up to date with my adventure as you possibly could be. I hope that if you've taken the time to read along this far you'll make me your homepage. Seriously, you will? But keep checking back for more updates. This is exciting stuff. Thanks all.