About 6 weeks ago, I applied for a teaching job at an international school in Nigeria. The position didn't at all fit the profile of what I was focusing on (corporate, communications-based, in Chicago), but the "what if?" factor intrigued me and I sent off my resume. I figured I've been rejected for about 30 jobs so far; what's the harm?
5 weeks ago, I moved home to Minneapolis after a sudden and shocking job loss. It took me about a week to decompress and then, about 4 weeks ago, I got a response from Nigeria. International Community School is an accredited American international school and they have offered me a position teaching a combination of Moral Instruction, ESL, and English classes. M.I. is a non-graded discussion-based curriculum for all grades (K-12) which covers making friends, conflict resolution, AIDS, etc. ESL is the teaching of English to Speakers of other Languages for students who arrive at ICS with an insufficient knowledge of English. It's a 2-year contract (I have the option to choose 1-year renewable, too). And while the pros and cons are evenly matched at this point, my fears are of leaving everything I know and love here in the States; my fears are not of going.
I've been doing research and looking at pictures and imagining my life in this strange new place. It's new and exciting and I can't think of any other time in my life that I will be able to pick up and move half a world away. My heart has always been overseas, I just wasn't sure how that would manifest itself.
I think I've been afraid to talk about Nigeria here on my blog, or my Facebook or my Twitter because there's so much indecision and uncertainty surrounding the entire situation. I wanted everyone to know when I knew for sure one way or the other. But life doesn't work like that. I don't have all the answers and I never will and not talking about the situation doesn't make anything clearer. So I still have more questions than answers, and even though I haven't made a final decision about whether I'm going or staying, I'm talking about it. With anyone and everyone. And with no one, like here on my blog.
Feel free to talk back.
1 comment:
Hey Maggie -
I think it sounds like a wonderful experience. Maybe this is just what God had in mind... hence the rejections and job loss. If your heart is overseas, and this opportunity has presented itself-take it! Obviously prayerfully consider the options, (as I'm sure you have) but don't let a fear of the unknown stop you. No matter what you decide, God will lead you to where He wants you to be. Rest assured that He will use you to further His kingdom no matter where you are, whether here or there.
If you want to talk, I actually live in Bloomington now.
Peace
Marjorie
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