Out of Rivendell

Hello all!  Yes, I am still alive.  It’s been a while, I know.  The last month has been really crazy.  I promise that updates will be more regular from here on out, now that I’m actually….but I’m getting ahead of myself. 😊

If the first entry I posted wasn’t enough to tip you off, I really like the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by JRR Tolkien.

A lot….

And those books have colored my perception of whenever I go overseas or move on a new chapter of my life.

In the Hobbit, the titular character Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable home in the peaceful Shire, to go on a mad adventure with a wizard and 13 dwarfs to get back a treasure from a dragon.

Leaving his home is weird enough but their first real stop is a place called Rivendell, home of the Elven-lord Elrond.  And that stop is pretty good, all things considered.  Immortal, wise Elves, good food, nice beds, pleasant company….

I think you can see where I’m going.  This last month and a half has been my Rivendell.

Yes, there were hard things.  I found out just how crazy teaching can be, on those days when love and enthusiasm isn’t enough to make everything alright, when you’ve run your voice hoarse telling kids to listen.

There were days I came home exhausted and slept for three hours on the couch.  There were days I came home full of energy.  But at the end of the day, I was living with family, near friends, in a location that was more-or-less familiar.

Now, I’m really stepping into the unknown.

And it’s amazing and fun and exhilarating, but also full of so many questions and what-ifs and dot-dot-dots.

All this fluff to say, I’m getting on a plane in less than 24 hours to go to a country I’ve heard about in stories and seen in pictures, to teach children I don’t know at a school I also only know from stories and pictures.

I’ll love it, I’m sure, but I’ll definitely have left everything familiar.

So at 10:55 am tomorrow, if you think of me, say a prayer as I head off on the next stage of my adventure.  I’ll certainly welcome it.  And I’ll keep you all posted as I move ahead.

See you on the other side!