My JOURNEY

Dubai in the sky feels like on top of Dubai, literally. I took this picture on the plane headed to the UAE. Photo by Destiny Dickerson.

For my first blog post, I wanted to discuss something close to my heart: living abroad. Living abroad has been a lifelong dream for me. Over time, my desire to move overseas has never wavered. It has altered in terms of location, but my wish to move has remained unchanged. At ten years old, I told myself Tanzania was the place for me after doing a project on the country in the 3rd grade. Tanzania is still a beautiful place to me. I would still love to visit someday, but the location has changed. As I grew older and entered my teens, I discovered alternative places and things that interested me, and I continued to learn about myself. K-pop and J-pop (Korean and Japanese) music became popular among other girls I was friends with in school. Those friends and I used to talk about the K-pop stars we loved, and not only did I love the music, but I also fell in love with Korean dramas. My favorite was “That Winter, the Wind Blows”; I was obsessed. Asian music and movies weren’t the only things I loved, but the culture and people were unique to me, and learning about another culture fascinated me. I was 14 during this time, and while other girls my age would focus on their schoolwork or even check out boys, I looked into ways to move abroad to the United States. MOVING ABROAD WOULD BE MY TOP PRIORITY once I reach the age where I could go out independently.

Around this time, I was researching heavily, and the words TEACHING ABROAD came across my computer screen. There were prominent YouTubers in 2012-2013 who were significant in South Korea for teaching English: “Charlycheer” and “MeganMoon.” These two YouTubers provided a wealth of information regarding teaching abroad and living in South Korea. South Korea was a significant hub for teaching English during this time, mainly due to the popularity of the K-pop scene and the high pay. After coming across this information and conducting further research, I shared it with my mom, as she was interested in moving abroad but needed guidance on how to get started. Over the years, we continue to be drawn to the idea of moving abroad, and nothing has changed. We’ve faced several obstacles since 2012, but one thing remains certain: our dreams have never changed. I’m 24 years old now, and I’m amazed at how an older version of myself still has the same dreams as the younger me. After graduating in December 2023, my goal is to move abroad and start a new life.