New Zealand Trip Announcement/ENZTA Scholarship Motivational Statement

Hey there fellow travelers! Today I am writing this post to let you know that I am once again undertaking an exciting journey to a new destination! In early February 2015 I will be heading out to spend 8 weeks in Hamilton, New Zealand! Why, you might ask? Well, this next semester is my final semester at Utah State University which will consist of my student teaching.  I have chosen to spend my second block of student teaching in New Zealand instead of in Utah.

Many of you are probably wondering why I've decided to make this trip. I have many goals in life, but one of the most important to me is my goal to become an international teacher.  I believe very strongly that every country and every culture has a plethora of wonderful things to offer and great insights in the field of education. I want to spend time teaching in foreign countries and familiarizing myself with the great variety of teaching methods, strategies, and theories that different countries use.  Later on, I hope to compile the best of what I've learned into new strategies that can be used to strengthen the education of students in an increasingly globalized world.

Through studying abroad, I hope to gain a greater insight into a different type of school system and into a different type of culture.  I also hope to learn more about how students from different backgrounds learn.  This would be the first in hopefully many experiences I will get to have learning from different people.

When it came time to chose what country to go to for student teaching, I had the choice of either Norway or New Zealand. Norway was the cheaper option and so a lot of students chose to apply for that program.  However, despite the difficulty it might present, I still chose to apply for New Zealand.

You might ask why I chose to go there when I knew it was likely no one I knew would go and when it would be so much more expensive. The choice was simple for me; I have long been fond of their beauty and culture.  From the opportunities I've had to learn about the Maori culture that is at the roots of New Zealand’s past, to the beautiful vistas that have long been sought after destinations for some of Hollywood’s greatest film, I believed that New Zealand would offer me an exciting and wonderful opportunity to explore a culture that is a mix of old and new, of tradition and innovation.

While in New Zealand I hope to meet as many new people as I can.  I hope to learn about its culture, government, school systems and more.  The world is full of bright and vibrant people with ideas that no one has ever heard of and I hope to see what it is New Zealand is doing that the rest of the world needs to know about.

There’s a world of a million colors out there, and I’m ready to discover what the vibrant tapestry of New Zealand.

Don't Act So Surprised ;D

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love to travel. You know the fact that you're reading this blog probably means you know that as well haha. So I hope none of you are surprised that just a few short weeks after returning from my amazing trip to China I am ready to announce my next big adventure!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

On March 8th I will be departing my dear Salt Lake to journey back across the globe to the one place I have always longed to go: JAPAN! Japan has been a lifelong dream for me, and one I am so happy is finally about to come true. I will be going with a group of students from my university, on a short-term study abroad in Tokyo. I will be staying at Tsukuba University and will be spending most of my time touring various agricultural facilities and businesses to discuss how they run things in their country, I will also have a day or two of free time to do whatever I want, including getting to check another temple off of my list!

Words can't express how excited I am for this opportunity, and I can't wait to share it with all of you on here!

Remember: Life is what you make it! So go out there and discover every shade of every color this world has to offer!

Shǎo Zǒuguò de Dàolù (The Road Less Traveled)

Back in 2007 two good friends of mine went to Ukraine: Becca Hall and Amanda Black. They went with an amazing program called ILP. An organization that takes volunteers to foreign countries to teach English to schoolchildren. They have schools in Ukraine, China, Mexico, Russia, and now Thailand.
Last December I started thinking it was time for a change. I was almost done with my second year of college and I was ready for an adventure. I wanted to go out and see the world and make a difference. So I looked up ILP and after a few weeks going back and forth and trying to decide whether or not I was crazy I made up my mind to go teach in China. Shortly after I convinced my best friend Kareena Hudson to do the same.
Now my journey is a short 3 1/2 weeks away. I will be leaving August 25th a 11:11am. The flight will take around 23 hours and I'll be jumping to a time zone 14 hours ahead. I'm teaching at a school in Changzhou city in Jiangsu Province. It's just a little ways out from Shanghai on the Eastern Coast. I will be spending four wonderful months there. Our program ends December 19th but Kareena and I plan to stay longer to travel to Hong Kong to go to the temple there.
It's shaping up to be quite the adventure and I can't wait for it to begin!