The Deep Breath Before the Plunge

Hello Friends,
I am smiling as I write this now because this is the first time I have ever written a blog. I used to think that they were silly but now I am fairly excited to write this one. The reason that this blog is being written is why I am excited. there has never been a reason to write one and now there is. I am about to embark on a journey the likes of which I have never attempted before. I am moving to Cambodia to teach those who would learn how to communicate using the English language. Previously the thought of going to Asia held no interest for me because I was a Spanish minor in college and I wanted to teach English in a Spanish speaking country. I am interested now though because they organization I have been hired by has found a very valuable and specific niche in the city or Siem Reap, Cambodia. These citizens are part of a region with a growing tourism industry where the ability to speak English means the difference between being able to provide for yourself or not. If these citizens are able to learn even a modicem of the language, they will be able to escape the fierce poverty in which they are intrenched.
As much as this fact excites me, it also causes anxiety in me. What if I am not up to the job? What if I fail? What if I am not able to teach my students effectively? These are fears that I think we may all face when we are about to take a seeming blind turn on the road we are traveling. It is as if we are standing at the edge of a pool of water, the bottom of which we cannot see. I am nervous to plunge into this water. I am afraid that I will hit the bottom too quickly or realize that it is over my head and I cannot swim. I cannot let this unknown drive me away from this pool, however, as it lies in my path. I must take a deep breath and jump. That deep breath means commitment. It means I will submit to the nature of this pool as long as I am swimming fiercely. Literally this means that I must fight these feelings of inadequacy because more than likely they are categorically false. This journey is not about my adequacy or lack thereof. This journey is defined by the fact that there is a specific need in this country that I may have the tools to fill. It is larger than me and I am even a little impatient to hit the ground running in Cambodia. My impatience matters little however because I must take the deep breath of submission before diving into waters more expansive than myself. I cannot wait to update this blog as much as I can (It will probably be once a week or so) so stay tuned because there is more to come from Cambodia!